Juventus Season 2012-2013

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

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Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Juventus-Chievo Preview: Round 4 — (Flying) Donkey Kong

Sep 22, 2012

The good thing about the busy parts of your schedule is that you fly by them in what seems like just a few hours. Let's be honest, does it really seem like Juve are about to play their third game within a week's time? It's like rapid fire. But, the bad part is that, well, there's a ton of games in an incredibly condensed amount of time and things can get a little bit — or a lotta — hectic.

Juventus have both right now.

After Wednesday night's emotional 2-2 draw at The Bridge against Chelsea, Juventus return home — literally. Tomorrow's match against Chievo is the first time in basically a month that our boys in Black and White have played in front of the home crowd at Juventus Stadium. Does it seem like it has been that long? I dunno. These damn international breaks just seem to screw everything up.

But who cares. Juve's back where they should be — home.

Avanti!

LE CHIAVI

In comes Chievo — who have only picked up three points in the season's first three games — to Turin. But regardless of how they may or may not be doing in the standings, this fixture has been quite a tricky one over the last couple of years. How tricky? Well, take a look for yourself. Yeah, not exactly the best results against a bottom-half-of-the-table kind of team like Chievo you'd want your team to have.

Juventus are expected to do some more squad rotating (more on that later) tomorrow night much in the same fashion that took place against Genoa. With Fiorentina, Roma and a Champions League meeting with Shakhtar on the horizon, Chievo seems like the natural spot in the schedule to play a good number of the bench guys to give the regulars some much deserved rest. And if Genoa was any kind of hint as to what may happen, the odds of squad rotation seems pretty good. So if you're a gambling person, maybe you should wait until things are looking a little better in your favor.

GOOD NEWS

We're at 42 games unbeaten and counting. Not too shabby.

BAD NEWS

Sergio Pellisier is healthy. /sits in corner of the room, goes into fetal position.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• Recovery — physically and mentally. Not a lot of time to recover with the body and the mind. Wednesday's draw in London wasn't only taxing physically, but also for the head, as any Champions League game would be. I'm not so much overly worried about the mental part considering Antonio Conte has this team drilled to the core. But the physical part, with the schedule being so freaking compact right now, is something that has my attention. I know they're fit, but it's been a little while since some of these guys have played so many games in such a short period of time.
  
• Andrea Pirlo. Not because he's been playing all that fantastic as of late, but due to the fact that he looks completely gassed. His performance against Chelsea on Wednesday was something we have rarely seen from Pirlo since he put on a Juventus jersey — it wasn't very good at all. We knew coming into this season that resting Pirlo from time to time was something that had to be done. He's 33 years old, people. That's not exactly close age-wise to the other guys he is paired with in the center of the park.
  
• Paul Pogba. The 19-year-old Frenchman is being tipped as the player to replace Pirlo in the starting lineup if in fact the maestro starts on the bench. It would be Pogba's official debut in Serie A, having most recently played in the Trofeo Berlusconi win over Milan. And while that was only a small sample size as to what kind of player he is, Pogba can definitely establish himself as a useful piece off the bench if he puts in a good showing against Chievo. That's if he plays, of course.
  
• Fabio Quagliarella. I'll admit this: When Quags was the first striker that came off the bench against Chelsea, I had my doubts. He certainly wasn't playing much at all to begin the season. And when he did see the field, it's not like he was looking all that dangerous. He was certainly a far cry from the player he was before his knee exploded right after the Christmas break a few years ago. But his performance against the reigning European champions was definitely a pleasant surprise — scored one goal, and was only a crossbar away from having another. He looks set to get the start against Chievo, which pretty much every Italian news outlet seems to be reporting. If he wants to score another goal or two, that's fine with me.
  

My Starting XI (3-5-2): Buffon; Bonucci, Marrone, Chiellini; Isla, Marchisio, Pogba, Giaccherini, Asamoah; Vucinic, Quagliarella

Juventus probable (3-5-2, via GDS): Buffon, Lucio, Barzagli, Chiellini; Isla, Marchisio, Pogba, Giaccherini, Asamoah; Vucinic, Quagliarella

Chievo probable (4-3-1-2): Sorrentino; Sardo, Dainelli, Cesar, Jokic; Vacek, Rigoni, Hetemaj; Cruzado; Thereau, Pellissier

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Juventus can win the Champions League, says Vialli

The former Bianconeri striker feels his former side could spring a surprise

on their return to European club football's elite competition this term.

Sep 22, 2012

Gianluca Vialli believes Juventus have what it takes to go all the way in the Champions League this season.

The Serie A champions started their European campaign with a 2-2 draw at holders Chelsea midweek, and the former Italy international, who won the competition with the Old Lady in 1996, was impressed with their performance at Stamford Bridge.

"Juventus are on the right path to win the Champions League again. Their style of play is really well suited to the Champions League," Vialli was quoted as saying by giornalaccio rosa dello Sport.

"They play some very aggressive, intense and modern football. I believe they will soon be among Europe's protagonists once more.

"Juventus are among the outsiders for the European title, and they gave a clear signal against Chelsea that they are a force to be reckoned with.

"It will not be easy to be on top of their game in both the Serie A and the Champions League, but the Bianconeri have a good chance to become part of the European elite again."

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

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Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Pirlo rested for Pogba?

Sep 22, 2012

Andrea Pirlo looks set to be rested against Chievo this evening, giving Paul Pogba his Serie A debut for Juventus.

In the last couple of performances against Genoa and Chelsea, Pirlo has looked increasingly tired and the statistics show he has played 660 minutes of football in 40 days.

The 33-year-old has made 46 starts in a Juventus shirt since joining last season and only failed to finish two of those matches.

As a result, Antonio Conte and assistant Massimo Carrera look set to give Pirlo a rest in favour of Pogba for tonight’s game against Chievo.

It will be the former Manchester United man’s Serie A debut after he impressed in pre-season friendlies.

“There were misunderstandings with Sir Alex Ferguson,” Pogba told French newspaper L’Equipe.

“He kept telling me that my moment would arrive, but then I didn’t get to play. In order to join Juventus, I turned down many other options.”

Others who could be rested this evening include Andrea Barzagli, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Sebastian Giovinco and Arturo Vidal.

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

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Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Line-ups: Juventus-Chievo

Sep 22, 2012

Paul Pogba, Fabio Quagliarella, Mauricio Isla and Lucio get the chance to start as Juventus welcome Chievo this evening.

The Bianconeri make several changes to their squad in Turin between big games against Chelsea and Fiorentina.

It kicks off at the Juventus Stadium at 19.45 UK time, 20.45 local, and you can watch it LIVE on your PC.

Coach Antonio Conte and assistant Massimo Carrera are forced to rotate the squad after their Champions League opener at Stamford Bridge, particularly for the fatigued Andrea Pirlo.

He is rested in favour of former Manchester United midfielder Pogba, while Isla, Lucio and Giaccherini are also introduced.

Quagliarella’s wonderful goal against Chelsea earns him a starting spot in place of Sebastian Giovinco to partner Mirko Vucinic.

