Juventus Season 2011-2012

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How Serie A will finish

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

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Juventus Arena - Torino

Sep 9, 2011

It

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

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Juventus Arena - Torino

Giovinco fears Juve attack

Sep 9, 2011

Sebastian Giovinco has warned his Parma side that they have to be focused in defence if they are to stop Juventus on Sunday.

The 24-year-old

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

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Juventus Arena - Torino

Sebastian Giovinco ready to spoil Juventus' Serie A opener

The Italian playmaker is plotting a way past his former club, who still own

a stake in him as he prepares to leave a mark upon his return to Turin.

Sep 9, 2011

Sebastian Giovinco hopes history repeats itself when Parma visit Juventus for their Serie A opener on Sunday.

It was the 24-year-old midfielder who masterminded Parma's 4-1 success in this fixture last season.

Plenty has changed since then. Giovinco is now on a co-ownership deal between the two clubs after spending last term on loan at Parma, who paid Juventus

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

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Juventus Arena - Torino

Antonio Conte has a selection dilemma

ahead of Serie A opener against Parma

The Turin club have massive expectations placed on them after a busy summer

in the transfer market and a new stadium, and the boss is yet to decide his first-choice team.

Sep 10, 2011

Juventus coach Antonio Conte has revealed that he has his full squad available for selection for the side's Serie A opener against Parma on Sunday, but is unsure of who to play.

The Turin outfit have been busy this summer in the transfer window with a number of players joining the squad, and the former midfielder will have a tough test picking his best starting XI.

"At a medical level I have the whole squad available, but I'll have to check after training today, and Vucinic and Krasic are back," the trainer confirmed to Corriere dello Sport.

"That said, for me the games that are won will determine the players who will compete and progress. Saturday's training will show who have been able to train more with us and understand our philosophy," he continued.

The Juventus fans have high hopes for the game and the season, especially given the club's new stadium, and it is time for action now according to the side's boss.

"We have great motivation, but now we must move from words to deeds. And that's what the fans want from us. We're building something important, to be competitive again as soon as possible but we still work just to achieve certain objectives," he stated.

One of the main threats to a successful first game will be Sebastian Giovinco, whose player rights are owned between the two opponents, but will play for the away side.

"Half of his rights are still ours and that's good. The club has decided to keep him at Parma, and tomorrow will be our adversary," Conte concluded.

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

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Juventus Arena - Torino

Juventus will be looking to end Parma hoodoo - Antonio Conte

The 42-year-old tactician has vowed his side will put their recent bad form

against Sunday's opponents behind them to get the Serie A campaign off to a positive start.

Sep 10, 2011

Juventus coach Antonio Conte has urged his side to end their hoodoo against Parma when the two sides meet on Sunday, for his first game in charge of the Turin giants.

The club have lost their last three games against Parma in Serie A and will be keen to start the new campaign with a win in the recently opened Juventus Stadium.

Conte took charge of the club where he made 296 appearances in the summer and has admitted he is looking forward to the task at hand.

"Ok, I admit it, I'm very excited, there's no point hiding it," the 42-year-old told reporters in his press conference on Saturday.

"This isn't a job like any other, I'll be emotional but also very lucid, that's for sure, but this eve of a match is different to any other.

"We're playing a Parma side who have beaten us in our last three matches so we're going to put our antenna facing the right direction and start with a bang."

The former Siena coach has promised fans that the side will play an entertaining brand of football and also stated that he believes Italian football is in line for a new dawn of attacking football, following the eye-catching 2-2 draw between Lazio and Milan on Friday evening.

"I don't know if we will be there yet [challenging for the title] but I know we're on the right path, and that's playing good football," he added.

"Lazio and Milan played football, always trying to beat each other. In Italy we're still backwards, trying too much to defend a result but that mentality is changing."

Juventus opened their new stadium on Thursday evening in a 1-1 draw against English League One side Notts County.

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

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Juventus Arena - Torino

Serie A Preview: Juventus - Parma

The Turin outfit will look to kick off the new Serie A campaign with a win

over the visitors in the first competitive match at the Juventus Arena.

