Juventus Season 2011-2012

[Socrates 8330]

Serie A Week 12 - 20-11-2011 (3:00 p.m.)

3 - 0

Simone Pepe (20′)

Alessandro Matri (48')

Claudio Marchisio (65′)

Juventus Arena - Turin

Referee: Mauro Bergonzi

Attendance: 26000

Palermo made life easy for Juventus - Devis Mangia

A less-than-perfect performance againts the Italian league leaders has left the Rosanero

looking at ways to change their approach to big matches after being comprehensively beaten.

Nov 20, 2011

Palermo coach Devis Mangia vented frustration at his players after they lost 3-0 to Juventus on Sunday in Serie A, and has demanded all-round improvement from his charges.

The Sicilians travelled to Turin having not lost there since 2007, when they were hammered 5-0.

However, their record of three consecutive wins away to Juventus came to an end following goals from Simone Pepe, Alessandro Matri and Claudio Marchisio.

Palermo are yet to win on the road this term, having lost four and drawn one.

Mangia believes things need to change on their travels, starting with their softly-softly approach to games.

"Our away games are starting to become a little frustrating, lets just say that," Mangia told the press after the game.

"We had three big chances in the first half, but we also made mistakes, and when you commit errors then you get punished.

"It's clear we will need to change something as we lost the ball too many times. I am not happy with a number of things as we needed to be more dangerous up front and in the middle."

Palermo remain fifth in Serie A following the loss in Turin.

http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

[Socrates 8330]

Serie A Week 12 - 20-11-2011 (3:00 p.m.)

3 - 0

Simone Pepe (20′)

Alessandro Matri (48')

Claudio Marchisio (65′)

Juventus Arena - Turin

Referee: Mauro Bergonzi

Attendance: 26000

Marchisio: 'Matri gets cross!'

Nov 20, 2011

Claudio Marchisio is the top scorer at Juventus and reveals “Alessandro Matri tells me to stop!”

The midfielder netted his fifth Serie A goal of the season in today’s 3-0 win over Palermo.

“Every now and then Matri gives me a nasty look and tells me to stop!” he joked of his hitman teammate.

“I am happy with the result, which we earned against a team that wanted to fight back from recent poor shows on their travels. As for my goal, most of the credit goes to Arturo Vidal.”

Matri was also on target in this afternoon’s encounter and therefore has five goals.

“My race with Marchisio? Anyone can score, the important thing is that we earn the three points,” added the ex-Cagliari striker.

http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

[Socrates 8330]

Serie A Week 12 - 20-11-2011 (3:00 p.m.)

3 - 0

Simone Pepe (20′)

Alessandro Matri (48')

Claudio Marchisio (65′)

Juventus Arena - Turin

Referee: Mauro Bergonzi

Attendance: 26000

Juventus crush Palermo, go top with game in hand

Nov 20, 2011

Juventus beat Palermo 3-0 with goals from Simone Pepe, Alessandro Matri and Claudio Marchisio to go top in the Serie A Sunday as Udinese were stunned 2-0 at Parma.

Juve are level on 22 points with Lazio, who drew 0-0 at Napoli on Saturday. Juventus are ahead on goal-difference and could still improve their tally through a game in hand.

Udinese remain on 21 points from 11 games next to champions AC Milan, who drew 0-0 at Fiorentina on Saturday, when struggling giants Inter beat Cagliari 2-1.

The Bianconeri took the lead at the Juventus Stadium when Pepe on 20 minutes was left unmarked and nodded a left-flank cross from Giorgio Chiellini past the helpless Alexandros Tzorvas.

The woodwork saved the Greek custodian when Andrea Pirlo 10 minutes later fired a shot followed by a desperate clearance from Eros Pisano as Matri tried a tap-in.

Matri was ruthless after the break, firing home a low shot after Stephan Lichtsteiner set him up on the right flank. Matri then turned provider for Marchisio's closing goal.

'It was not the best Juve this season. It was a good showing, but we did better in other occasions,' Juve coach Antonio Conte said.

'It is a team who has worked for four months on new ideas. I am lucky to have a group of extraordinary boys, who are prepared for sacrifices. The feeling is that if we keep working we can get some satisfactions.'

Udinese had a bad day in Parma, who hit the woodwork with Daniele Galloppa, had Frenchman Jonathan Biabiany on target with a header and Sebastian Giovinco converting a penalty to score his seventh goal, one less than Udinese's Antonio Di Natale.

Hosts Siena and Atalanta drew 2-2 in a newcomers tie, with Argentine top striker German Denis scoring a brace for the Bergamo guests for a nine-goal tally.