Andrea Barzagli, Arturo Vidal, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Pirlo and Giovinco are all rested. Simone Pepe and Simone Padoin are sidelined.

Chievo have a surprisingly good history with Juve, as they have drawn four of their last five encounters, home and away.

Luciano suffered a thigh problem this week and joins Boukary Drame, Alberto Paloschi and Lorenzo Squizzi on the treatment table.

As always, Sergio Pellissier leads the attack, but this time he has support from ex-Juventus youth product Marco Rigoni.

Juventus: Buffon; Lucio, Bonucci, Chiellini; Isla, Giaccherini, Pogba, Marchisio, Asamoah; Vucinic, Quagliarella

Chievo: Sorrentino; Frey, Dainelli, Cesar, Jokic; Vacek, L Rigoni, Hetemaj; Thereau, M Rigoni; S Pellissier

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

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Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Pogba starts for Juventus against Chievo

The former Manchester United midfielder will replace Andrea Pirlo, as Lucio,

Fabio Quagliarella and Mauricio Isla are all selected to face the Flying Donkeys.

Sep 22, 2012

Paul Pogba has been given his first Juventus start as the Bianconeri face Chievo in Turin on Saturday.

The France midfielder, who signed from Manchester United in the summer, takes over from veteran playmaker Andrea Pirlo alongside Claudio Marchisio and Kwadwo Asamoah in midfield.

That triumvirate will be flanked by Mauricio Isla and Emanuele Giaccherini, with Lucio, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci playing as a back-three.

Up front, Mirko Vucinic starts alongside Fabio Quagliarella, who made a big impact after coming off the bench in the midweek Champions League draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

For Chievo, captain Sergio Pellissier makes his 299th Serie A appearance for the club, starting up top alongside Marco Rigoni.

A four-man midfield will consist of Kamil Vacek, Luca Rigoni, Perparim Hetemaj and Cyril Thereau, whilst Bostjan Cesar and Dario Dainelli start at centre-back.

Juventus (3-5-2): Buffon; Lucio, Bonucci, Chiellini; Isla, Marchisio, Pogba, Asamoah, Giaccherini; Vucinic, Quagliarella.

Chievo (4-4-2): Sorrentino; Frey, Dainelli, Cesar, Jokic; Vacek, L. Rigoni, Hetemaj, Thereau; M. Rigoni, Pellissier.

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

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Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

HT: Chievo frustrate Juve

Sep 22, 2012

Juventus had several chances, including a disallowed goal, but at half-time they are frustrated by Chievo and Stefano Sorrentino.

The Bianconeri were defending a 100 per cent Serie A record, but also rested stars in-between their 2-2 draw with Chelsea and Tuesday’s trip to Fiorentina. It gave 19-year-old Paul Pogba his Serie A debut in place of Andrea Pirlo, plus rare starts for Mauricio Isla, Lucio and Fabio Quagliarella. Chievo missed Luciano, Boukary Drame, Alberto Paloschi and Lorenzo Squizzi, but opted for ex-Juventus youth product Marco Rigoni supporting evergreen Sergio Pellissier.

Stand-in Coach Massimo Carrera described Chievo as Juve’s ‘bete noir’ after four draws in their last five meetings, home and away.

Quagliarella had a couple of great early chances, a header caught and a half-volley beaten away by Stefano Sorrentino at full stretch one-handed.

Giorgio Chiellini did well to close down Pellissier in a training ground set piece move, but Mirko Vucinic should’ve done better when firing wide on the counter from that resulting corner.

Juventus had the ball in the back of the net after 26 minutes, but it did not count. Vucinic was just offside when he redirected Isla’s assist from six yards.

Moments later Kwadwo Asamoah’s sharp cross-shot was flicked on by Emanuele Giaccherini, but again Sorrentino reacted very quickly to parry from close range.

The Chievo goalkeeper had his palms stung by an Asamoah screamer from distance, then Giaccherini couldn’t quite get control of a smart Quagliarella chipped pass when clear on goal.

Juventus 0-0 Chievo (Half-Time)

Juventus: Buffon; Lucio, Bonucci, Chiellini; Isla, Giaccherini, Pogba, Marchisio, Asamoah; Vucinic, Quagliarella

Chievo: Sorrentino; Frey, Dainelli, Cesar, Jokic; Vacek, L Rigoni, Hetemaj; Thereau, M Rigoni; S Pellissier

Ref: Russo

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

2 - 0

Fabio Quagliarella (64′)

Fabio Quagliarella (68′)

Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Attendance: 38369‎

Quagliarella keeps Bianconeri on top

Fresh from his Champions League heroics against Chelsea, the former Napoli forward

nets twice as the reigning champions maintain their perfect start to their Scudetto defence.

Sep 22, 2012

Juventus made it four wins from four in Serie A this season by battling their way to a 2-0 win over a game Chievo side in Turin on Saturday night.

The Bianconeri squandered a number of gilt-edged opportunites, as well as seeing Stefano Sorrentino pull off a couple of wonderful reaction saves, and appeared to be running out of ideas as the clocked ticked past the hour mark.

However, just as he had done in the midweek Champions League clash with Chelsea, Fabio Quagliarella came to the Bianconeri's rescue, scoring an acrobatic volley and a terrific solo effort to ensure that the home side maintained their 100 per cent winning record.

Juventus made several changes to the side which drew with Chelsea in midweek, the most noteworthy of which was the inclusion of summer signing Paul Pogba in midfield in place of Andrea Pirlo.

However, while the former Manchester United starlet performed promisingly, it was the recalled Fabio Quagliarella, the Bianconeri's saviour at Stamford Bridge, who made the greater impression on the opening half.

Indeed, the former Napoli hitman had already had a header saved by Sorrentino when he drew a fine one-handed stop from the Chievo goalkeeper after being played in on goal by Emanuele Giaccherini.

Quagliarella’s strike partner, Mirko Vucinic, was also a constant threat during the opening half and, moments after curling wide following a strong run from midfield, he thought he’d opened the scoring when he turned in Mauricio Isla’s low volley across the six-yard box. However, the Montenegrin was left enraged after being flagged marginally offside.

Undeterred, Juve continued to press and Giaccherini twice went close to breaking the deadlock before the interval. In the first instance, the versatile Italy international drew a terrific save out of Sorrentino with a deft flicked effort from Kwadwo Asamoah's low cross from the left.

Soon after, Giaccherini was left more frustrated with himself after volleying over the bar from six yards out after being picked out unmarked in the area by a sublime ball from Quagliarella.

Claudio Marchisio then went close with an outside-of-the-foot strike from the edge of the area but Chievo, despite only threatening sporadically during the opening 45 minutes, reached the interval on level terms.

The home side continued to boss things after the break but it appeared that it might not be their evening when Sorrentino produced a stunning reaction save to deny Giorgio Chiellini from point-blank range, after the defender had connected with a corner from the left.

However, despite his best efforts, Sorrentino was unable to keep out Quagliarella's brilliant scissor-kick from the penalty spot, the veteran shot-stopper succeeding only in pushing the ball up into the roof of the net.