Sep 10, 2011

PROBABLE LINE-UPS

Juventus (4-2-4): Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Chiellini, De Ceglie; Marchisio, Pirlo; Pepe, Del Piero, Matri, Giaccherini

New summer signing Mirko Vucinic was robbed in broad daylight in Turin on Thursday but didn't sustain any injuries and will be available for selection while Vincenzo Iaquinta is out with a thigh problem and will not feature on Sunday.

Parma (4-4-2): Mirante; Zaccardo, Paletta, Lucarelli, Rubin; Valiani, Morrone, Galloppa, Modesto; Giovinco, Pell

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

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Juventus Arena - Torino

Conte: 'Not like any other game'

Sep 10, 2011

Antonio Conte is ready for his first official Juventus match, welcoming Parma to the new stadium.

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

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Juventus Arena - Torino

Krasic and Vucinic recover

Sep 10, 2011

Milos Krasic and Mirko Vucinic have recovered from knocks, so are part of the Juventus squad to face Parma.

Coach Antonio Conte named his side after the final training session at the new stadium in Turin this afternoon.

There were injury doubts over both Krasic and Vucinic, but both are in the list on the official club website.

Vucinic was also a concern after he was mugged in the street on Thursday before the stadium inauguration ceremony, robbed of a watch worth

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

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Juventus Arena - Torino

Colomba wants to spoil Juve party

Sep 10, 2011

Parma have a tendency to upset Juventus and Franco Colomba hopes they can do it again in this morning

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

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Juventus Arena - Torino

Juventus v Parma: Preview

Sep 11, 2011

Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero is hoping his team can launch a new era at the club with victory over Parma this weekend.

Tomorrow's visit of Parma not only marks the start of both clubs' league campaigns but will be the first Serie A match to be played at the Bianconeri's new 41,000-capacity Juventus Arena.

The Turin giants are the first Serie A team to own their stadium following years of renting the Stadio Delle Alpi and then the Olympic stadium.

"We have great expectations,'' said Del Piero. "We know that if we give our best, we can dream.

"Following our recent campaigns, we have to start with our feet on the ground, without suddenly thinking about the top.

"There will be a time when we can start to fly but we have to remember that many changes have taken place.

"We have a new coach, so many new players and a new stadium.

"These significant changes should create enthusiasm and it's from there that we begin our campaign, with the dream of returning to have winning seasons.''

Under new coach Antonio Conte, Juve are looking to improve from successive seventh-placed finishes that saw them miss out on the Champions League two seasons in a row.

Opponents Parma have strengthened their team with the arrival of 12 new players this summer.

Franco Colomba's side finished 12th last term and despite the numerous reinforcements, the team's primary goal is to maintain its top-flight status.

"Our aim is the same as last year,'' said Parma striker Hernan Crespo.

"We have to be smart and keep our feet on the ground.

"We just want to focus solely on avoiding the drop and the sooner we do it, the better.''

Former Juventus winger Sebastian Giovinco will lead Parma's attack alongside Graziano Pelle.

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

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Juventus Arena - Torino

Line-ups: Del Piero leads new Juve

Sep 11, 2011

Alessandro Del Piero and Alessandro Matri lead Juventus out into their new stadium to face Parma in the lunchtime kick-off.

The first official match at the Juventus Stadium begins at 11.30 UK time and Antonio Conte has a point to prove in front of a sold out crowd.

The Coach picks his former teammate and current captain Del Piero in the revolutionary 4-2-4 system, joined by Simone Pepe, Matri and Emanuele Giaccherini.

Mirko Vucinic, Arturo Vidal and Milos Krasic are on the bench, as they are not 100 per cent fit, while Fabio Quagliarella, Marcelo Estigarribia, Fabio Grosso and Vincenzo Iaquinta are not even in the squad.

Parma have won their last three Serie A meetings with Juventus, home and away, so Franco Colomba will be looking for another upset.