Genoa edged promoted Novara 1-0 as both sides were one man down, Chievo won 2-1 at Catania and bottom side Cesena won 1-0 at Bologna. Roma and Lecce close the 11th round of games late Sunday.

http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

[Socrates 8330]

Serie A Week 12 - 20-11-2011 (3:00 p.m.)

3 - 0

Simone Pepe (20′)

Alessandro Matri (48')

Claudio Marchisio (65′)

Juventus Arena - Turin

Referee: Mauro Bergonzi

Attendance: 26000

Antonio Conte plays down Juventus title talk

after 3-0 win over Palermo

The coach claims it is not the time to think about what his side can achieve

this season as he reflects on a good day at the office on Sunday.

Nov 20, 2011

Juventus coach Antonio Conte has said he will only evaluate his side's Scudetto chances once the season reaches its midway point.

The Bianconeri rekindled their relationship with the top of the Serie A table on Sunday following an impressive 3-0 win over Palermo.

Simone Pepe, Alessandro Matri and Claudio Marchisio ensured Conte's side maintain their successful run in the league this term.

But the coach wants feet to stay firmly on the ground as he avoids title speak.

"I’ll only evaluate the standings when we reach the halfway stage and have faced all 19 other teams in Serie A. Then we will see where we are and who we want to become," Conte told the press.

"I repeat what I have said from the start: we have to fight to obtain the maximum, but we know we will find difficulties on the way.

"Palermo are an excellent side, but we today wanted to get back from where we left off."

Juventus will play Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Saturday in Serie A with kick-off taking place at 19.45CET.

http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

[Socrates 8330]

Serie A Week 12 - 20-11-2011 (3:00 p.m.)

3 - 0

Simone Pepe (20′)

Alessandro Matri (48')

Claudio Marchisio (65′)

Juventus Arena - Turin

Referee: Mauro Bergonzi

Attendance: 26000

Marchisio praises Buffon after win over Palermo

The midfielder hailed the experienced goalkeeper for his crucial saves

and is hopeful to keep up their good form next week.

Nov 20, 2011

Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio has taken the time to praise goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon in the aftermath of Sunday's 3-0 Serie A win over Palermo at the Juventus Stadium.

The experienced glovesman made some crucial saves to deny the Palermo between Juventus' first and second goal and Marchisio has acknowledged the importance of Buffon.

"We gave a lot in the first half, but we weren’t able to double our lead. Gigi had to help us out with two important saves and did so in brilliant fashion," Marchisio was quoted as saying on the club's official website.

The Italy international then looked ahead to the upcoming matches versus Lazio and Napoli and made it clear that Juventus are aiming for two victories.

"Our aim was to go back to the top of the league with a game in hand. It would be great to add six more points to our tally in the upcoming games against Lazio and Napoli.

"However, Saturday versus Lazio will be tough. They have two fine strikers in Klose and Cisse and are on great form. In any case, we’ll go there for the three points."

Juventus sit atop of the Serie A table with 22 points from 10 games.

http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

[Socrates 8330]

Serie A Week 12 - 20-11-2011 (3:00 p.m.)

3 - 0

Simone Pepe (20′)

Alessandro Matri (48')

Claudio Marchisio (65′)

Juventus Arena - Turin

Referee: Mauro Bergonzi

Attendance: 26000

Pepe grateful to Antonio Conte for his trust & confidence

The Italian winger is pleased with his side’s brilliant start to the 2011-12 season and underlines

the importance of the Bianconeri boss in his and the team’s transformation.

Nov 21, 2011

Juventus winger Simone Pepe has thanked his coach Antonio Conte for maintaining his faith in him after yet another impressive performance in Serie A on Sunday.

Pepe opened the scoring for the Bianconeri after just 20 minutes in their 3-0 victory over Palermo in Turin to help them reclaim pole position in the league table.

The 28-year-old Italy international has been a regular under Conte for the Old Lady this season and explains that he owes as much to his compatriot as to his own hard work for his good form to the start of the 2011-12 campaign.

“I’ve made it thanks to my character, to my working involvement and thanks to a coach who trusts in my abilities,” Pepe is quoted as saying by Juve’s official website.

“Last summer when the media spoke about my possible transfer to Zenit [st Petersburg], he called me and clearly said: ‘Let’s stop with this soap opera, you won’t go anywhere.' This was very important for me.”

Juve are level on 22 points with Lazio at the top of the Serie A standings but are ahead on goal difference and also have a game in hand.

This season the Turin giants are said to be one of the favourites to win the Scudetto but Pepe is reluctant to look that far ahead into the future.

“We had no doubts about our possible performance because we know our means and our coach always spurs us,” he stated.

“The season is long, we’ve had a good start, but only time will tell us where we can get. Obviously, finding something wrong is hard now, because we keep the ball and we attack when we can, but we must go on like this.”