Chievo were still coming to terms with that setback when Quagliarella struck again, in just as impressive fashion. Picked out by Asamoah on the edge of the area, the 29-year-old, with his first touch, flicked the ball past Dario Dainelli, coolly collected it and then calmly slotted it past Sorrentino.

There was no way back for Chievo at that point and Juve's thoughts had long since turned to their intriguing midweek meeting with great rivals Fiorentina before the full-time whistle finally blew in Turin.

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

2 - 0

Fabio Quagliarella (64′)

Fabio Quagliarella (68′)

Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Attendance: 38369‎

Quagliagol crushes Chievo

Fabio Quagliarella scored a splendid brace as Juventus pushed past Chievo 2-0

despite the best efforts of Stefano Sorrentino.

Sep 22, 2012

The Bianconeri were defending a 100 per cent Serie A record, but also rested stars in-between their 2-2 draw with Chelsea and Tuesday’s trip to Fiorentina. It gave 19-year-old Paul Pogba his Serie A debut in place of Andrea Pirlo, plus rare starts for Mauricio Isla, Lucio and Quagliarella. Chievo missed Luciano, Boukary Drame, Alberto Paloschi and Lorenzo Squizzi, but opted for ex-Juventus youth product Marco Rigoni supporting evergreen Sergio Pellissier.

Stand-in Coach Massimo Carrera described Chievo as Juve’s ‘bete noir’ after four draws in their last five meetings, home and away.

Quagliarella had a couple of great early chances, a header caught and a half-volley beaten away by Sorrentino at full stretch one-handed.

Giorgio Chiellini did well to close down Pellissier in a training ground set piece move, but Mirko Vucinic should’ve done better when firing wide on the counter from that resulting corner.

Juventus had the ball in the back of the net after 26 minutes, but it did not count. Vucinic was just offside when he redirected Isla’s assist from five yards.

Moments later Kwadwo Asamoah’s sharp cross-shot was flicked on by Emanuele Giaccherini, but again Sorrentino reacted very quickly to parry from close range.

The Chievo goalkeeper had his palms stung by an Asamoah screamer from distance, then Giaccherini couldn’t quite get control of a smart Quagliarella chipped pass when clear on goal.

After the restart Isla fired on to the side-netting after a Perparim Hetemaj error, but it was his last contribution before making way for Arturo Vidal.

Giaccherini again went extremely close, his scuffed angled drive going past Sorrentino to dribble inches past the far post with Quagliarella just too slow to get the final touch.

Dario Dainelli stopped Vucinic tapping in an Asamoah pull-back from the by-line and from the resulting corner everyone missed it – including Sorrentino.

Chievo created a rare scoring opportunity on the hour mark, as Marco Rigoni’s shot was well smothered by Gigi Buffon. They also introduced Rinaldo Cruzado for Hetemaj in an attacking switch, seeing that Juventus were not on form.

Sorrentino seemed unstoppable, as he performed an amazing reaction save from point-blank range on Giorgio Chiellini’s header from a corner. The defender was only a couple of yards away with the bullet header, so it was a remarkable stop.

He had also got to the ball on the next corner, but could not stop a spectacular Quagliarella overhead kick from going in, as it ricocheted off his hand to go under the bar. The Neapolitan striker was totally unmarked and took full advantage, netting again after his goal at Stamford Bridge this week.

The floodgates had opened and Quagliarella got his second. A splendid first touch on the edge of the box took him past Dainelli and he kept his cool for an angled drive with the inside of his right foot that Sorrentino got a hand to, but again could not keep out of the far bottom corner.

Quagliarella was given a standing ovation as he left the field to give Nicklas Bendtner his Juventus debut and the ex-Arsenal striker immediately had a shot charged down.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Juventus: Buffon; Lucio, Bonucci, Chiellini; Isla (Vidal 51), Giaccherini, Pogba, Marchisio (Lichtsteiner 73), Asamoah; Vucinic, Quagliarella (Bendtner 80)

Chievo: Sorrentino; Frey (Sardo 73), Dainelli, Cesar, Jokic; Vacek, L Rigoni, Hetemaj (Cruzado 62); Thereau (Moscardelli 69), M Rigoni; S Pellissier

Ref:Russo

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

2 - 0

Fabio Quagliarella (64′)

Fabio Quagliarella (68′)

Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Attendance: 38369‎

Juventus 2-0 Chievo Verona

Sep 22, 2012

Fabio Quagliarella's brace earned Juventus a comfortable win against Chievo in Serie A.

The margin of victory might have been much greater for the defending champions if not for the heroics of Gialloblu goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino.

Fresh from registering Juve's vital equaliser at Chelsea in the Champions League, Quagliarella guaranteed Massimo Carrera's men a fourth straight league victory with two classy goals, Chievo failing to create any clear-cut chances to hit back.

Juventus piled on the pressure from the outset, Quagliarella introducing himself to Sorrentino with two solid efforts inside the first 10 minutes.

Claudio Marchisio skilfully dummied the ball through Paul Pogba, the ex-Manchester United prodigy clipping in a wayward shot, before Quagliarella nicked in to test Sorrentino again.

Mirko Vucinic had the ball in the back of the net on 26 minutes following good work from Mauricio Isla but the Montenegrin's goal was rightfully ruled out for offside.

Unruffled, Juve continued to pour forward and Sorrentino had to be at his best again to repel Emmanuele Giaccherini's low strike a few minutes later.

Former Udinese man Kwadwo Asamoah produced a wonderful dipping drive that Sorrentino pushed out, Marchisio soon letting rip from the edge of the box but missing the target.

Finally Chievo came alive and Perparim Hetemaj was unlucky not to rifle the ball home after Juve defender Lucio had lost control of the ball in a dangerous area.

But it was business as usual for the under-siege Sorrentino after the brief respite of half-time, the veteran keeper desperately repelling a deflected effort from Quagliarella.

The Flying Donkeys had Bostjan Cesar to thank in the 54th minute as he snatched the ball off Quagliarella's boot after a fine pull-back from Giaccherini.

Sorrentino denied Giorgio Chiellini from point-blank range before he finally allowed a Juve effort to beat him in the 64th minute.

Quagliarella arrived from deep to pull off a trademark swivelling volley and arrow the ball against Sorrentino's glove but into the top corner.

And four minutes later Sorrentino would get his fingertips to another lost cause as Quagliarella doubled up thanks to Asamoah's deft cut inside and accurate pass.

Juve were totally in control and, with 10 minutes remaining, it was time for on-loan Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner to make his debut from the bench.

Fellow substitute Arturo Vidal controlled a lofted through-ball from Vucinic, seeing his shot closed down before Bendtner arrived to rattle the rebound into a clutch of Chievo defenders.

Sorrentino was determined to limit further damage as time ticked away at the Juventus Stadium, raising a cheer from the travelling fans as he punched clear another Vucinic rocket.

The Montenegrin threatened to deliver the killer blow in stoppage time, but it was not to be his night as he drove hard and low beyond a post.