Ex-Juve starlet Sebastian Giovinco starts just behind former AZ Alkmaar striker Graziano Pell

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

4 - 1

Juventus Arena - Torino

Referee: D. Celi‎

Attendance: 55000‎

17′ Stephan Lichtsteiner

58′ Simone Pepe

74′ Arturo Vidal Pardo

83′ Claudio Marchisio

92′ Sebastian Giovinco (P)

Pirlo shines as Old Lady grace

new stadium with impressive win

A late red card for Paolo De Ceglie couldn't detract from an impressive display

by Juve as Pirlo made himself at home in his new surroundings.

Sep 11, 2011

Juventus christened their new stadium and made a firm statement of intent with a comprehensive 4-1 Serie A victory over Parma.

Andrea Pirlo produced a superb display in midfield for the Turin giants, and goals from Stephan Lichtsteiner, Simone Pepe, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio fired the hosts to a confident opening-day win.

It was Antonio Conte

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

4 - 1

Juventus Arena - Torino

Referee: D. Celi‎

Attendance: 55000‎

17′ Stephan Lichtsteiner

58′ Simone Pepe

74′ Arturo Vidal Pardo

83′ Claudio Marchisio

92′ Sebastian Giovinco (P)

Player Ratings

Goal.com rates the performances of the players on show

in the Old Lady's opening day victory over bogey team Parma.

Sep 11, 2011

Juventus

Gianluigi Buffon 6.0 - The goalkeeper could have pulled up a chair and enjoyed the game, as Parma never really threatened him. Had to parry one shot from Giovinco, and was left with no chance at the penalty.

Paolo De Ceglie 5.0 - Was solid in defence, but failed to be much of a threat in attack. A black dot on his performance was the needless penalty and red card just before the full-time whistle, which his team could have done without.

Giorgio Chiellini 6.5 - The Juventus defence was stable, and he played his part by organising the rearguard without much trouble. Also demonstrated sound positioning and tackling.

Andrea Barzagli 6.5 The ex-Wolfsburg man delivered a good performance as he was assured at the back, impressing with his marking. Intervened when needed.

Stephan Lichtsteiner 7.0 - The ex-Lazio man delivered an almost impeccable performance. Was strong in the tackle, well positioned, and a genuine threat down the flank. Scored a goal in a manner that would befit a striker.

Emanuele Giaccherini 6.0 - The winger worked hard down the left, but failed to offer anything special. Put in a few good passes, but his final ball left a lot to be desired.

Andrea Pirlo 8.0 - The new signing more than proved his worth with two sublime assists which deservedly earn him the man of the match. Inspirational passing, superb control and impeccable technique were the order of the day as he delivered a performance worthy of his best years. The chipped passes to Lichtsteiner for the opener, and for Marchisio for the fourth were a joy to behold.

Claudio Marchisio 7.0 - The midfielder did a lot of defensive work in the first half, but failed to offer much of a threat to Mirante's goal before the break. Things changed afterwards, as he netted with sublime touch to put the cherry on the cake.

Simone Pepe 7.5 - The ex-Udinese man is slowly winning over the Bianconeri fans. Delivered another good performance, providing defensive cover down the flank, and while his crossing was not top-notch, his finish for the the second goal of the game was.

Alessandro Del Piero 7.0 - The Juventus legend put in an energetic performance as he led the Bianconeri's attack by example. Showed some great touches and will be disappointed not to have bagged a goal.

Alessandro Matri 6.5 - Had a goal disallowed in the first half, and hit the post in the second period. Did well today, but just lacked luck.

Substitutions

Arturo Vidal Pardo 7.0 - The ex-Bayer Leverkusen man made instant impact as Juventus sprung into life after the Chilean entered the pitch. Scored one of the goals of the round with a marvellous volley, and made sure Parma barely crossed the half-way line.

Milos Krasic 6.0 - The Serbian looked much more incisive than Pepe on the right wing, but his desire could not match his final ball. Still, a good cameo.

