Juventus Season 2012-2013

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

-

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Pescara vs Juventus PREVIEW:

Time To Begin A New Streak

Nov 10, 2012

The Bianconeri return to Serie A action this weekend, travelling to Pescara’s picturesque Stadio Adriatico, a ground they have not visited in Serie A since the 1992-93 season. Stripped of everything that made them so enjoyable to watch last term, the newly promoted side have struggled so far on their return to the top flight but, as ever, will be looking to spring a surprise when la vecchia Signora comes to town.

It has unquestionably been a week of firsts for Juventus; the first Serie A loss in fifty matches, a first European win in almost three years plus debut continental strikes for Claudio Marchisio and Sebastian Giovinco. Now, robbed of that most incredible undefeated streak, Antonio Conte must continue the message sent in the comprehensive victory over Nordsjaelland and prove that last weekend’s loss has not dented the confidence of this most determined of teams.

Of course Pescara, like the Danish Champions, will be considered minnows and any positive result will be dismissed by the wider Calcio audience as par for the course but Juventini everywhere will be looking for those small factors that prove to us the aura of invincibility remains unbroken and unbowed by such a sickening defeat. Indeed, as Marchisio – our new representative on the field in the post Alessandro Del Piero era – told TuttoSport on Friday, focus has been sharpened by recent events. He said;

The defeat rekindled in us the light, the determination, the rhythm that was missing for several matches. The same anger, the same conviction. I would not talk of hunger… The fact is that after such a long period without defeat perhaps we had a bit too much confidence in ourselves.

The future Captain could not have better summed up the feelings of everyone connected to the club as he basically thanked Andrea Stramaccioni for re-awakening the monster that this team can become and one can only imagine the reaction of Conte – a man who takes defeat worse than practically any human being on the planet – in training this past few days. Pescara could well face a similar onslaught to that which was on display in the opening 45 minutes of Wednesday’s Champions League fixture.

Pescara

If this season is one in which Juventus seek to prove last term was no fluke then, for their opponents this Saturday, it is undoubtedly a campaign where they are looking to show there is more to them than the impressive list of names on their list of departures over the summer. Marco Verratti now supplying the bullets for Zlatan Ibrahimovic et al in Paris, Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne making their name elsewhere in Serie A while Zdenek Zeman has taken his cavalier brand of football and eighty-a-day smoking habit back for a second tour of duty with Roma.

Charged with attempting to survive their first Serie A campaign in twenty years is Giovanni Stroppa, a man who was a member of Zeman’s Foggia of Miracles back in the early nineties and also scorer of this fine goal for Udinese in a 2-1 loss to Juventus in 1996. His start to life at Pescara has been tough and, after six losses in their opening eleven games, his job is seriously under threat.

The main cause of their problems has been a lack of goals, perhaps unsurprising given the previously mentioned departures and, with just eight goals, they possess the league’s most impotent attack and their cause is further hampered by a significant injury list which includes Christian Terlizzi, Alessandro Crescenzi and former Juve midfielder Manuele Blasi. Stroppa usually deploys them in a 4-3-2-1 shape although, like many, they are expected to switch to a three man defence for the visit of the reigning Champions.

Probable Formation: (3-5-2) PERIN; COSIC, CAPUANO, BOCCHETTI; ZANON, NIELSEN, CASCIONE, QUINTERO, MODESTO; ABBRUSCATO, JONATHAS

Juventus

While two decades may have passed since Juventus last faced Pescara in the top flight, we only need to look back five years for their last trip to the Adriatic coast, Didier Deschamps leading the Bianconeri to a 1-0 win back in 2007 during the year of purgatory in Serie B. That match was settled by a well taken Alessandro Birindelli strike as a result of a Raffaele Palladino corner (let’s just take a moment to enjoy that…..)

Back to today and Conte is expected to rotate once more but his plans were thrown off due to Paul Pogba arriving late for training twice this week. It was expected the youngster would give Andrea Pirlo takes a rare day off but the Bearded Genius may once again be forced to play as the former Manchester United man was excluded from the squad as a result of his poor time keeping. Elsewhere, Stephan Lichtsteiner may once again get the nod at right-back to allow the impressive Mauricio Isla chance to further recover his own fitness.

Mirko Vucinic should return to the line-up for the once again disappointing Alessandro Matri while Fabio Quagliarella could consider himself unfortunate should Sebastian Giovinco be given the nod over him but, as the striker told Juventus.com, all that matters is victory. Following the midweek win in which he scored, he told the official website:

Playing every three days means there’s no time to look back, the defeat along with yesterday’s victory are now firmly behind us. We’re all looking ahead to Pescara.

There are five strikers and the manager has always been straight with us from the start, he picks two for every game and we all feel first choice. It’s possible to play two or three games in a row and then start on the bench or be in the stands.

That attitude will be essential as the Bianconeri begin what looks, on paper at least, to be a difficult run of fixtures during which Conte will rely on almost every member of the squad to deliver when called upon. So to Pescara, launching pad for the next great undefeated streak!

Probable Formation: (3-5-2) BUFFON; BARZAGLI, BONUCCI, CHIELLINI; LICHTSTEINER, MARCHISIO, PIRLO, VIDAL, ASAMOAH; GIOVINCO, VUCINIC

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

-

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Line-ups: Pescara-Juventus

Nov 10, 2012

Juventus rely on Fabio Quagliarella for tonight’s trip to Pescara, while Juan Fernando Quintero starts just days after fainting during training.

The Stadio Adriatico hosts the Serie A leaders at 19.45 GMT.

There was tension in the Bianconeri camp leading up to the game, as Paul Pogba was dropped as punishment for arriving late to two training sessions.

Simone Pepe and Paolo De Ceglie are also injured, while Mauricio Isla again steps in for Stefan Lichtsteiner.

Quagliarella starts with Sebastian Giovinco, as Mirko Vucinic is still not 100 per cent fit.

Pescara turned a corner last week by beating Parma 2-0 and hope to continue their surprisingly strong record against Juventus here.

Quintero is fit to start despite being rushed to hospital after fainting during a training session on Tuesday, reportedly due to an allergic reaction.

Giuseppe Colucci, Manuele Blasi, Alessandro Crescenzi, Christian Terlizzi and Luca Savelloni are sidelined.

Meanwhile, there was bad news for Juventus today as two of their Primavera youth players fractured their fibulas.

Joel Untersee – who has played with the senior squad over the summer – and Gabriel Appelt both suffered fractures to the fibula.

Pescara: Perin; Cosic, Romagnoli, Bocchetti; Zanon, Nielsen, Cascione, Quintero, Modesto; Abbruscato, Jonathas

Pescara bench: Pellizzoli, Balzano, Capuano, Soddimo, Bjarnason, Celik, Weiss, Caprari, Vukusic

Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Isla, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah; Giovinco, Quagliarella

Juventus bench: Storari, Rubinho, Lichtsteiner, Lucio, Caceres, Marrone, Padoin, Giaccherini, Vucinic, Bendtner, Matri

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

-

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Marotta: 'Conte's decision on Pogba'

Nov 10, 2012

Juventus director general Beppe Marotta reveals Antonio Conte “made the decision” to punish Paul Pogba by dropping him.

The midfielder was left out of the squad for tonight’s trip to Pescara after he turned up late to two training sessions, but unusually the club confirmed the reason with a statement.