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

2 - 0

Fabio Quagliarella (64′)

Fabio Quagliarella (68′)

Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Attendance: 38369

Player Ratings: Juventus 2-0 Chievo

Goal.com evalulates the performances of everyone involved in Turin, after a game

decided by a terrific volley and a cool finish from in-form Bianconeri forward Fabio Quagliarella.

Sep 22, 2012

Juventus

Gianluigi Buffon - Called into action just five minutes in but dealt easily with Jokic's strike from distance and had little to do thereafter. Won't enjoy many easier evenings than this.

Lucio - Back in the starting lineup and acquitted himself well. Showed some characteristically neat touches on the ball and although Juventus were rarely under pressure, he looked well up for the fight, enjoying every opportunity to lock horns with Chievo's front two.

Giorgio Chiellini - Rarely troubled, which was hardly surprising given Juve's dominance of possession, but when he was called upon, like when Thereau had a sight of goal in the first half, Chiellini defended with his usual powerful, composed self.

Leonardo Bonucci - So comfortable at the back that he indulged himself by repeatedly stepping out of defence, and even had a crack on goal, albeit with predictably comical results. Still, defensively speaking, he was pretty flawless.

Mauricio Isla - Although an offside Vucinic had the ball in the back of the net from one of the Chilean's crosses, the former Udinese man did not contribute much in an attacking sense. Indeed, while he defended competently, it was no surprise when he was hauled off shortly after half-time.

Paul Pogba - Broke up play well and looked very comfortable in possession in what was his first start for Juve, although he was a little overambitious at times, perhaps because he felt the need to play some Pirlo-esque passes.

Claudio Marchisio - With Vidal and Pirlo both benched, the onus was on the Italy international to lead by example in midfield and he certainly did his bit going forward in the first half. Heavily involved in chances for Quagliarella and Giaccherini, and even went close himself with a shot just before the break. Continued to drive forward after the break but was not quite as dynamic and was replaced on 72 minutes.

Kwadwo Asamoah - Once again, the powerful Ghanaian represented a terrific outlet down the left-hand side for the Bianconeri. Put over a couple of great crosses, one of which was so nearly converted by Giaccherini. Deservedly got an assist when Quagliarella slotted home after collecting one of his passes.

Emanuele Giaccherini - Played the Vidal role for the first half, before switching to the wing after Chilean's entry on 52 minutes. Did well in the middle, playing a cushioned through-ball for Quagliarella before then twice going close to scoring. However, he really should have converted his second opening, Giaccherini volleying over unmarked six yards out.

Mirko Vučinić - Demonstranted impressive hold-up play during the first half, as well as causing all sorts of problems with his surges from deep. So nearly opened the scoring but was flagged offside after tapping home Isla's ball back across the box. However, he was pretty anonymous in the second half and it was a shock that it was Quagliarella and not the Montenegrin who was hauled off late on.

Fabio Quagliarella - Earned a start after his heroics against Chelsea and was a real livewire during the first half. Had a header saved before then drawing a brilliant one-handed stop out of Sorrentino with a low drive. Also set Giaccherini up for a gilt-edged opportunity with a measured cross. Appeared to be fading but then produced a wonderful acrobatic volley to open the scoring and doubled Juve's lead with a cool finish after flicking the ball past Dainelli. The answer to Juve's striking dilemma?

Substitutions

Stephan Lichtsteiner - Came on in place of Marchisio for the last 17 minutes.

Arturo Vidal - Replaced compatriot Isla seven minutes into the second period and wasted little time getting involved, going close to scoring at one end before burying Pellissier at the other.

Nicklas Bendtner - Saw 10 minutes of action at the end and, aside from one blocked shot from the edge of the area, did not get a clear sight of goal.

CHIEVO

Stefano Sorrentino - Unlucky to end up on the losing side after pulling off a number of good saves, and a couple of terrific saves. The first was remarkable for the way in which he managed to get down low to keep out Giaccherini's flicked effort; the second was just remarkable, Sorrentino somehow keeping out Chiellini's point-blank header from a corner.

Dario Dainelli - Did an excellent job trying to subdue the threat posed by Vucinic and Quagliarella. Indeed, both had drifted out of the game by the hour mark. However, then Quagliarella volleyed home in too much space before striking again after leaving Dainelli for dead with a deft flick.

Bostjan Cesar - Was left eating Vucinic's dust at one point in the first half but, for the most part, he defended resolutely and the Montenegrin was pretty much a non-entity after the break.

Bojan Jokic - Tested Buffon with a decent strike from the left-hand side early on but did not get forward with any great intent for the remainder of the game. Kept Isla pretty quiet but struggled after the Chilean went off and Giaccherini was switched to Juve's right wing.

Nicolas Sebastien Frey -Struggled terribly to contain the threat posed by Asamoah down the Bianconeri left, often needing the assistance of a team-mate to double up on the Ghanaian.

Marco Rigoni - Showed plenty of intelligence, taking up a number of good positions between Pogba and the Juve back three. Distributed the ball well but was never able to produce that killer ball.

Luca Rigoni - A really dynamic presence in the middle of the park for Chievo, he never shirked a tackle and was also very neat and tidy in possession.

Kamil Vacek - Good on the ball and not afraid to take a player on, but he spent most of the game on the back foot. Hassled and harried well, and also made a crucial intervention when Asamoah hurtled into the area, but he appeared to run out of steam in the second half.

Perparim Hetemaj - Full of running, he looked well up for the fight in the first half. However, he was a passenger after the break and was replaced on 62 minutes.

Sergio Pellissier - Starved of quality ball, he put himself about but to no great effect. He only had one sight of goal, and it quickly disappeared, with Chiellini stepping across the forward and muscling him off the ball.

Cyril Thereau - Started promisingly, playing a clever, first-time through-ball which very nearly put Pellissier in on goal. However, that was to be the one highlight in an otherwise horribly blunt display.

Substitutions

Gennaro Sardo - Saw just over 15 minutes of action at the end after coming on for Dainelli.

Paulo Rinaldo Cruzado Durand - Took over from Hetemaj early in the second half, but while he applied himself admirably, he made no great impression on the proceedings.

Davide Moscardelli - Did well after coming on, looking far more energetic and potent than the man he'd replaced, Thereau.

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

2 - 0

Fabio Quagliarella (64′)

Fabio Quagliarella (68′)

Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Attendance: 38369

Quagliarella: This has been the greatest week of my life

The Italian striker celebrated his return to the starting line-up by scoring a double

against Chievo, following his late equaliser against Chelsea on Wednesday.

Sep 22, 2012

Fabio Quagliarella has expressed his delight at helping Juventus continue their winning start to the Serie A season, after dispatching opponents Chievo with a spectacular brace.

The 29-year-old displayed all of his class, firstly opening the scoring with an acrobatic effort, before sealing the result with a neat solo effort inside the penalty area as the Bianconeri ran out 2-0 winners.

"This really is one of the greatest weeks in my life," the forward revealed to Sky Sport Italia. "It was really pleasing to have received a standing ovation from the fans.