Conte’s side are next in action on Saturday when they travel to Rome to take on Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in a top-of-the-table clash.

http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

[Socrates 8330]

Serie A Week 12 - 20-11-2011 (3:00 p.m.)

3 - 0

Simone Pepe (20′)

Alessandro Matri (48')

Claudio Marchisio (65′)

Juventus Arena - Turin

Referee: Mauro Bergonzi

Attendance: 26000

Why Palermo victory could be just the start of Juventus'

Scudetto charge, or the beginning of the end

The Bianconeri overcame a stubborn first-half display from the visitors to clinch a sixth win

this season and return to the top, but there was plenty for Antonio Conte to ponder.

Nov 21, 2011

On paper, it was a good day’s work for Juventus. Three goals, three points and a return to the top of the Serie A table were just what the doctor ordered for Antonio Conte’s side, three weeks on from their last fixture. But in many ways it was a real taster ahead of a vital month to come as Palermo asked many questions that other teams have been unable to until now.

The Sicilians enjoyed the majority of territory – something not experienced by a visiting side to Juventus Stadium since Parma in the arena’s inaugural match – and were also the first team to really get on top of the Bianconeri’s midfield for any discernible length of time.

For long stretches of the opening period, Giulio Migliaccio, Armin Bacinovic and Edgar Barreto went about their task of holding out the home side’s most vaunted department by bypassing them with precise passes into space, feeding Josip Ilicic and Fabrizio Miccoli early in order to turn Juve around. Even in the second half after daylight had been developed between them and Palermo on the scoreboard, the Old Lady gave up a fair amount of ball in crucial areas of the pitch.

But while the Rosanero have collected five wins from five on home turf, they are a different animal on the road, and in all truth Juventus were always in command. Simone Pepe ghosted in between Mauro Cetto and Federico Balzaretti, thanks in part to Stephan Lichtsteiner’s run on the outside of the attack, to head home from Giorgio Chiellini’s pinpoint cross. From then Palermo were playing catch-up, but still they had success when feeding the ball into space behind Juve’s midfield.

MATCH FACTS | Juventus 3-0 Palermo

It took Alessandro Matri’s goal just after half-time to put the visitors out of sight. The striker struck low across the unconvincing Alexandros Tzorvas to double the home side’s advantage, and later cleverly stepped over Mirko Vucinic’s low cross after a great run to allow Claudio Marchisio to add a third.

The 3-0 result and the ability to see off the probing questions of Devis Mangia’s outfit could well be a springboard for a side now top of the table with a game in hand and still unbeaten this season. But conversely, it could also give Conte plenty to ponder.

Often, lessons can be learned in defeat, while victories can mask shortcomings, and the Juve coach must hope that he can get more solid displays out of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Marchisio than he did for long spells of yesterday’s win. There are also still improvements to be made at the back, with Leonardo Bonucci in particular being found wanting by Miccoli and Ilicic at times. Gianluigi Buffon ended up doing more work than the home fans would have hoped.

But it was across the middle that they have new issues. And in the month running up to the Christmas break, they are going to have to negotiate more equipped outfits than Palermo, with trips to Lazio, Napoli, Roma and Udinese set to really test their mettle.

And to that end, yesterday’s result could be a real boost, or the nature of the performance may provide a fillip for their forthcoming adversaries. With a make-or-break month ahead, Palermo may have shown the way to the rest of the league, despite their heavy defeat. But if Juve remain top on December 22nd, then the title could be theirs for the taking.

ELSEWHERE…

• Congratulations to Parma on their excellent 2-0 victory over former league leaders Udinese, with Sebastian Giovinco at the heart of a result which helped to send his co-owners Juventus to the top of the charts. It was ‘La Formica Atomica’s corner which was turned in by Jonathan Biabiany for the Ducali to take the lead, and he went one better later on by doubling the advantage. Giovinco continues to be a key asset in Turin!
  

• Roma did their best to waste a largely dominant display as they held on for a narrow 2-1 win against Lecce at the Olimpico, but that was also partly down to an unbelievable offside call on perhaps the goal of the season so far. Pablo Daniel Osvaldo's perfectly-executed bicycle kick arrowed into the top corner, only for it to be ridiculously ruled out by the linesman's flag. Had the Salentini grabbed a late leveller, there will have been serious questions to be answered by the team of officials.
  

• German Denis’ excellent form in front of goal continues, with a brace at Siena sending him ahead of Antonio Di Natale in the capocannoniere charts on nine goals. It wasn’t quite enough for his Atalanta side to continue their magnificent start to the season though, as the Tuscans twice pegged them back to earn a point, extending their own positive return to Serie A.
  