Mirko Vučinić 5.5 - Got one good chance after a pass by Pepe, but saw his finish blocked. Aside from that, his contribution was minimal.

Parma

Antonio Mirante 5.0 - The ex-Juventus goalkeeper looked like a one-man army at times as he tried to repel the Old Lady's attacks. Pulled off some good saves, but could not do anything for any of the hosts' goals.

Matteo Rubin 5.0 - Managed to contain Pepe on the flank in the first period, but looked completely clueless after the break. Failed at the back, and did not offer much in attack.

Alessandro Lucarelli 5.0 - The defender was relatively solid before the break as helped Parma keep the scoreline at 1-0 in the first half. Completely lost the plot on the second period as his hesitancy to close down opponents was one of the main reasons for the Ducali's collapse.

Gabriel Paletta 5.0 - The Argentinian was caught flat-footed occasionally as Juventus' forwards drifted behind him with relative ease. Did not read the game well, and his positioning was disappointing.

Cristian Zaccardo 6.0 - The ex-Wolfsburg defender was probably the most stable unit of Parma's rearguard. Did well to nullify Giaccherini's threat, but failed to offer much up front.

Francesco Modesto 5.0 - Failed to offer any threat down the flank as he was kept on a tight leash by Pepe and Lichtsteiner. A game to forget.

Daniele Galloppa 5.0 - The ex-Siena midfielder completely failed in midfield as he did not offer any protection to his defence, and had minimal contribution in attack.

Stefano Morrone 5.5 - Could not keep up with Juventus' vibrant midfield pairing and failed to exert his authority in the centre of the pitch. Lacked pace today, and was chasing shadow most of the time. Disappointing passing from the midfielder also.

Francesco Valiani 5.5 - Started brightly, but soon started to fade away as the game progressed. Tried to break away down the flank, but was often crowded out by the Old Lady's defenders.

Sebastian Giovinco 6.5 - Struggled against the Old Lady, as they managed to contain him with relative ease. Was starved of service, but popped in with a great run to win a penalty just before full-time. Converted the spot-kick, sending Buffon the wrong way.

Graziano Pell

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

4 - 1

Juventus Arena - Torino

Referee: D. Celi‎

Attendance: 55000‎

17′ Stephan Lichtsteiner

58′ Simone Pepe

74′ Arturo Vidal Pardo

83′ Claudio Marchisio

92′ Sebastian Giovinco (P)

'Congratulations to the players and the fans' - Antonio Conte

The 42-year-old tactician heaped praise on his side and the club's supporters

following their 4-1 opening day victory over Parma at the newly-opened Juventus Stadium.

Sep 11, 2011

Juventus coach Antonio Conte was keen to pay particular praise to his players and the supporters after the club demolished Parma 4-1 in their opening Serie A game at the Juventus Stadium.

Goals from Stephan Lichtsteiner, Simone Pepe, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio were enough to give the Turin giants a resounding win, despite Paolo De Ceglie's late sending off and Sebastian Giovinco's consolation penalty.

The side were good value for their win and Conte made sure he acknowledged the backing provided by the club's supporters.

"I need to thank all our fans, they kept us going for the whole game and gave the lads a real push. It's been the start we were hoping for," Conte told reporters after the game.

However, the coach did pick out a few faults with the performance before going on to congratulate his team.

"We shouldn't have conceded and had a man sent off. We must prevent lapses in concentration," he added.

"But as far as the rest is concerned, I can only congratulate all the players. They read the game in the right way, be it when attacking or defending. We know that there

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Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

4 - 1

Juventus Arena - Torino

Referee: D. Celi‎

Attendance: 55000‎

17′ Stephan Lichtsteiner

58′ Simone Pepe

74′ Arturo Vidal Pardo

83′ Claudio Marchisio

92′ Sebastian Giovinco (P)

Pirlo inspires four-star Juve

Sep 11, 2011

Juventus crushed Parma 4-1 with an inspirational Andrea Pirlo and stunners from Arturo Vidal, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Claudio Marchisio.