“There are some rules to be respected and the leader of the group, who is Antonio Conte, decided on this course of action. It is not punishment, but rather educational for a young player like Pogba,” said Marotta.

Pogba’s agent had bitterly criticised the club and suggested Conte was “unable” to handle a team at the highest level.

“Juventus are perfectly capable of making their own decisions for their players. Raiola does not know the situation.”

Lucio was expected to start tonight, but once again he is only on the bench.

“He is an experienced player who came here to give us a hand in case of emergencies. He always trains professionally and has never hinted he wants a transfer.

“Pescara are on paper an inferior side to Juventus, but the most difficulties usually come in these games. I am certain Conte has worked on the team psychologically and ensured we will not underestimate our opponents.”

Marotta also insisted there are “no negotiations with Pescara” for Juan Fernando Quintero.

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

-

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

HT: Five-star Juve in Pescara thriller!

Nov 10, 2012

There have been six goals and could’ve been several more, as Juventus lead Pescara 5-1 at half-time in a truly spectacular encounter.

The Bianconeri’s 49-match unbeaten run was ended by rivals Inter last week, but reacted midweek by thrashing Nordsjaelland 4-0 in the Champions League. Paul Pogba was dropped as punishment for turning up late twice to training, while Simone Pepe and Paolo De Ceglie were injured. Mauricio Isla again stepped in for Stephan Lichtsteiner, who was lucky not to see red against the Nerazzurri, while Mirko Vucinic was only fit for the bench. Pescara started Juan Fernando Quintero just days after he fainted in training on Tuesday, but Giuseppe Colucci, Manuele Blasi, Alessandro Crescenzi, Christian Terlizzi and Luca Savelloni were sidelined.

In the opening 50 seconds Sebastian Giovinco had tested Mattia Perin on the goalkeeper’s 20th birthday with a fierce snapshot from the edge of the area. A corner came out to Claudio Marchisio for a screamer over the bar, while Kwadwo Asamoah’s volley flashed off target.

The waves of Juve pressure eventually paid off with a goal at the ninth minute. Giovinco’s angled through ball found Arturo Vidal and he smashed the angled drive across Perin into the far bottom corner from 10 yards. The midfielder confirmed his status as their current top scorer this season, but Fabio Quagliarella also peeled away to create the space.

Quagliarella drilled wide from the D and Andrea Barzagli got away with a slip when Jonathas was penalised for a push. Pescara broke out of their own half on a few occasions, but were punished again as Mauricio Isla rolled across for Quagliarella’s precise angled drive into the far bottom corner of the net.

Pescara were still in the game and a Quintero free kick curled over the wall to smack against the upright. From the resulting corner, there were penalty appeals for a potential handling offence, but the move continued and Emmanuel Cascione’s diving header ricocheted in off the inside of the post where Gigi Buffon could not reach.

It was nearly 2-2 soon after, as a corner found Matti Lund Nielsen’s powerful finish that whistled past the base of the far post.

Juventus extended their lead with a sensational goal, as Quagliarella’s backheel flick was deflected into the air and Kwadwo Asamoah acrobatically turned it in from six yards with an overhead bicycle kick.

Quagliarella hooked a Barzagli ball over the top with a perfect first touch, but the finish was wide. Bad news for Andrea Pirlo, who was booked and will be suspended for next week's game with Lazio.

It was Giovinco who added a fourth when he controlled a poor clearance and on the give-and-go with Quagliarella thumped a scorching low right-foot volley across Perin.

Pescara thought they had scored a second with another Cascione header from a corner at the back post, but it was acrobatically cleared off the line by Marchisio with an overhead kick after Leonardo Bonucci had put Quintero’s set piece over the bar.

Quagliarella completed his brace by springing the offside trap on a long ball and placing his snooker shot of an angled drive between the defender’s foot and Perin’s hand. It’s the first time Pescara have ever conceded five Serie A goals at the Stadio Adriatico.

Pescara 1-5 Juventus (Half-Time)

Scorers: Vidal 9 (J), Quagliarella 23, 45 (J), Cascione 25 (P), Asamoah 30 (J), Giovinco 38 (J)

Pescara: Perin; Cosic, Bocchetti, Capuano; Zanon, Nielsen, Cascione, Quintero, Modesto; Abbruscato, Jonathas

Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Isla, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah; Giovinco, Quagliarella

Ref: Banti

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000‎

Pescara hit for six by super Juve!

Juventus are certainly back on track after a 6-1 demolition job on Pescara,

including a Fabio Quagliarella hat-trick and two overhead kicks.

Nov 10, 2012

It is the Delfini’s worst ever Serie A home defeat, but Juve’s biggest away win remains a 7-0 at Pro Patria in 1950-51.

The Bianconeri’s 49-match unbeaten run was ended by rivals Inter last week, but reacted midweek by thrashing Nordsjaelland 4-0 in the Champions League. Paul Pogba was dropped as punishment for turning up late twice to training, while Simone Pepe and Paolo De Ceglie were injured. Mauricio Isla again stepped in for Stephan Lichtsteiner, who was lucky not to see red against the Nerazzurri, while Mirko Vucinic was only fit for the bench. Pescara started Juan Fernando Quintero just days after he fainted in training on Tuesday, but Giuseppe Colucci, Manuele Blasi, Alessandro Crescenzi, Christian Terlizzi and Luca Savelloni were sidelined.

In the opening 50 seconds Sebastian Giovinco had tested Mattia Perin on the goalkeeper’s 20th birthday with a fierce snapshot from the edge of the area. A corner came out to Claudio Marchisio for a screamer over the bar, while Kwadwo Asamoah’s volley flashed off target.

The waves of Juve pressure eventually paid off with a goal at the ninth minute. Giovinco’s angled through ball found Arturo Vidal and he smashed the angled drive across Perin into the far bottom corner from 10 yards. The midfielder confirmed his status as their current top scorer this season, but Fabio Quagliarella also peeled away to create the space.

Quagliarella drilled wide from the D and Andrea Barzagli got away with a slip when Jonathas was penalised for a push. Pescara broke out of their own half on a few occasions, but were punished again as Mauricio Isla rolled across for Quagliarella’s precise angled drive into the far bottom corner of the net.

Pescara were still in the game and a Quintero free kick curled over the wall to smack against the upright. From the resulting corner, there were penalty appeals for a potential handling offence, but the move continued and Emmanuel Cascione’s diving header ricocheted in off the inside of the post where Gigi Buffon could not reach.

It was nearly 2-2 soon after, as a corner found Matti Lund Nielsen’s powerful finish that whistled past the base of the far post.

Juventus extended their lead with a sensational goal, as Quagliarella’s backheel flick was deflected into the air and Kwadwo Asamoah acrobatically turned it in from six yards with an overhead bicycle kick.

Quagliarella hooked a Barzagli ball over the top with a perfect first touch, but the finish was wide. Bad news for Andrea Pirlo, who was booked and will be suspended for next week’s game with Lazio.

It was Giovinco who added a fourth when he controlled a poor clearance and on the give-and-go with Quagliarella thumped a scorching low right-foot volley across Perin.

Pescara thought they had scored a second with another Cascione header from a corner at the back post, but it was acrobatically cleared off the line by Marchisio with an overhead kick after Leonardo Bonucci had put Quintero’s set piece over the bar.