"Today I wanted to prove I was ready and I accomplished just that. I did my duty."

The game was Quagliarella's first start of the season for Juve and he is hoping that he has done enough to convince Antonio Conte that he is worthy of a regular starting slot.

"We'll see if I start against Fiorentina next week. I always ensure I am prepared if I am called upon, following which I will leave it to the coach to decide," he added.

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

2 - 0

Fabio Quagliarella (64′)

Fabio Quagliarella (68′)

Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Attendance: 38369

Carrera: 'Pogba has Juve future'

Sep 22, 2012

Massimo Carrera was impressed by the “patience” Juventus showed in breaking down Chievo and Paul Pogba’s Serie A debut.

The Bianconeri rested several stars for tonight’s 2-0 win, only finding a way through after an hour with Fabio Quagliarella’s brace.

“We had some very positive responses from the game,” said stand-in Coach Carrera while Antonio Conte was in the stands due to his 10-month ban.

“It wasn’t easy against Chievo, as they closed down well, but we showed patience.”

Pogba made his first Serie A appearance for Juve, as the 19-year-old filled in for Andrea Pirlo.

“Pogba showed he is a great player who has a future with this club. He has all the characteristics needed to do well in Italy.

“Like Pirlo, Pogba was man-marked tonight and so the team had to find other solutions to spread the ball.

“As for Quagliarella, he is going through a great period of form. We’ll see if he starts against Fiorentina on Tuesday.

“There are still a few things to improve and work on, but our team commanded the initiative even after going 2-0 up.”

Mauricio Isla and Lucio both made their comebacks from long injury lay-offs.

“Lucio did well and will take a while to fully settle into the defensive mechanisms of the side. Isla hasn’t played in a long time, so he needs to regain match fitness.”

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

2 - 0

Fabio Quagliarella (64′)

Fabio Quagliarella (68′)

Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Attendance: 38369

Di Carlo: 'Juve are superior'

Sep 22, 2012

Chievo Coach Mimmo Di Carlo just had to shrug and accept “Juventus proved they were superior.”

The Flying Donkeys frustrated Juve in Turin, but after an hour were broken by a Fabio Quagliarella brace in this 2-0 result.

“Juventus proved they were superior. We tried to contain them, often pretty well, but then they stepped up a gear and deserved the victory.

“We also should’ve done better but, despite last week’s defeat to Lazio, my team went out there in a solid and united way.”

It would’ve been a much harsher scoreline without the sterling efforts of Chievo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino.

“Tonight Stefano showed his abilities. He is a great goalkeeper,” continued Di Carlo.

“We must be quicker and more intense as a team, because it’s the only way to do well. It is a difficult fixture list, as we faced Lazio and Juventus, then Inter await us.”

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

2 - 0

Fabio Quagliarella (64′)

Fabio Quagliarella (68′)

Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Attendance: 38369

Quagliarella double extends Juve's perfect start

Sep 23, 2012

Two second-half goals from Fabio Quagliarella, including a stunning scissor-kick strike, gave Juventus a 2-0 win over Chievo Verona as they moved three points clear at the top of Serie A with a perfect record.

Quagliarella showed superb technique to finally break the resistance of the visitors just past the hour and added a second goal five minutes later when he rolled the ball past Chievo keeper Stefano Sorrentino after another superb piece of skill.

The rejuvenated striker, who scored the equaliser in the 2-2 draw at Chelsea in the Champions League in midweek, put on an impressive display that gave Antonio Conte's side the cutting edge up front that they have missed so far this season.

The win puts Juventus on 12 points from four games ahead of Napoli and Lazio, who will bid to match the leaders when they visit Catania and host Genoa respectively on Sunday.

Despite starting without Andrea Pirlo, Stefan Lichtsteiner and Sebastian Giovinco, Juve dominated from the start and thought they had scored when Mirko Vucinic tapped in Mauricio Isla's shot after 26 minutes but it was rightly ruled offside.

Chievo's impressive Sorrentino then had to make smart saves from Emanuele Giaccherini on the half hour and Kwadwo Asamoah three minutes later as Juventus piled on the pressure.

Giorgio Chiellini should have given the champions the lead in the 62nd minute when he was left free in the six-yard box at a corner but he somehow headed straight at Sorrentino.

QUAGLIARELLA'S REWARD

But Quagliarella, making his first start of the season, got the reward his effort deserved from the resulting corner.

The striker opened the scoring with a spectacular scissors-kick from near the penalty spot in the 64th minute and doubled his tally five minutes later when he instinctively lifted the ball over Dario Dainelli and beat the exposed Sorrentino.

"This has been perhaps the best week of my career, to score three goals in two games in not easy to do," said Quagliarella. "For me tonight was the game of my life... Juve haven't beaten Chievo for four years and I'm happy for the three points."

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

2 - 0

Fabio Quagliarella (64′)

Fabio Quagliarella (68′)

Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Attendance: 38369

Carrera: Juventus will get even better

The 48-year-old believes the Bianconeri are capable of making yet more progress

after their latest victory over Chievo, with Lucio & Kwadwo Asamoah echoing his thoughts.

Sep 23, 2012

Juventus caretaker coach Massimo Carrera has urged his side to use their latest victory against Chievo as a stepping stone to reach even greater heights.

The Old Lady maintained their perfect start to the Serie A season thanks to two goals from Fabio Quagliarella, a performance Carrera believes will inspire the rest of the squad.

"The match wasn't easy for us because Chievo came here and shut up shop," he reflected to the club's official website. "We had to bide our time, but in the end we ran out deserved winners.

"We didn't stop playing after the second goal either, we were always looking to score, and if we keep doing that we can only become better still. That's the mentality we have in this team.

"Quagliarella is in superb form at the moment as he proved tonight. I'm happy for him, and also for the new lads Pogba, Lucio and Isla, who all did well today."

Lucio and Kwadwo Asamoah, two of Juve's summer acquisitions, echoed Carrera's thoughts.

"We played with great intensity and this has to be our mentality. We need to be aggressive and always play with the desire to win," said the Brazilian defender.

"I’m happy I’ve managed to make a speedy recovery from my recent injury. Everyone has a part to play in the squad and we need to make sure we’re ready in order to make the team even stronger."

"It's easy to play with these guys," concluded Asamoah. "I owe it to my team-mates if I've settled in so well.

"We've come on a lot since the Super Cup against Napoli, and are improving after each game. This is a team that runs, battles and never lets up."

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

2 - 0

Fabio Quagliarella (64′)

Fabio Quagliarella (68′)

Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Attendance: 38369‎

Quagliarella: 'My greatest week'

Sep 23, 2012

“This has been one of the greatest weeks of my life,” grinned Fabio Quagliarella after clinching decisive points against Chelsea and Chievo.

The Juventus striker netted a late equaliser in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, then bagged a brace for tonight’s 2-0 victory.

“This has been one of the greatest weeks of my life. Today I wanted to prove that I was ready and I think I did that,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

“It was obviously very pleasing to receive a standing ovation from fans when substituted and I thank them. It means I did my duty.