It was the beginning of a new era in Turin, as Antonio Conte made his official debut on the bench in their brand new state of the art stadium. Inaugurated on Thursday, the Juventus Stadium is the only one in Serie A owned by a club and was packed to the rafters for this game. There were still visible marks on the field from the opening ceremony.

However, Parma hoped to cause problems, as they had won their last three meetings with Juve home and away. Vincenzo Iaquinta, Fabio Quagliarella, Marcelo Estigarribia and Fabio Grosso were in the stands, with Mirko Vucinic and Milos Krasic not 100 per cent fit in Conte's revolutionary 4-2-4 system, while the Ducali missed Raffaele Palladino, Massimo Gobbi and Jaime Valdes.

Alessandro Lucarelli almost gave away a penalty in the opening minutes with a clumsy challenge on Alessandro Matri.

Juventus broke the deadlock with their first real opportunity. Andrea Pirlo inspired with a chipped pass over the defence, as Stephan Lichtsteiner sprung the offside trap and flicked the ball with his right foot to go round the goalkeeper and deposit into an empty net with his left.

Moments later, Antonio Mirante used his legs to beat away an angled drive from Matri. Del Piero's pull-back to Simone Pepe was intercepted at the last second.

Matri thought he had scored a second on 38 minutes, but his header was ruled out, as he was offside when the cross came in before it was nodded down. There are also question marks, as the header towards him might've come off a Parma player.

Gigi Buffon risked giving away a goal after the break when he dropped a simple Sebastian Giovinco cross, but was able to scramble it away under pressure.

Matri was very unlucky again on 55 minutes, as he went on the counter and thumped the upright of an open goal, the ball rolling along the line and back out. It was Matri's final contribution, as he made way for Mirko Vucinic.

Just seconds later, Juventus did get their second with Simone Pepe, who ran on to a Del Piero through ball to smash an angled drive into the far bottom corner.

Arturo Vidal came off the bench for the captain. Vucinic pounced on a Gabriel Paletta defensive error, but Antonio Mirante rushed off his line to close him down.

Vidal took just over five minutes to mark his Serie A debut with a wonderful goal. The poor clearance fell to the edge of the box, where the Chilean let it bounce before unleashing a fierce shot on the volley that flew into the top corner.

It was total domination from Juve and the icing on the cake was a magnificent goal from Claudio Marchisio. Another delightful Pirlo pass to spring the offside trap released the midfielder, who kept his cool to chip Mirante.

In stoppages Giovinco burst into the box and was tripped from behind by former teammate Paolo De Ceglie. The clumsy challenge was an inevitable red card and penalty, which the Atomic Ant got back up to coolly convert.

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Juventus: Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Chiellini, De Ceglie; Marchisio, Pirlo; Pepe (Krasic 71), Del Piero (Vidal 67), Matri (Vucinic 57), Giaccherini

Parma: Mirante; Zaccardo, Paletta, A Lucarelli, Rubin; Valiani, Morrone, Galloppa (Ze Eduardo 74), Modesto (Biabiany 62); Giovinco; Pell

[Socrates 8331]

Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

4 - 1

Juventus Arena - Torino

Referee: D. Celi‎

Attendance: 55000‎

17′ Stephan Lichtsteiner

58′ Simone Pepe

74′ Arturo Vidal Pardo

83′ Claudio Marchisio

92′ Sebastian Giovinco (P)

Conte: 'Juve must build slowly'

Sep 11, 2011

Antonio Conte thanked the fans after Juventus started the season with a thumping 4-1 victory.

[Socrates 8331]

Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

4 - 1

Juventus Arena - Torino

Referee: D. Celi‎

Attendance: 55000‎

17′ Stephan Lichtsteiner

58′ Simone Pepe

74′ Arturo Vidal Pardo

83′ Claudio Marchisio

92′ Sebastian Giovinco (P)

Debutants dazzle as Juve raise curtain in style

Sep 11, 2011

Juventus christened their new stadium in style with a thumping win over Parma that takes them to the top of the Serie A table.