Quagliarella completed his brace by springing the offside trap on a long ball and placing his snooker shot of an angled drive between the defender’s foot and Perin’s hand. It’s the first time Pescara have ever conceded five Serie A goals at the Stadio Adriatico and Quagliarella became the first Juve player to score a hat-trick away from home since Alessandro Del Piero in 2008.

After the restart substitute Gianluca Caprari’s shot was deflected wide off Bonucci’s arm, but it was straight up against his body, so could not be considered a penalty. Buffon smothered a long-range Uros Cosic strike and parried a Jonathas snapshot.

However, Quagliarella completed his hat-trick with another spectacular overhead kick from a corner, this time as he held off his marker from seven yards.

Buffon palmed a Quintero free kick off the line at the near bottom corner. Coach Giovanni Stroppa was sent off for dissent when claiming Pescara deserved a penalty for Simone Padoin’s challenge on Vladimir Weiss.

Giovinco threatened a seventh goal when he sprung the offside trap and went round the goalkeeper, but the angle was then too narrow and he was only able to clip the outside of the upright. The Atomic Ant also spun round his marker to test Perin and in stoppages Buffon just about scrambled a Cascione header off the line.

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

Pescara: Perin; Cosic, Bocchetti, Capuano (Caprari 46); Zanon, Nielsen, Cascione, Quintero, Modesto; Abbruscato (Vukusic 65), Jonathas (Weiss 54)

Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini (Marrone 65); Isla (Padoin 59), Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah; Giovinco, Quagliarella (Bendtner 68)

Ref: Banti

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000‎

Quagliarella nets treble as brilliant Bianconeri destroy Delfini

The visitors romped to the most emphatic of wins - one which propels them four points

clear - in what was their first league outing since losing their unbeaten record.

Nov 10, 2012

Juventus got back to business in Serie A with an astounding 6-1 thrashing of Pescara at Stadio Adriatico on Saturday, with Fabio Quagliarella bagging a hat-trick.

Their unbeaten leage run may have been ended at 49 games at the hands of Inter one week ago, but the Bianconeri showed no signs of letting that affect them with a scintillating performance that featured six goals of the highest quality.

Artuo Vidal broke the deadlock after nine minutes with a well-struck finish, before Quagliarella made it 2-0 with an equally clinical strike from inside the area on 22 minutes. Pescara threatened to make a game of it when Emmanuel Cascione halved the deficit with his head three minutes later, but an acrobatic overhead kick from Kwadwo Asamoah on the half hour mark.

Giovinco volleyed home a fourth Juventus goal after combining superbly with Quaglierella, who himself struck his second deadly finish just before half-time, and added the goal of the game with a magnificent volley straight from a corner early in the second half.

The Bianconeri now move four points clear at the top of the table over nearest challengers Inter, who are in action Sunday away to Atalanta.

Quagliarella was the only change from Juve's 4-0 win over FC Nordsjaelland in the Champions League during the week, the veteran striker replacing Alessandro Matri in the starting lineup.

The visitors raced out of the blocks, and Giovinco forced the first opportunity of the game, calling Mattia Perin into action with a drive from the edge of the area after only two minutes.

The diminutive midfielder would be far more decisive in the ninth minute, however, as he threaded a fine pass through to Vidal, who slotted coolly past Perin to send the visitors into a deserved lead.

Juve continued to dominate and scored again in the 22nd minute. Mauricio Isla was the architect, sending in a fantastic ball that was met with a sublime finish from Quagliarella inside the box.

Just when it looked like the visitors were ready to run away with the match, however, Pescara pulled one back. After Juan Quintero smacked a free kick agonisingly off the woodwork, the ball was worked towards Matti Lund Nielsen, who crossed for Cascione to angle a header past Gianluigi Buffon.

Pescara were buoyed by the goal, but their enthusiasm was short-lived, as a flick from Quagliarella ricocheted into the path of Asamoah eight yards out, and the Ghanaian reacted wonderfully to send an overhead kick into the back of the net.

Quagliarella then sent two good opportunities badly off target, before Cascione nearly repeated the trick with another header towards the far post that flew just wide.

However, with seven minutes to go until half-time, Juve stormed further ahead. Giovinco linked up brilliantly with Quagliarella, playing a one-two and lashing a superb volley past the hapless Perin.

The scoring wasn’t done for the first half, and Quagliarella, who was outstanding all game, latched onto a magnificent long pass from Vidal to drive another clinical finish home on the stroke of the interval.

Quagliarella would complete his hat-trick eight minutes into the second half, meeting Pirlo’s corner with a gloriously acrobatic volley to rack up the Bianconeri’s sixth and final goal.

The tempo died down shortly after, though Giovinco went close to his second with 11 minutes remaining after a beautiful shimmy freed him for a shot at the edge of the box that was sent just off target, moments after hitting the side netting after rounding Perin following a one-two with Nicklas Bendtner.

There were no more goals to come, but the damage had been done in the first half, and Juve played out the remaining minutes in complete control to record an emphatic victory that puts events against Inter last week firmly in the rear-view mirrow.

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000‎

Quagliarella helps Juve bounce back

Nov 10, 2012

A hat-trick from Fabio Quagliarella put Juventus back on track with a 6-1 win over lowly Pescara that keeps them clear at the top of Serie A. caption END#

Fabio Quagliarella scored a hat-trick as Juventus put their first defeat in 50 Serie A games behind them in style at the Stadio Adriatico.

By firing six past Pescara, Antonio Conte's side extended their lead at the top of Serie A to four points over Inter Milan, their conquerors last week who travel to face Atalanta tomorrow night.

Arturo Vidal opened the scoring and Kwadwo Asamoah and Sebastian Giovinco were also on target for the visitors, while Emmanuel Cascione scored Pescara's consolation.

It did not take long to realise which way the game was heading as Juventus took the lead in the ninth minute having had Pescara on the back foot.

Vidal was picked out by Giovinco and he became the first to beat Mattia Perin with a well-directed shot.

Quagliarella missed a good chance just two minutes later, but he was just getting warmed up.

In the 22nd minute, he scored his first and Juve's second, sweeping the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal from 15 yards after being set up by Mauricio Isla.

A free-kick from Quintero hit the inside of the post with Gianluigi Buffon beaten in the 24th minute and, 60 seconds later, Cascione headed the ball in off the post to halve the deficit.

Normal business was restored five minutes later, though, when Asamoah scored with a low overhead kick on the six-yard line after Quagliarella had lifted the ball up for him with his heel.

Quagliarella then set up Giovinco for an unstoppable volley to make it 4-1 in the 37th minute as Juventus ran away with the game.

Claudio Marchisio came to Buffon's rescue to make an acrobatic clearance off the goal line as Pescara almost grabbed a second, but Quagliarella put the result beyond any doubt on the stroke of half-time when he netted his fourth of the season with another accurate effort from just inside the penalty area.

The best was yet to come from the Italy international, who completed his hat-trick in style in the 53rd minute.

He met Andrea Pirlo's corner with an overhead kick into the top right-hand corner of Perin's goal, leaving the Pescara goalkeeper with no chance once again.

He was soon replaced to a standing ovation from all corners of the Adriatico.