“Will I start against Fiorentina on Tuesday? We’ll see. I will ensure that I am ready when called upon and I feel in good shape, then it is up to the Coach to decide.”

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Round 4 Results: Borriello ends Lazio

winning streak, Napoli frustrated by 10-man Catania

The scorelines may be low but that did not stop the action from simmering, as Atalanta ruined

Gian Piero Gasperini's Palermo debut, while Parma struck late to draw with Fiorentina.

Sep 23, 2012

Serie A

Round 4 Results

League Table

PARMA 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

An injury-time equaliser salvaged Parma a 1-1 draw against Fiorentina in the weekend's first Serie A offering, as two missed penalties were also witnessed at the Tardini on Saturday.

The Viola took the lead inside 20 minutes through new Argentine defender Facundo Roncaglia, who collected the ball deep in his opponents' half and fired home a stinging drive past Antonio Mirante.

However, the stopper temporarily turned from hero to villain, as he brought down Dorlan Pabon in the box shortly after the break. A penalty was awarded, but Jaime Valdes could only reach Emiliano Viviano's glove.

It appeared Fiorentina would go on to win the fixture following Aleandro Rosi's red card, after the right-back felled Mattia Cassani in the area, but Stevan Jovetic surprisingly failed to find the back of the net from six yards out.

Their profligacy was soon punished in the most dramatic of circumstances when Luca Toni's penalty-box handball gifted Jaime Valdes the chance to redeem himself from the spot, and Parma an arguably undeserved point.

Parma move to 11th in Serie A, while Fiorentina keep fifth place.

JUVENTUS 2 - 0 CHIEVO

Match Report - Player Ratings

SAMPDORIA 1 - 1 TORINO

It was also a tale of two penalties at the Marassi on Sunday, as Sampdoria earned a 1-1 draw with Torino in the battle of the promoted sides.

Both sets of teams could not be faulted for their fighting spirit, as a tie seemed the fairest outcome, and it was the Granata who went one up with 20 minutes to go. Roberto Soriano upended Alessio Cerci in the box, allowing Rolando Bianchi to strike the ball goal-bound.

Fortunately for the hosts, a tactical change made by coach Ciro Ferrara, which saw Eder and Nicola Pozzi replace Gianni Munari and Marcelo Estigarribia, proved decisive, as the Brazilian drew a foul from Kamil Glik. Pozzi promptly squeezed the penalty past Jean-Francois Gillet.

Sampdoria remain in fourth place in the standings while Torino climb to 10th, with their -1 handicaps wiped out.

ATALANTA 1 - 0 PALERMO

A late goal in the latter stages of the clash at the Azzurri d'Italia condemed new Palermo boss Gian Piero Gasperini to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Atalanta on Sunday.

The visitors appeared to have opened the scoring for the afternoon towards the end of the half time, but Ezequiel Munoz's header from a free kick was correctly ruled offside, much to the chagrin of the Rosanero.

It was fitting then that they would eventually lose the fixture - from a set-piece. An inswinging corner from Luca Cigarini was met by Cristian Raimondi, who jumped highest to beat Samir Ujkani with a powerful finish.

For Atalanta, they make their way up the table to eighth, with their progress stifled by a two-point deduction, but Palermo wallow in 19th place, winless in four.

BOLOGNA 1 - 1 PESCARA

Pescara came from behind to register their maiden point of the season, drawing 1-1 with Bologna at the Dell'Ara.

Alberto Gilardino continued his prolific start to life as a Rossoblu, applying the finish past Mattia Perin from Gyorgy Garics' pass on just nine minutes.

But the visitors refused to throw in the towel and finally got their reply through teenage Colombian midfielder Juan Fernando Quintero, who curled in a fantastic free kick central to goal with half time in sight.

The second half saw Perin given his marching orders following a professional foul in the box. His replacement Ivan Pelizzoli came up trumps, however, saving Alessandro Diamanti's poorly executed penalty.

Pescara languish in 19th place, but Bologna leapfrog themselves into 13th.

CAGLIARI - postponed -ROMA

Roma's trip to Cagliari, which would have been the inauguration of the Sardinian side's new Is Arenas stadium, was postponed following president Massimo Cellino's insistence on supporters ignoring the authorities' requests that the match should be played behind closed doors.

Click here for the full story.

CATANIA 0 - 0 NAPOLI

Napoli will be kicking themselves after they somehow failed to break down a resilient Catania at the Angelo Massimino on Sunday, with the game finishing goalless.

Just two minutes in, the Sicilians were forced to play the remainder of the match a man down; Pablo Alvarez promptly red-carded for bringing down Edinson Cavani while through on goal.

However, they managed to adapt to life without the Uruguayan defender excellently, forming into a tight unit at the back, which proved too difficult to break down, but not without the brilliance of Mariano Andujar between the sticks.

The likes of Eduardo Vargas and Lorenzo Insigne were hauled on as Walter Mazzarri chased the three points, but they failed to make Napoli's 70 per cent possession count. For the hosts, Alejandro Gomez saw an attempt hit the post late on.

The Partenopei miss out on their first points of the Serie A campaign and stay third. Catania, meanwhile, are now seventh.

INTER 0 - 2 SIENA

Match Report - Player Ratings

UDINESE 2 - 1 AC MILAN

Match Report - Player Ratings

LAZIO 0 - 1 GENOA

Marco Borriello netted the only goal of the game at the Olimpico on Sunday, as Genoa condemed Lazio to a surprise 1-0 defeat to round off the weekend's action in Italy.

The Biancocelesti had a number of chances to sew the points up before the striker's winner, but none of Libor Kozak, Mauro Zarate, Miroslav Klose, Hernanes or Antonio Candreva could beat Sebastien Frey in the visitors' net.

They were made to pay for their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal on the break. A classic counterattack, led by Luca Antonelli, was finished by Borriello, who surged into Lazio's box and fired past Federico Marchetti.

It marked the striker's first goal since returning to the Marassi on transfer deadline day, helping his team to seventh in Serie A. Lazio, however, saw their 100 per cent record brought to an end, but they stay in third position.

[Socrates 8240]

Serie A Week 4 - 22-9-2012 (8:45 p.m.)

2 - 0

Fabio Quagliarella (64′)

Fabio Quagliarella (68′)

Juventus Stadium - Turin

Referee: Carmine Russo

Attendance: 38369‎

Quagliarella Shoots Down the Flying Donkeys

Sep 23, 2012

Juventus hosted their second game of the season against Chievo. The Flying Donkeys have been a tough opponent as of late. Last time Juventus hosted Chievo, the bianconeri had a very hard time penetrating their defense. And once they finally did, Chievo found a way to tie the game. That was the second tie of four consecutive ones that put Juventus five points behind league leaders AC Milan.

How things have changed since then!

Juventus faced Chievo with a rotated squad always looking to take the initiative. They dominated possession and controlled the match. However, for the first 60 minutes, it looked like Chievo may once again walk out with a point from Turin. But Fabio Quagliarella had a different idea. In five minutes, Eta Beta scored two goals, allowing Juventus to record their 14th consecutive victory in the last 15 Serie A matches. Review after the break.