Antonio Conte could hardly have wished for a better start to life as coach of the Bianconeri as goals from Stephan Lichtsteiner, Simone Pepe, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio eased them through their opening league game.

A red card for Paolo De Ceglie and Sebastian Giovinco's consolation for Parma prevented it from being a perfect start, but there were few complaints from the 40,000 fans inside the new Juventus Stadium.

A new-look Juventus had Andrea Pirlo pulling the strings in the midfield and he provided two sumptuous assists to mark his debut in style. The first came in the 17th minute when he lifted the ball over the Parma defence into the path of debutant Lichtsteiner, who touched the ball past the goalkeeper with his right foot and slotted it in with his left.

An almost identical pass in the 83rd minute from the Italy international gave Marchisio the chance to crown a superlative performance with a delicate lob on the volley over Marco Storari.

But it was not only the new faces who shone for the home side.

Alessandro Del Piero rolled back the years with an assist for their second goal in the 58th minute as he bisected the Parma defence with a pass for Pepe, who drilled his shot across Mirante into the far corner.

Only minutes earlier, another Del Piero pass sent Alessandro Matri free, but his shot hit the inside of the right-hand upright and rolled agonisingly along the goal line without crossing it.

It was not Matri's day, having seen a valid headed goal ruled out for offside in the 39th minute.

But it was definitely Juve's day, and a good one for their debutants as Vidal scored with his first touch in the 73rd minute, volleying past Storari from 20 yards after Mirko Vucinic's shot rebounded back to the Chilean off a Parma defender.

The only disappointment for the home side was a red card for De Ceglie in the last minute as he fouled Giovinco inside the penalty area. The former Juve forward stepped up to score a consolation for Parma.

[Socrates 8331]

Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

4 - 1

Juventus Arena - Torino

Referee: D. Celi‎

Attendance: 55000‎

17′ Stephan Lichtsteiner

58′ Simone Pepe

74′ Arturo Vidal Pardo

83′ Claudio Marchisio

92′ Sebastian Giovinco (P)

Marchisio archives Parma triumph

Sep 12, 2011

Claudio Marchisio has urged his Juventus side to build on their impressive start to the season following the win over Parma.

The Old Lady began the campaign at their new arena in scintillating fashion as Marchisio netted a beauty in the 4-1 success.

[Socrates 8331]

Serie A Week 2 - 11/9/11 (12.30)

4 - 1

Juventus Arena - Torino

Referee: D. Celi‎

Attendance: 55000‎

17′ Stephan Lichtsteiner

58′ Simone Pepe

74′ Arturo Vidal Pardo

83′ Claudio Marchisio

92′ Sebastian Giovinco (P)

Lichtsteiner owes it to Pirlo

Sep 12, 2011

Stephan Lichtsteiner has thanked Andrea Pirlo for helping write his name in the history of Juventus.

The Swiss international became the first player to score a competitive goal at the club

[Socrates 8331]

Serie A: Team of the Week

Sep 12, 2011

Albano Benjamin Bizzarri [Lazio]

A fabulous debut for the Argentine as he superbly denied Milan a comeback win. Foiling Aquilani, he also blocked Cassano several times before bravely saving at the feet of Ibra then pushing a Boateng stinger round the post. Commanding.

Stephan Lichtsteiner [Juventus]

Never stopped running and menaced every time he ran at the visitors

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Diamonds and Pirlo

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Roma & Inter aren't effective units yet,

Juventus look the real deal

There were 35 goals and a whole host of talking points from the first weekend of action

in the Italian league this season, with only two of the big five clubs earning three points.

Sep 12, 2011

It was a long time in coming, with the extra two-week wait causing no end of frustrations to fans of the 20 clubs across Italy, but Serie A returned with a bang over the weekend.

A fantastic 35 goals were scored, with some topsy-turvy encounters being seen in Milan, Palermo and Genoa, and Roma and Inter suffering defeats to start their new eras.

Juventus led the way, closely followed by Napoli, Fiorentina and Udinese, as the top flight welcomed the countless new arrivals with some magnificent action.