• Bologna did their best to promote good relations with their Emilia-Romagna rivals by gifting Cesena their first victory of the season at the Renato dall’Ara. In an uninspiring clash, the home side had had three or four decent chances to make the most of their superiority before seeing Marco Parolo snatch a late win for Daniele Arrigoni’s outfit. While Cesena remain bottom, Stefano Pioli’s men are now just two points above the bottom three.
  

http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

[Socrates 8330]

Serie A Week 12 - 20-11-2011 (3:00 p.m.)

3 - 0

Simone Pepe (20′)

Alessandro Matri (48')

Claudio Marchisio (65′)

Juventus Arena - Turin

Referee: Mauro Bergonzi

Attendance: 26000

Conte rejuvenated Pepe

Nov 21, 2011

Simone Pepe of Juventus has no doubts as to who is responsible for his impressive 2011-12 campaign. “Antonio Conte trusts me.”

The midfielder has been a key figure for Conte’s Old Lady side this term and was rewarded with a recall to the Italian international squad this month.

The former Udinese player returned to club action on Sunday and he opened the scoring in the 3-0 win over Palermo.

“I’ve made it thanks to my character, to my working involvement and thanks to a Coach who trusts in my abilities,” he stated.

“Last summer, when the media spoke about my possible transfer to Zenit St Petersburg, Conte called me and told me that I was going nowhere. This was very important for me.”

Juve, like Pepe, have enjoyed the campaign so far and they currently find themselves top of Serie A – and with a game in hand.

“The season is long, we’ve had a good start, but only time will tell us where we can get,” the Roman added.

“Obviously, finding something wrong is hard now, because we keep the ball and we attack when we can, but we must go on like this.”

Juve are joint top with Lazio and will actually face the capital outfit next weekend in Rome.

http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

[Socrates 8330]

Serie A Week 12 - 20-11-2011 (3:00 p.m.)

3 - 0

Simone Pepe (20′)

Alessandro Matri (48')

Claudio Marchisio (65′)

Juventus Arena - Turin

Referee: Mauro Bergonzi

Attendance: 26000

Matri looks forward to Lazio

Nov 21, 2011

Juventus ace Alessandro Matri has already archived Sunday’s 3-0 win over Palermo. “Now let’s focus on the Lazio game.”

The striker scored in the Old Lady’s 3-0 win over the Rosanero, a victory which allowed them to join Lazio at the top of the table.

“Now we must think about the clash against Lazio,” the former Cagliari centre-forward noted.

“We need to face this game by giving 100 per cent. But all we’re currently interested in is picking up points – we’ll consider the table later.”

Matri has now scored five Serie A goals this season, the same as midfield teammate Claudio Marchisio who also netted yesterday.

“It doesn’t matter who finds the target, winning as a team is the most important aspect,” added Matri.

“The win over Palermo was fundamental, coming from a solid performance in which we showed the right focus.

“We created several goalscoring opportunities.”

http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

[Socrates 8330]

Serie A Week 12 - 20-11-2011 (3:00 p.m.)

3 - 0

Simone Pepe (20′)

Alessandro Matri (48')

Claudio Marchisio (65′)

Juventus Arena - Turin

Referee: Mauro Bergonzi

Attendance: 26000

Bench role frustrates Del Piero

Nov 21, 2011

Alessandro Del Piero is delighted with Juventus’ revival – but concedes he is finding life tough on the bench.

The 37-year-old’s beloved Old Lady joined Lazio at the top of the standings on Sunday, but Del Piero was only used as a substitute for the sixth time this term.

He’s started just two League matches so far and appeared in only 208 minutes of top-flight action under boss Antonio Conte.

“It’s clear that it is hard on the bench because fire still burns inside of me,” he told Sky Sport Italia on Monday.

“However, when I play, I am still the captain of this side as my teammates have often underlined.”

Juve beat Palermo 3-0 yesterday in their first competitive game for 22 days after the Week 11 Napoli tie was postponed.

“We coped well with the international break,” the veteran added. “The win over Palermo was an important signal for the season ahead, but the result shouldn’t make us believe that it was easy.

“We are top of the table and we have a game in hand. It’s a very positive moment, but in order to continue like this we have to always play with the same hunger as Sunday.

“There is still a long way to go. Today is not the day to make any calculations. There is a lot more to give to reach the target.”

This will be Alex’s last season with the Bianconeri, but he insists his focus is on Lazio and not life after the OId Lady.

“This period is so nice with Juve first in the championship that I don’t see why I should be thinking about my future.

“The future is Saturday [in Rome against Lazio]. I don’t want to think about what will happen after June.”

http://www.soccerway...regular-season/

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