Against Chievo, Conte showed that he is not afraid to rotate his regular starters and that he believes in almost every single member of the squad at his disposal. Lucio, Pogba, Isla, and Quagliarella were given their first starts in official matches. Although there was an evident, albeit expected, lack of understanding from some players, Juventus dominated the match from beginning to end. The bianconeri recorded 27 shots (9 on target) compared to Chievo's 6 (2 on target). Moreover, by the end of the match, Juventus had 62% posession and twice as many corner kicks. However, although the score and statistics suggest this was an easy game for Juventus, the reality is far from that.

One of the main criticisms of the last Juventus-Chievo match was the bianconeri obsessive passing. It looked like no one wanted to kick the ball from outside the 18-yard box. This time it was a different story, Juventus recorded 7 shots from far away forcing Sorrentino to display his A-game. That is not to say that Juventus didn't try to pass the ball to more promising positions. Giaccherini and Vucinic enjoyed the two best chances of the first 45 minutes. At the other end, Chievo took 3 shots that were off-target or easily saved by Buffon.

Juventus came into the second half with the same determination, however, Chievo also came out equally organized. The game was one of those that needed a moment of magic to turn things around. Enter Fabio Quagliarella, the hero of two years ago. From a corner kick, Eta Beta gifted us one of his classic Playstation goals. From there things became a lot easier for Juventus. Chievo had to move further up the pitch, leaving holes that our midfielders and attackers could exploit. Five minutes after his first goal, Quagliarella doubled his tally with a goal similar to the one he scored against Petr Cech last Wednesday. From then on, Juventus dominated the match, and Chievo decided to save their energy for their midweek encounter.

Pagelle

Buffon 6.5 His score is low not because he played poorly but because he had so little to do. His positioning was impeccable and had no troubles organizing his defense.

Lucio 6.5 Played a decent game using his physicality to protect the ball from the Chievo players. Although he is slow, he showed he is more than capable to play against teams that want to sit back and defend.

Bonucci 7.0 In the absence of PIrlo, Bonucci was tasked with playing the ball from the back. He was adventurous with his passing finding his target most times.

Chiellini 7.0 King Giorgio did not try hard passes but was instrumental in building up play from the back. He had 101 touches on the ball by the end of the match and a few strong tackles that showed the Chievo players who is boss on the left side of defense.

Isla 5.5 Mauricio clearly needs more playing time. He lost the ball many times and seemed lost in Conte's setup. Most of his lack of understanding comes from him being injured during the summer. With this being said, he had a couple moments that showed how promising he can be for Juventus in the future.

Marchisio 7.5 He ran, he created, he passed, he broke-up play. In a midfield full of substitutes, he showed why he is a regular starter

Pogba 6.0 He tried to get involved, but it seemed his teammates do not trust him with playing PIrlo's role yet. Slowly grew into the game. He is a promising player, but has a world of growing to do yet.

Giaccherini 6.5 The little goblin showed his technical ability all throughout the game. He could have scored once but Sorrentino was having one of those games he always has against Juventus. His versatility was evident when he switched from midfielder to winger back to midfielder in a matter of minutes.

Asamoah 6.5 A little more subdued than in other performances. He did everything he had to, but was not a game changer this time (not for lack of trying).

Vucinic 7.0 Created plenty of chances and could have scored a goal or two.

Quagliarella 8.0 Without the brace, his ranking probably would have been 6.5. But after his two goals, it is hard to argue that he was the MOTM.

Vidal 7.0 Appears to be fully recovered from his Chelsea injury. Came in and showed how big of a presence he can be in the center of the park.

Conte/Carrera 7.5 Saw the potential of Quagliarella when a few of us had given up on him. Also, managed to rest some key players ahead of the Fiorentina and Roma matches.

Things I think I think:

- Can you imagine being Chievo's right back? If you are lucky enough to get past Asamoah, you look up and see Giorgio Chiellini? It would be so demoralizing.

- Was it just me or did Juventus players avoid passing the ball to Pogba?

- Quagliarella's three goals in the last two matches are going to give Conte a selection headache. I love it when our coach has a hard time picking up his starting eleven because his options are all good.

- The next two Serie A matches are going to be important in the scudetto race. Fiorentina already dropped points today, Inter and Roma have dropped points already. Napoli also tied. An it is hard to believe that any of the other contenders are going to win the first 6 games. Creating a cushion at the top, without Conte on the sideline would be quite an accomplishment for this team.

Conclusion

Juventus won their fourth game in a row this season. Quagliarella is back. Pirlo finally got some rest. We went to bed as only leaders in Serie A this season. Need I say more?

http://www.soccerway.com/national/italy/serie-a/20122013/regular-season/

[Socrates 8240]

Juventus are on another planet to crisis-ridden AC Milan and Inter

The Milanese duo suffered embarrassing defeats on Sunday, leaving the Bianconeri

sitting pretty after four rounds in Serie A.

Sep 24, 2012

COMMENT

By Kris Voakes | Italian Football Writer

San Siro is often described as the perfect place to go for your first ever taste of calcio. The majestic stadium, awe-inspiring as it is, remains only part of the attraction, with the fans of AC Milan and Inter helping to make it an atmosphere to remember.

But these days, there is something of a hollow feeling about the place. There are no moped horns tooting triumphantly as you head to the Metro after the match. Gone is the eager anticipation to find out the results of the other Serie A games in order to plot the title bid ahead. There is even a lack of queues at the city's banks this morning as tickets go on general sale for the forthcoming derby. It's all because, right now, Milanese football is in crisis.

While over in Turin, Juventus blaze a trail with their exciting brand of winning football and begin to turn heads across the continent in the Champions League, the two champion sides of the seasons immediately before the Bianconeri's 2012 success are trailing well behind the early leaders thanks to some dreadful form so far. Put simply, there is very little reason for optimism at either club.

Juve’s 2-0 victory over Chievo with a team showing five changes from that which dominated against Chelsea in midweek served only to remind the Milanese pair of just how much they have to do to get back to the top, but by 5pm on Sunday they both looked as far away from Antonio Conte’s side as they have in a long, long time.

Milan’s well-documented problems seem only to increase, with a third defeat in four being added to a couple of unwelcomed suspensions for Cristian Zapata and Kevin-Prince Boateng after both were sent off at Udinese. The red cards were just the start of the signs of indiscipline within the group, as an inability to pull together sufficiently helped the Rossoneri to turn in another under-par performance.

At a time when they needed to put on a brave face to the world in light of the mounting pressure on coach Massimiliano Allegri, they turned in the footballing equivalent of pointing and laughing at somebody in trouble. If the coach has the faith of the players, they have a funny way of showing it. Stephan El Shaarawy’s belting equaliser momentarily raised hopes, but they proved to be as false as the smiles at Friday’s hastily-arranged interview involving Allegri and Filippo Inzaghi.