Giovinco did not want to be outdone by his team-mate, but he only found the side-netting in the 76th minute having taken the ball past Perin, missing out on what might have been his second of the game, although Juventus had already more than done enough.

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000‎

Bianconeri demolish Delfini in seven goal thriller

Nov 10, 2012

Juventus travelled to the Stadio Adriatico to take on Pescara in hopes of returning to winning ways following their first loss in 49 Serie A matches to Inter last weekend. The Bianconeri put on a dazzling performance much to the dismay of the home side, walloping the sorry Delfini 6-1 to claim a resounding three points.

With less than a minute gone in the match, Sebastian Giovinco burst forward to the edge of the box and let fly with a snapshot that required a diving save from Mattia Perin at the far post. Soon after, the Atomic Ant went for goal once again, but dragged his left-footed effort just wide of the post.

Juventus kept on the pressure early as Mauricio Isla put in a dangerous cross and Claudio Marchisio rocketed a sizzling drive over the crossbar from distance following a corner.

After only 8 minutes, the Bianconeri took the lead. Marco Capuano gave the ball away in his own defensive third, and after some neat interplay Giovinco played Arturo Vidal in on goal for the Chilean international to slot coolly slot home.

Pescara found it difficult to even bring the ball forward from their half as Juventus continued to put the Delfini under assault with a wicked half-volley that flew just past the post.

The home side finally broke forward after being put under concerted pressure in the first 20 minutes, as Elvis Abbruscato found space to shoot from distance, but failed to hit the target.

However, Juventus would find success soon after at the other end. Isla received a diagonal ball from Giovinco, who squared to Fabio Quagliarella for the enigmatic native of Naples to thump past Perin across the face of goal.

Just when all looked lost for Pescara, the run of play entirely changed. A Giorgio Chiellini foul gave Juan Quintero a free-kick opportunity from a dangerous postion, and the promising young Colombian nearly pulled a goal back as he cracked a curling effort off of the upright. After the ensuing corner, Delfini captain Emmanuel Cascione put a header on goal from a Matti Nielsen cross; Gianluigi Buffon was able to get a touch, but the ball squirmed in the net off of the post to reduce to deficit to one.

Minutes later, Marco Capuano touched on a corner with his head for Nielsen, and the Dane nearly equalized with a thumping strike the whistled just past the post.

The furious pace of the match was sustained as neither side let up much to the delight of a capacity crowd at the Stadio Adriatico. On 30 minutes, an incredible moment of inspiration saw Quagliarella perform a delectable backheel flick to provide the perfect ball for Kwadwo Asamoah to finish with a clinically done bicycle-kick.

Wide-open play saw the sides exchange opportunities over the next 10 minutes, but it was the Turin giants who would strike again. Quagilarella was once again the provider as he played Giovinco into the box for the diminutive Italian to finish yet another scoring chance to put the Old Lady comfortably up 4-1.

Goals amazingly continued raining from the night sky as Vidal fed Quagliarella into the area for the Italian’s second of the day on the stroke of halftime.

After the restart, Marchisio immediately almost piled on more misery for Pescara, but struck wide of the far post from the left side of the penalty area. At the other end, Quintero tried his hand from distance, but the shot was too central and Buffon claimed easily.

Quagliarella completed his hat-trick on 53 minutes with an acrobatic finish in traffic from a corner kick as matters continued to get worse for the home side.

Quintero tested Buffon with a searing effort from another free-kick, but the Italy legend beat it away to keep Juventus on top by a whopping five goals.

On 75 minutes, Giovinco rounded Perin to go clear on goal, but scuffed his shot and found only the side-netting with the goal mouth gaping. Soon after, the Atomic Ant executed a tricky bit of skill in the box to beat Uros Cosic and shoot on the turn, but the Azzurrini number one smothered the low attempt.

Pescara nearly grabbed a late consolation stoppages Cascione rose above the defense to head on goal, but Buffon was there to make the save as time soon after mercifully expired for the Delfini as Juventus got back on track in Serie A with a thumping 6-1 win.

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000

Juventus prove too much for Pescara

Nov 10, 2012

Juventus moved on from its first Serie A loss in two seasons in the best way possible as it crushed Pescara 6-1 with a Fabio Quagliarella hat trick on Saturday.

Arturo Vidal and Quagliarella put Juventus in front before Emmanuel Cascione pulled one back for Pescara shortly after Juan Quintero hit the post.

However, a sensational overhead kick from Kwadwo Asamoah and goals from Sebastian Giovinco and Quagliarella gave Juventus a healthy halftime lead.

Quagliarella completed his hat trick eight minutes into the second half with an overhead kick to give Pescara goalkeeper Mattia Perin a 20th birthday to forget.

It was Pescara's worst home defeat in the top flight.

Serie A leader Juventus was four points clear of Inter Milan, which plays Atalanta on Sunday.

After falling 3-1 to Inter Milan at the weekend to end its 49-match unbeaten run, Juventus beat Danish side Nordsjaelland 4-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Teenage striker Paul Pogba, who has been in great form of late, was dropped for the visit to Pescara as punishment for turning up late to training twice.

The last time Pescara met Juventus it won 5-1, in 1993. However, it knew a similar result would be near impossible.

Juventus signalled its intent in the opening seconds with a fierce shot from Giovinco from the edge of the area which Perin did well to keep out.

The visitors took the lead in the ninth minute when Giovinco swiveled on the edge of the area and slotted the ball through for Vidal to smash into the far left corner.

Quagliarella almost doubled Juve's lead seconds later with an effort which flew narrowly wide. He did score in the 22nd after he gathered Mauricio Isla's pass and carved out some space before unleashing an angled effort across into the bottom left corner.

Pescara hit the post moments later through a ferocious free kick from Quintero, who fainted in training during the week.

The home side grabbed one back in the 25th. Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon got a hand to Cascione's diving header but could only touch it onto his right post and in.

Juventus restored its two-goal advantage with a stunning goal. Under pressure from two Pescara players, Quagliarella managed to get the ball to Asamoah with a backheel flick and the Ghana midfielder acrobatically turned it in with an overhead kick.

Quagliarella was again the provider when he set up Giovinco to volley in a fourth.

Pescara thought it got a second three minutes from halftime but Claudio Marchisio hooked Cascione's header off the line.

Quagliarella extended Juve's lead on the stroke of halftime. It is the first time Juve has scored five goals in the first half of a Serie A match since 1947.

Quagliarella completed his first top-flight hat trick eight minutes into the second half with another spectacular overhead strike from Andrea Pirlo's free kick.

Pescara coach Giovanni Stroppa was sent to the stands for dissent in the 73rd minute after calling for a penalty for Simone Padoin's challenge on Vladimir Weiss.

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000

Player Ratings

Goal.com was on hand to cast a critical eye over events at Stadio Adriatico

as the Bianconeri dominated the Delfini to move four points clear.

Nov 10, 2012

Pescara

Mattia Perin - Utterly helpless, as all of Juve's goals were extremely well taken.

Damiano Zanon - Put in a crucial tackle to halt Quagliarella on one Juve attack, and offered his team occasional moments of directness on the right flank.

Marco Capuano - Run utterly ragged by Juventus, time and time again. Simply no way for him to cope with the relentless pressure on his goal.

Antonio Bocchetti - Taken apart with embarrassing ease by Giovinco on more than one occasion. Never looked at all confident in defence.