But what can be taken from the opening 10 games? We've picked out the five main points to consider after Week 2.

REGARDLESS OF SHAPE, INTER NEED TO DEFEND BETTER

No subject has brought about the use of quite so many numbers this summer as the discussion over Inter's expected formation changes in 2011-12. Gian Piero Gasperini's shift to a 3-4-3 via 3-5-1-1 and 3-4-1-2 as opposed to the 4-3-1-2 and 4-2-1-3 systems largely employed by the club over the last couple of seasons have had many people's heads spinning.

But when it came down to it on Sunday night, it was plain bad defending that resulted in their 4-3 defeat to a Palermo side that have been experiencing something of a crisis over the past two months. While players can feel uncomfortable in certain formations or defensive systems, there can be no excusing some of the dreadful individual decisions made by experienced players at the Renzo Barbera.

Lucio's lack of concentration led to Fabrizio Miccoli's first goal, while Julio Cesar left a good 70 per cent of his goal for the same player to aim at four minutes from the end, despite the No.10's famed talent from free-kick situations. And moments later, Mauricio Pinilla was given all the time in the world to line up his blockbuster winner, with the Brazilian keeper stood watching.

So while the formation question may need to be revisited at some point, the more important task for Gasperini right now is give his players a kick up the backside. You can have three, four, five or 11 men at the back, but displays like the one in Sicily will only ever result in the concession of goals.

A ROMA REVOLUTION WILL TAKE SOME TIME

A new owner, new board, new coach and six new players. The result? Same old Roma. When they had the chance to mark the multiple additions to the club with a convincing performance and result in order to lift their fans, they went missing. And it became quickly apparent that Luis Enrique has a big job on his hands.

Trying to get your side playing like Barcelona is admirable, but it can also be naive depending on your personnel. Instead of the Catalans' silky teamwork from back to front, the Giallorossi often looked like 11 individuals as they went down 2-1 to Cagliari, with the sharp passing often doing little except show up the less technical players at Luis Enrique's disposal.

There were also some questionable tactical switches made, with the dreadful Bojan Krkic's exit leaving Roma with a transition-free forward line of Marco Borriello, Pablo Osvaldo and Francesco Totti. The one bright spot had to be the performance of Miralem Pjanic on his debut, who suggested with his display in the first half that he can make a difference in the Lupi midfield.

Every game provides insights into areas to work on, but Luis Enrique will have a whole host of issues to address before his side travel to Inter next week. With a further defeat at San Siro, there could already be grave doubts about the Spaniard's ability to lead Roma in their attempted revolution.

JUVENTUS' PRESSING GAME IS KEY TO THEIR IMPROVEMENT

As new eras go, Juventus' has started pretty damned well. A convincing 4-1 victory over Parma to celebrate the first competitive game at Juventus Stadium gave a thrilling first chapter to the brand new story.

The opposition provided a reminder of the bad old Juve; it was the Gialloblu's 4-1 win in Turin in January which started the slide to seventh place for a second successive season, while their 2-0 success over the Bianconeri in May put the nail in their European coffin. But this time around, Antonio Conte's men decided that the date with Parma was to represent something entirely different.

With Conte bringing in not only the 4-2-4 formation, but also the highly effective pressing game which served him well at Siena, the Old Lady didn't give Franco Colomba's side a moment's let-up. Andrea Pirlo's passing from the base also offered Juve a new angle of attack whenever their width was negated, and it was his delightful pass for Stephan Lichtsteiner which started the rout.

Unlike Roma, Juventus looked like a well-drilled, highly-motivated outfit, and with a capacity crowd behind them, it was the perfect way to christen their new surroundings. If they can make a fortress of this north-west pocket of Turin and take some of the momentum on the road with them, the Bianconeri could be ready to rock once more.