The Diavolo’s result was almost forgotten by some though, as Inter also continued their underwhelming start to the season with a 2-0 defeat at home to Siena which stretches the run of home team failures at San Siro to nine games since the new part-synthetic turf was laid in the summer.

While there is talk of a hoodoo dubbed ‘San Zero’, the Nerazzurri’s loss was borne not out of a couple of bad bounces on a meddlesome surface, but rather of the sheer inability to fashion clear opportunities against Serie A’s bottom club. Part of that came down to another lop-sided performance, with Inter’s over-reliance on the left side of their formation allowing the Robur to concentrate much of their efforts on stopping Antonio Cassano, Wesley Sneijder et al down one flank. But even when play was spread further afield, the home side simply had nothing to throw at their visitors.

Fredy Guarin turned in another performance devoid of real direction on the right side of the midfield three, too. The Colombian arrived at Appiano Gentile in January to much pomp and circumstance, but he has yet to add anything of significance since overcoming the injury which stopped him making his debut for the club for two months. Yesterday was another typical Guarin display in the black and blue shirt, with no sign of composure, positional awareness, nor decent decision-making skills.

Too often he played bad passes which were easily intercepted when there were better options available, while he showed a poor brain for knowing how to make the right challenge at the right time. Those issues combined continue to make him look as though he is aimlessly running around in circles for stretches of the game.

Meanwhile, Cassano and Walter Gargano’s teething problems continue. ‘Fantantonio’ looks a long way short of fitness still, bringing him to make decisions in the final third that he might not make in normal circumstances. On the other hand, Gargano’s troubles could be a little more deep-rooted.

Having gone from a club which played with lots of width and supplied willing runners ahead of him in the centre, he has now been asked to play in a side lacking anything near the same energy, meaning his play can look laboured at times. There can be nothing more frustrating for fans than to see the opposition sitting deep and inviting an attack, only for one of your central midfielders dropping 20 yards to pick the ball up from a centre-back and then playing a simple pass to a static team-mate that the defender could have made. It is not Gargano’s fault that he finds himself in this position, but he must now help Andrea Stramaccioni to find a solution to the problem.

Stramaccioni is not without things to fix. His side is already six points behind a Juve side they looked reasonably placed to challenge little over three weeks ago, and it would appear that getting the Nerazzurri back on their feet and securing Champions League football is about the extent of what he can achieve this season. Even that, though, will take a much greater gameplan than that which is currently in place.

Laughable though it may seem that two years be described as the ‘long haul’, that is what the young coach was brought in for, and so he should be given that leeway. But current performances on either side of the Milan divide suggest that Juve could win the next couple of titles at an absolute canter if the pair of once-proud giants don’t get their acts together.

ELSEWHERE…

• The farcical set of circumstances which led to the postponement of Cagliari's clash against Roma on Sunday must never be repeated. The FIGC were well within their rights to force the Isolani to play behind closed doors once more - as they did against Atalanta - after the failure to secure a safety certificate in time for the fixture, so for president Massimo Cellino to openly invite fans to attend the game was downright preposterous. No game should ever go ahead without the correct safety clearance, and recent revelations over the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in England - which have shown that the ground was not fit to host such a big crowd - seem to have been very quickly forgotten by supposedly responsible people within football.

• Lazio hammered Genoa as they have hammered no other team in some time at the Stadio Olimpico in Sunday's posticipo, yet Marco Borriello's goal against the run of play 12 minutes from time was enough for Luigi De Canio's men to take all three points. The Aquile couldn't find the net even once from 22 shots at goal, with Libor Kozak and Mauro Zarate unable to lead Vladimir Petkovic's men to a new club record winning run to start the campaign. Juventus may have ably backed up their first team on Saturday night, but Lazio seem a different proposition in front of goal when Miroslav Klose does not start.

• Napoli were another side to lose their 100 per cent record as Rolando Maran's Catania side held on for over 88 minutes with 10 men after Pablo Alvarez was sent off before the fans had got comfortable at the Massimino. Not even 63 per cent of possession was enough for Walter Mazzarri's men to break down their stubborn hosts as the Elefanti once again proved their innate ability to make a trip to eastern Sicily one of the tougher propositions of the Serie A season.

• Stevan Jovetic was given his first black mark of the season on Saturday as his penalty miss came back to bite Fiorentina. Jaime Valdes had already failed from the spot for Parma before the Montenegrin stepped up in the 88th minute at the Tardini, but he too was made to pay for a weak effort. But it got worse for Jovetic, as veteran Luca Toni gave away another spot-kick in injury time, allowing Valdes to make up for his earlier error and deny the Viola three points that they would surely have taken back to Tuscany had they gone two up five minutes earlier.

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Serie A Team of the Week:

Quagliarella's goals and Sorrentino's saves earn the honours

Goal.com looks at the star performers from the latest round

of Italian league action at the weekend.

Sep 24, 2012

There may have been fewer goals scored in Serie A this weekend, but there were still plenty of performances to catch the eye as Italy's provincial outfits continue to stand toe-to-toe with some of the bigger names in the land. As a result, Goal.com's top players of the round come from another diverse spread of clubs.

It took Juventus over an hour to break the deadlock against Chievo thanks largely to the efforts of Stefano Sorrentino in the Flying Donkeys' goal. The shot-stopper was eventually beaten by a quick-fire double by Fabio Quagliarella, but it took a howitzer of a strike to break the 33-year-old's resistance.

AC Milan's woes continued with defeat at Udinese, with the ever-reliable Mehdi Benatia starring for the Friulani, while Massimo Paci successfully managed to keep a close eye on Diego Milito as Siena beat Inter for the first time ever in a league fixture. Lucio rounds off our back three thanks to his performance on debut as Juve beat Chievo 2-0.

Cristian Raimondi was the unlikely goalscoring hero as Atalanta handed Gian Piero Gasperini a bad start to his Palermo tenure at the Atleti Azzurri d'Italia, and he slots in alongside Juan Quintero, who also got on the scoresheet as Pescara earned their first Serie A point with a 1-1 draw at Bologna. Juraj Kucka's all-action midfield display in Genoa's backs-to-the-wall win at Lazio sees him make our XI, and Kwadwo Asamoah also gets recognition for another performance of power and panache for Juventus.

In the forward line, the relative lack of goals is reflected by the inclusion of two wide attackers. Alejandro Gomez helped Catania to overcome the second-minute dismissal of Pablo Alvarez to earn a share of the spoils with Napoli, and Alessio Cerci marked his first start for Torino with a key role in their 1-1 draw at Sampdoria. But the big name in the lineup is Fabio Quagliarella, with his magnificent volleyed opener and his match-clinching second against Chievo capping of an excellent week for both club and player.

SORRENTINO (Chievo)

BENATIA (Udinese) - PACI (Siena) - LUCIO (Juventus)

RAIMONDI (Atalanta) - QUINTERO (Pescara) - KUCKA (Genoa) - ASAMOAH (Juventus)

CERCI (Torino) - QUAGLIARELLA (Juventus) - GOMEZ (Catania)

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