Uros Cosic - Lost sight of Vidal and Quagliarella for two of Juve's goals. Appeared as clueless as the rest of Pescara's defence when dealing with the Bianconeri.

Emmanuel Cascione - Headed in the only goal of the game for the home side, and nearly repeated the trick with another header that sent Buffon scrambling. His was one of the few heads that did not drop.

Francesco Modesto - Gave his team absolutely nothing on the left wing, and spent most of his time isolated and dropping deeper and deeper into his own half.

Juan Quintero - Hit the woodwork with one attempt, but was otherwise as anonymous as his rating suggests in the middle of the park. Never came close to stopping the Juve machine.

Matti Lund Nielsen - His cross to set up Cascione's goal was about the only positive thing to come from his performance. A few brief moments in the second half, but it all came way too late.

Elvis Abbruscato - Isolated and largely unused up front. A thankless task for him given the situation his team found themselves in by half-time.

Jonathas - No chance for him to even dream of making an impact, as all the players who might have given him service were busy making sure that Juve's goal haul did not reach double figures.

Substitutions

Vladimir Weiss - Offered little for his side after coming on as a substitute.

Ante Vukušić - Could do nothing to stem the tide of Juve's dominance.

Gianluca Caprari - Forced to work hard after coming off the bench, often seen chasing shadows.

Juventus

Gianluigi Buffon - One or two smart saves, but nothing out of the ordinary for Buffon. Perhaps slightly disappointed with conceding, though it was a well placed goal.

Giorgio Chiellini - Mostly quiet on the defensive front, as Chiellini was left with very little outside of routine defensive tasks. Never looked rattled, though.

Andrea Barzagli - Marked Abbuscato completely out of the game and was alert to thwart whatever little Pescara could throw his way.

Leonardo Bonucci - Games such as this will never be a true test of his credentials, but he did what he had to do with little fuss.

Mauricio Isla - Assisted Quagliarella's first with a fine delivery into the box, and spent most of his time camped in the opposition half as Juve just kept attacking.

Claudio Marchisio - Terrier-like stuff in the middle of the park, as he handled a lot of the dirty work with so many of his colleagues involved in attacking play. Blocked a surefire Pescara goal from a corner with his body on the goal-line.

Andrea Pirlo - With the likes of Vidal, Marchisio and especially Giovinco handling the bulk of the playmaking, Pirlo never had to step out of second gear, and spent most of the game spraying simple passes to his more dynamic team-mates, while holding a deep position to help shield the defence. Set up one of Quagliarella’s goals from a corner.

Kwadwo Asamoah - Found himself in plenty of advanced positions, and took full advantage, dragging the Pescara midfield out of position with his surging runs. Scored Juve’s third with a sublime overhead kick from close range. His athleticism and stamina were a key asset for the Bianconeri.

Arturo Vidal - A box-to-box display of the highest pedigree, as he showed plenty of bite in midfield while picking his moments to get forward extremely well. Opened the scoring in just such a manner, with a great run and finish, before setting up one of Quagliarella's goals with a Pirlo-esque ball from his own half.

Sebastian Giovinco - Took on the mantle of chief playmaker tonight, with an all-encompassing display in the attacking third. His first touch and quick feet were a nightmare for Pescara to deal with, and he set up the opener for Vidal with a fantastic pass, before scoring an equally brilliant volley of his own.

Fabio Quagliarella - On a team full of world-class performances on the night, his was the star that shone brightest. His first two goals were quick-thinking finishes of the highest quality, and he played a great give-and-go to set up Giovinco’s goal - all in the first half. Still, the best moment came early in the second period - an acrobatic volley right out of the top draw straight from Pirlo’s corner. Simply fantastic.

Substitutions

Simone Padoin - Found things really simple in his spell on the pitch. Never challenged.

Luca Marrone - A few nice touches after coming on.

Nicklas Bendtner - Came on for the latter stages but by then, Juve had decided to slow the tempo so he saw little in the way of goalmouth action. Still tried to get involved.

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000

Quagliarella: Inter loss inspired Juventus

The Old Lady recorded a 6-1 away win over Pescara on Saturday, and the striker

believes the loss of their 49-game unbeaten run motivated his team-mates.

Nov 10, 2012

Fabio Quagliarella believes that last week's 3-1 loss to Inter inspired his Juventus team-mates to beat Pescara 6-1 on Saturday.

The Bianconeri let their 49-game unbeaten run slip to the Nerazzurri, but have since responded in style, thrashing Nordsjaelland 4-0 in midweek before the Stadio Adriatico victory, which saw the 29-year-old net a hat-trick.

"The important thing was to win, and we really, really won," he told reporters after the match.

"We showed that is possible to have a setback against a great team like Inter and still be here.

"That defeat was just a stumble and, if anything, it made us stronger, as we are right back on track with the hunger we need."

The former Napoli man went on to dedicate his treble to his mum, who is in currently hospital to have an operation.

"It's the first hat-trick of my career, so I will treasure the match ball. I dedicate the goals to my mother, who is in hospital after undergoing surgery," he said.

Arturo Vidal, Kwadwo Asamoah and Sebastian Giovinco got the other goals for the Bianconeri, who now sit four points clear of Inter in the race for the Scudetto.

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000

Quagliagol: 'My first hat-trick'

Nov 10, 2012

Fabio Quagliarella enjoyed his debut hat-trick against Pescara and believes defeat to Inter actually did Juventus good.

“It’s the first hat-trick of my career, so I will treasure the match ball. I dedicate the goals to my mother, who is in hospital after undergoing surgery,” he said of the 6-1 victory at the Stadio Adriatico.

“The important thing was to win and we really, really won. We showed that it is possible to have a setback against a great team like Inter, but we’re still here.

“That defeat was just a stumble and if anything it made us stronger, as we are right back on track with the hunger we need.”

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000

Alessio: 'Last season's Juve'

Nov 10, 2012

Stand-in Coach Angelo Alessio praised the Juventus return to last season’s mentality, but won’t assure Fabio Quagliarella of a starting spot.

The striker netted a sensational hat-trick in their 6-1 win away to Pescara, a strong response to ending their 49-match unbeaten run last week.

“We took the right approach and attacked them from the start, adopting the same mentality as last season. Our football is organised, but also unpredictable, as everyone seems to find the net in this squad,” said Alessio.

“Quagliarella proved in every opportunity he has been given that he can do well, but Antonio decides his line-up based on the opponents and the training sessions. Quagliarella went off because he had cramp, nothing more.

“Mauricio Isla did well, but that doesn’t mean the door is closed for Stefan Lichtsteiner. Everyone has the opportunity to be of use to the team.”

Paul Pogba was left behind this weekend as punishment for turning up late to two training sessions.

“Any decision that Antonio makes, the players have to just focus on training and doing well. We have rules that need to be respected.”

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000

Stroppa looks for Pescara positives

Nov 10, 2012

Pescara Coach Giovanni Stroppa tried to look for the positives after an historic 6-1 home defeat to Juventus.

“We just sat there and watched them for the first 10 minutes and didn’t show enough determination. It’s difficult to comment after a result like this, as when it was 2-1 we went close to an equaliser,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

Stroppa was sent off for dissent in the second half after a Simone Padoin challenge on Vladimir Weiss.