NAPOLI WILL CONTINUE TO PALM OFF PROVINCIAL SIDES

One area where Juventus failed but Napoli succeded last term was in the ability to take the 'cheap points' offered up by clashes with the league's provincial outfits. And in their 3-1 win at Cesena on Saturday night, the Azzurri proved they still have that attribute in their locker.

Their struggles against the sides around them at the top of the league may have stopped them winning the Serie A title, but they returned to the European Cup for the first time in 21 years thanks to their bullying of smaller opponents. And it was that approach which saw them collect their opening win in 2011-12, with Ezequiel Lavezzi again instrumental.

Marek Hamsik's blockbuster rounded things off for a side now preparing for their trip to Manchester City this week, but while few hold out much hope of progression from Group A in the Champions League, or of a title challenge in Serie A, Walter Mazzarri's men have to be taken seriously as a top-three prospect once more this year. And it will be routine wins over the Cesenas of the world that will take them close again.

MAXI MORALEZ COULD BE THE SIGNING OF THE SUMMER

Perhaps the smallest signing this summer in terms of physical stature, Maxi Moralez made the biggest impact of the new imports on opening day, grabbing two goals for Atalanta in their 2-2 draw at Genoa.

'El Elano' burst on to the scene with a first-half brace which put the Nerazzurri ahead after having suffered the early blow of Miguel Veloso's opener, and continued to cause the home side trouble.

Starting the season off six points back, Stefano Colantuono's men are going to need inspiration from somewhere in order to avoid the drop, but the Argentine has all the attributes to suggest he could make the difference. With ingenuity and creative spark on the ball, he also has an eye for spectacular goals and has a huge catalogue of skills in his locker.

At just 5'3", he could find some of his physical limitations counting against him in some situations, but the early signs suggest that he could have more than a little say in Atalanta's attempt to defy the doubters and remain in Serie A.

[Socrates 8331]

Serie A Team of the Week: Round 1 -

Miccoli stuns Inter & Pirlo inspires Juventus in opening round

With the players finally getting back on the pitch, Goal.com picks the best

of the best from Italy's top flight from the weekend action.

Sep 12, 2011

GOALKEEPER

Cagliari shot-stopper Michael Agazzi should take plenty of the credit for his side's shock win over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday, as he made a number of vital interceptions in the second half. The pick of the bunch being was when he acrobatically denied Marco Borriello's close range flick from finding the back of the net.

DEFENDERS

While there were plenty of goals in Serie A's first round of matches, 35 in total, there were also some noteworthy defensive performances. Juventus' Stephan Lichtsteiner pushed down the right with intensity, also scoring a fine goal by rounding the Parma goalkeeper. Danilo had Lecce's strikers in his pocket all afternoon, and Hugo Campagnaro overcame a difficult summer that saw him involved in a car crash by helping Napoli to a 3-1 win over Cesena with a goal and assist. Meanwhile, Manuel Pasqual was a terror down the left, supplying a superb cross for team-mate Alberto Gilardino to head home against Bologna.

MIDFIELDERS

This midfield trio have plenty of experience and savvy between them. Veteran Stefano Mauri showcased his playmaking ability by setting up strikes for both Miroslav Klose and Djibril Cisse. Atalanta's summer signing Maxi Moralez thrived in the trequartista role, bagging a brace against Genoa and revealing there is hope for the Bergamo-based side despite their points deduction. Andrea Pirlo proved he can be just as productive in Turin as in Milan, providing two sublime assists in his side's convincing triumph over Parma and Marek Hamsik had a superb Saturday evening, turning both provider and goalscorer, with his cracking volley ensuring the result at the Dino Manuzzi fell in favour of Walter Mazzarri's men.

FORWARDS

With the goals flowing in the peninsula, Antonio Cassano staked his claim for a place in the Milan starting XI by assisting Zlatan Ibrahimovic and scoring the equaliser, also nearly bagging a winner when he hit the post versus Lazio in the second half. Finally, Fabrizio Miccoli, who almost left Palermo this past summer, spectacularly fired the Sicilians to a win over Inter by scoring two incredible goals, including a textbook free-kick late in the match.

[Socrates 8331]