“I was told that I had protested too clearly, but I just said it was a foul and did not offend anybody.

“At times tonight we showed that this team is alive, without doubt. We need more grit, although it’s tough to stand up to a Juventus in this form and we struggled to get anywhere near them.”

Fans naturally protested at the Stadio Adriatico, as Pescara have lost seven of their 12 games.

“I speak daily with director Delli Carri and have taken my share of the responsibility for the fact this team is lacking a clear identity, but we have made steps forward, apart from tonight.

“It’s a shame we conceded six goals, because it does hurt, but in the first half we reacted strongly and created chances even when we already seemed to be done for. There are some positives.”

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000

Quagliarella treble sends a message to Conte

as Juventus hit the goal trail

The former Udinese striker hit a hat-trick against Pescara to remind his coach

that on his day he can be the most deadly finisher the club has at its disposal.

Nov 11, 2012

COMMENT

By Kris Voakes | Italian Football Writer

The last time Fabio Quagliarella got a regular run in the Juventus XI, he was still a Napoli player. His 17 starts in 2010-11 during the reign of Luigi Del Neri resulted in nine goals by Christmas, but the cruciate ligament injury he sustained against Parma immediately after the winter break stopped him in his stride. The Bianconeri may have made the decision to sign him on a permanent deal the following summer, but he has not been treated as a particularly valuable commodity since then.

From the day Antonio Conte took over at Vinovo, Quagliarella has not seemed to get a fair deal. Just weeks after the coach arrived from Siena, he appeared ready to offload the former Udinese striker in a bid to bring in Juan Manuel Vargas as an answer to his left-wing issue as he looked to set Juve up in a 4-2-4 formation.

He then left the Italy international kicking his heels for long spells, with his first start not being granted until mid-December, leading many to suggest that his days on the Old Lady’s roster were numbered. But Quagliarella has remained a Juventus forward, and while less deserving team-mates have been given plenty of opportunities to prove their worth, he has had to make the most of the few chances that have come his way.

When he has played, he has regularly looked like Juventus’ most effective finisher, with his match-saving introduction against Chelsea in September and double against Chievo three days later providing the most notable snapshot of his true worth to date. And on Saturday night, he punished Pescara badly for their defence deficiencies by netting a hat-trick in the Bianconeri’s convincing 6-1 victory at the Stadio Adriatico.

Giovanni Stroppa’s side may not have provided the toughest of tests - in fact, this was as easy as Juve could have wished it to be - but Quagliarella’s instinct and finishing were right out of the top drawer. This was as clinical a display as Conte’s troops have presented in quite some time, and much of that was down to the ex-Sampdoria man.

After seeing Arturo Vidal open the scoring, he doubled his side’s advantage when collecting a low pass from the right, taking a touch to leave his marker, Antonio Bocchetti, out of the picture, and firing low across Mattia Perrin. Shortly before half-time, he made it 5-1 by darting off the shoulder of Uros Cosic, ghosting into the channel and again driving low past Perrin.

In between the hat-trick hero's goals, Sebastian Giovinco had found the net to reward a positive performance, while Kwadwo Asamoah had responded to Emmanuel Cascione’s header by scoring with an instinctive overhead kick from close range after Quagliarella had forced the ball loose. And the striker was not to be outdone in the flair stakes, rounding off the scoring and claiming the match ball by mimicking Asamoah’s spectacular effort early in the second half.

This was a reminder to all of what he is capable of, but most of all it was a message to his coach. Alessandro Matri has struggled in front of goal, Mirko Vucinic has added flair and power but few goals, and Giovinco has looked out of position in a front two. Quagliarella, meanwhile, has been left to play third, fourth or sometimes fifth fiddle. But after his latest exhibition of what he has in his locker, maybe he will finally get a chance to show that he can do the business consistently for Conte’s Juventus.

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000

'What a game!' - Alessio delighted with Juventus win

The Bianconeri stand-in coach believes his team have shown the correct response

to their loss to Inter last week, and stated that there is no pecking order in the team.

Nov 11, 2012

Juventus interim coach Angelo Alessio has spoken of his joy after watching his side cruise to a 6-1 away win over Pescara on Saturday.

The Bianconeri bounced back from last week's loss to Inter in style, with a Fabio Quagliarella hat-trick along with goals from Arturo Vidal, Sebastian Giovinco and Kwadwo Asamoah ensuring an easy victory.

"We had the right approach," Alessio told reporters after the match.

"We took the game to our opponents and we were determined and aggressive right from the very off. And what a game it was!

"We played with intensity and set about our opposition both tonight and in midweek. These are the strength that mark this team."

Alessio went on to state that Quagliarella will not necessarily be part of the team to play against Lazio on November 17, despite the striker scoring a hat-trick on Saturday evening.

"Fabio has done well on several occasions, and scored three today," he commented. "There's no heirarchy as far as team selection is concerned.

"Antonio [Conte] makes his decisions based on what he sees in training."

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000

Perin reveals Buffon advice

Nov 11, 2012

Pescara goalkeeper Mattia Perin admits conceding six goals made it “a horrible birthday,” but reveals what Gigi Buffon whispered in his ear.

He had to pick the ball out of his net repeatedly on his 20th birthday, as Juventus ran out 6-1 winners at the Stadio Adriatico last night.

“We knew that we were facing a great team, but I didn’t expect to concede so many goals. It has to act as motivation for us to fight against relegation and helps us to grow.

“The squad is united and we are working to do what the Coach asks of us, as that’s the only way forward.”

After the final whistle, Buffon embraced Perin and whispered advice into his ear.

“Buffon told me not to give up, to stay carefree and keep going. It was a horrible birthday, but meeting Buffon was the only positive thing of the night.”

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000

Pescara won't sack Stroppa

Nov 11, 2012

Pescara have again reiterated their faith in Coach Giovanni Stroppa despite the historic 6-1 home defeat to Juventus.

The tactician had already rescued his job with a 2-0 win over Parma last week, but crumbled in spectacular fashion last night.

“Stroppa is and remains the Coach of Pescara. How many more times do I have to say this?” President Daniele Sebastiani commented in La giornalaccio rosa dello Sport.

“I prefer to lose like this than to watch a team that doesn’t create any scoring opportunities at all.

“Stroppa is not at risk. If he loses against Siena? This is not a conversation to be having right now.”

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000

Bianconeri Seem Liberated and the 10 Things We Learned

Nov 11, 2012

Perhaps losing to Inter wasn't such a bad thing after all.

After crushing Danish side Nordsjaelland in the midweek UEFA Champions League fixture, Juventus took care of business against Pescara tonight, scoring five goals before the half.

It was a stunning display by the Bianconeri, who have looked like a completely different team since seeing their unbeaten streak snapped.

In this article, we'll take a look at what has changed and discuss what we learned from tonight's massacre.

It sure looks that way.

Mind you, we have to take into account that the two wins since that game came against inferior opponents. Nordsjaelland clearly aren't a European powerhouse and Pescara are a newly promoted team that lost most of its top players during the summer transfer window.

Still, the performances of the Bianconeri have been astonishing.

Juventus are playing the kind of free-flowing football we haven't seen since the win against AS Roma.

The pressure seems to be gone, and instead the Bianconeri are letting the ball do the work. There is a creativity to the game of Juve we hadn't seen all season.

Gone is the trademark "get the ball to the wing and fire in a cross."

Instead, the team is choosing to attack defenses right up the middle, and with great success. They are slicing apart opposing teams with crisp passing and timely runs, and creating space for the wingers to actually deliver quality crosses.

The result: 10 goals in two games.

Before the game against Inter, Juve had looked slow. A slow, passing team that waits for the other team to make a mistake or for a ball to fall in the right place.

Suddenly, they look fast. Like, really fast.

Everyone seems to be open pretty much all the time, and defenses can't seem to figure out where the ball is going to go next.

If this is the new Juventus, the rest of the Serie A is doomed.

I've said this a thousand times before: Fabio Quagliarella is the best option the Bianconeri have when it comes to scoring goals.

And with enough minutes and a renewed confidence, he seems to be finding his form again.

It's not just about the three goals (more on one of those later.)

He's looking sharp and his movement has been excellent in the last two games. He's using every inch of space defenses are giving him, and creating tons of space for himself and his teammates.

On top of that, his finishing has been top notch.

Juventus have been looking for one of their strikers to step up, and Quagliarella seems to be doing just that. Combined with the energiser bunny that is Sebastian Giovinco, the Bianconeri might have found the answer to their biggest question.

How do you win a title without a striker that is capable of scoring 30+ goals in a season?

Make sure everyone else on the pitch can score four or five.

The scoring potential of this team is incredible. It seems like every single player on the field is more than capable of finishing any ball the team throws at him.

Arturo Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo, Kwadwo Asamoah, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Paul Pogba: all these guys seem to have a composure in front of goal that is very rare. To have so many players capable of finding the net at any given moment in support of your strikers is a luxury not many teams have.

In fact, I can't think of any at the moment.

Speaking of Paul Pogba, fans might be wondering why he didn't make an appearance in this game.

It's really simple: he didn't travel to Pescara with the team.

He was punished by Antonio Conte for arriving at practise late. Twice.

Goal.com reported he and his agent weren't too pleased with that. Let's hope that doesn't linger.

The incident does point out how much of a premium Antonio Conte places on discipline and high character guys. In an age of whining divas and players pretending they're untouchable, it's refreshing to see a coach stamp down his authority.

Who says people don't go to the stadiums anymore in Italy?

Pescara's Stadio Adriatico was packed for this game, and the atmosphere was amazing.

Never mind the beating their team took, the fans were just happy to get to watch a team of this calibre at their home ground. They applauded every Juventus goal and kept making noise.

A fantastic display by these fans.

If you're a regular reader of my articles, you know I've been really disapointed with Sebastian Giovinco so far this season. I'm usually a staunch critic of Giovinco, but tonight he was fantastic.

Not because he scored, mind you. Even though it was a great goal.

His runs and his passing are what stood out for me. He was very active and lively as always, but contrary to recent weeks, everything he did was actually useful.

He wasn't just a handful for the defense because he claimed a lot of balls, but because he was dangerous every time he touched one. His runs opened up space for other players, which is exactly why Giovinco was brought into the team. His passing was sharp and one of the reasons Juve scored five times before the break.

On top of that, he was confident in front of goal and could have scored three or four times.

His hard work really shone today, for all the right reasons. Giovinco played his best game of the season, and if he can play up to these standards every week, he'll make a believer out of me real soon.

Have you taken a look at the upcoming schedule already?

If not, here it is:

Lazio, Chelsea, AC Milan, Torino, Shakhtar Donetsk.

Yeah, that's pretty heavy.

The next few weeks will be crucial for Juventus, with the top position in the Serie A table and a ticket to the next round of the UEFA Champions League at stake.

Juventus will need to be at their very best to be successful, but right now, that seems to be the case. The loss to Inter seems like a distant memory, and Juve is focused on the task at hand.

So, Italians only play defense?

The seven goals don't even tell the whole story. Pescara actually had three or four really good chances, with Juan Quintero (If Juventus are serious about buying this kid, they have my blessing) hitting the upright with a free kick and players like Vladimir Weiss and Matti Nielsen; showing they can play some really good football.

Juventus could have scored 10 goals if they wanted.

This was a great game to watch, whether you were a fan or not. We saw some beautiful football and amazing goals.

I mean, two bicycle kicks in one game?

Sure, Inter are playing some great football. Napoli have a good team. Roma can score with the best of them.

Make no mistake, Juventus are still the clear favourites to repeat as champions.

Top to bottom, no team has the same quality and depth as the Bianconeri. Gianluigi Buffon is still one of the top goalkeepers in the world, the defensive situation is as solid as can be, the midfield might just be the best in the world and the attack is starting to find its groove.

The title is Juve's to lose, simple as that.

I'm a huge fan of Stephan Lichtsteiner, and I can't envision a scenario where Mauricio Isla replaces him on the right wing.

Nonetheless, you have to be impressed with the play of the Chilean.

Isla is not perfect, but he brings the same hustle and energy to the table that we're used to seeing from Lichtsteiner. His defensive work is at a slightly lower level, but his crossing and penetration have been great in the past two games.

As a coach, I'd be hard pressed to ignore Isla's great form in favour of the Swiss international who's play has been less than perfect so far this season. It will be interesting to see who gets the nod against Lazio.

I don't think I could describe this goal by Fabio Quagliarella in any way and do it enough justice.

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000

Juventus storm back to form

Nov 11, 2012

Juventus returned to winning ways in the Serie A with an emphatic 6-1 thrashing of Pescara at Stadio Adriatico on Saturday.

Antonio Conte's side were irresistible just a game after their undefeated league run ended at 49 games, with Fabio Quagliarella bagging a hat-trick in a scintillating team performance.

Arturo Vidal broke the deadlock after nine minutes with a well-struck finish, before Quagliarella made it 2-0 with an equally clinical strike from inside the area on 22 minutes.

Pescara threatened to make a game of it when Emmanuel Cascione halved the deficit with his head three minutes later, but an acrobatic overhead kick from Kwadwo Asamoah on the half-hour mark restored Juventus' two-goal advantage.

Sebastian Giovinco volleyed home a fourth goal after combining superbly with Quaglierella, who then bagged his second with a deadly finish just before half-time.

The rout did not end there, with Quagliarella firing home a magnificent volley from a corner on 53 minutes to cap off a fine individual display.

The win moves Juventus four points clear at the top of the table from nearest challengers Inter Milan, who are in action on Sunday away to Atalanta having ended Juventus' streak last weekend.

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Week 12 - 10-11-12 (20:45 p.m.)

1 - 6

Arturo Vidal (9′)

Fabio Quagliarella (22′)

Emmanuel Cascione (25′)

Kwadwo Asamoah (30′)

Sebastian Giovinco (38′)

Fabio Quagliarella (45′)

Fabio Quagliarella (53′)

Adriatico Stadium (Giovanni Cornacchia) — Pescara

Referee: Luca Banti

Attendance: 14000

The Old Lady Goes To See The Sei

Nov 11, 2012

A visit to Pescara gave Juventus the opportunity to restore their confidence and the aura of Champions so badly dented by Inter last weekend. With a run of five tough matches to come it would be the ideal time to continue the good form shown on Wednesday but nobody could have predicted the convincing manner in which she would do so. Such was the emphatic nature of this victory it took a real team effort here at JuventiKnows to review the game so what follows was brought to you by John, Marco, and Adam. Read on…

MATCH ANALYSIS (by John Cascarano)

After a weekend in which the Conte-era Juventus tasted defeat for the first time in Serie A – in a heartbreaking blowout to bitter rivals Inter in front of a home crowd, no less – much of the peninsula wondered and watched how Italy’s old lady would react. I’ve written and said it since, that the next week would be both telling and decisive. Much like a good closer in baseball needs a short memory, so do a stable of champions in football. The hallmark of a true championship squad is how they react in the wake of a setback.

This week Juventus had a unique opportunity to twice show their worth. First, it was trying to break their recent European hoodoo and finally grab that elusive +3 from those Danes at home.

Step one, complete.

Yesterday in Abruzzo, they completed step two.

All in all this week proved as resounding a bounce-back as anyone could hope for, and it was capped off against in smashing fashion against Pescara.

Juventus lined up in a 3-5-2 formation (duh), and while the reports heading into the match were that Antonio Conte giving rest to some of his key players, someone should have told that to Angelo Alessio. The back-line remained the same, with my sympathy for Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Leo Bonucci reaching an all-time high, while teen idol Paul Pogba was pulled from his planned start for showing up late to two training sessions, leaving the M-V-P midfield in tact. On the outside, Mauricio Isla got another start on the right, as he continues to gradually work his way into the lineup building upon his good performance during the UCL fixture midweek. Predictably, Kwadwo Asamoah lined up across from him, with a Quagliavinco tandem up top.

Much like in last week’s match, things started off quickly (albeit not as quickly), with Giovinco, Marchisio and Asamoah making things uncomfortable for Pescara, all seemingly within one minute. This culminated with a nice goal from (former) top striker Arturo Vidal, following a well-played ball by the aforementioned pocket poacher.

The waves of pressure continued, with Quagliarella almost scoring a vintage PlayStation-esque goal from the top of the box, that tailed just wide… Although this would mark a harbinger of things to come. Meanwhile, Marchisio looked particularly fired up on an exchange in the middle third involving a botched handball, while Barzagli provided a minor heart attack when he tried to get a bit too fancy, giving the ball away after a justly yet nervously called foul and yellow card against Jonathas. Pescara tried to counter per usual, but were left in the dust shortly after as in the 22nd minute, a low cross from Mauricio Isla found Quagliarella to put Juventus up 2-0. Although Quaglia notched the score, it was a nice look by Isla to find him in the crowd and deliver a perfect little pass.

Pescara would remain in the game, however. Shortly thereafter, Juventus was lucky to not concede a goal off of a Juan Fernando Quintero free kick which smacked the woodwork and Buffon seemed to just get his fingertips on. There were appeals for a penalty from a handball against Vidal, but play continued and an Emmanuel Cascione header would similarly escape Buffon’s finger tips, hit the inside of the woodwork, but this time go in. Barzagli would lose his man and it would be 2-1.

Two minutes later, again off of a corner kick, Matti Lund Nielsen was left wide open after a bad clearance and nearly leveled the score for Pescara. However, the cardiac arrest would end there.

A few minutes later, Giovinco would continue his clever little play with a nice ball down the right hand side for Quagliarella, who was open and had space to run into, but would inexplicably let the ball roll. Perhaps he thought he was offside. He wasn’t. Sloppy play. You better make up for it, Quags…

Quagliarella did make up for it, and from there on the floodgates would open. At the 30th, a neat little back flick pass from no. 27 reached Asamoah who drove it to the back of the net with an overhead volley. Golazzo!

Seven minutes later, Giovinco would take a well-timed volley to the back of the net, and Quagliarella would add one more before the half was up, netting at the 45th. 5-1. Where were these goals last week?

At some point in between, Andrea Pirlo would pick up a yellow card conceding a free kick in the zona di Pirlo, and Sant’Marchisio would acrobatically save a second goal from Pescara after Buffon got caught off his line following a corner. Both plays would be drowned out by the glut of goals pouring in.

The second half began with yet another Quagliagol, this one as vintage as they come for him, and as spectacular of an overhead kick as Asamoah’s from earlier. Quagliagol! Ancora! Possiamo rivediamo? Tripletta!!!

Sorry. I may have tourettes. Or maybe I just need to eat more whey protein.

And that would be all she wrote. The rest of the game would be relatively uneventful, because nothing else really needed to happen. Kudos to Juventus for not simply taking their foot off the gas, as the pressure remained, albeit without the same level of desperation. Giovinco was unlucky to not bag a double off of a tight-angled left footed chip, which would have been easier if it stayed on the ground – similar to a goal he scored earlier in the year against Roma in a similar game which rained goals.

And, at the end of the day, Luca Marrone looks surely to have been officially converted to a defender, coming in for Chiellini. Meanwhile, Simone Padoin and Nicklas Bendtner received a few pity minutes as well.

LE PAGELLE (by Marco Pantanella )

Buffon 6.0 – Stretched as far as he could to get to Cascione’s header, but it was really well-placed. Didn’t have much to do the rest of the game except a few shots here and there which he opted to handle “safely” (i.e. parrying away).

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Barzagli 7.0 – Tight, near impeccable man-marking as usual.

Bonucci 7.0 – It’s really great watching a Bonucci in full self-confidence mode. Elegant, calm, and poised, with some good ball control skills to boot.

Chiellini 7.0 – Solid Giorgio. Need we say more?

65′ Marrone s.v. – Slotted into the center of the backline, as he has done so far. Some good anticipation movements, but it’s practically impossible to judge him given the match’s advanced scoreline when he came on, as well as Pescara’s insignificant offense.

Isla 6.5 – Progressively coming back to his Udinese levels. Another assist for him tonight.

59′ Padoin s.v. – Dusted off in light of the high-scoring game. A few decent runs here and there, but he should have shot that last play of the game.

Vidal 7.0 – Until Quagliarella’s hat-trick show, King Arturo had become Juve’s capocannoniere with yet another game-breaking goal. Back to his 2011-12 levels after a very short spell of mediocrity.

Pirlo 6.5 – The maestro was not really needed tonight. This Pescara team could have been beaten by the Primavera. Yet it’s a darn shame he had to go pick up a booking that will take him out of the Lazio game. Then again, he’ll get some rest for Chelsea mid-week.

Marchisio 6.5 – Typical Claudio production.

Asamoah 7.0 – Rock-solid Asamoah. A wall in defense, a cause of constant concern for the opponent in offense, and a lovely bicycle kick goal to boot.

Quagliarella 9.0 – Hold your horses! Cannot say “Quags is back”, because to judge his hat-trick tonight on Pescara’s merits would be incredibly naive. However he practically converted every chance that came his way, and given the Juve strikers’ recent moment of form that’s saying a lot!

68′ Bendtner s.v. – Some good one-touch plays, and once again displayed to possess some good vision with his distribution. But by the time he came on, the game had said all there was to say. Also, he’s till trying to get accustomed to Conte’s & his teammates’ playing style.

Giovinco 7.0 – A lot of movement, some good touches, a good goal, and nearly another one he should have scored after dribbling the keeper.

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Conte/Alessio 7.0 – Once again: tough to judge the coach’s merits against an obviously inadequate/defensively embarassing Pescara team. Yet, starting from Pogba’s exclusion due to disciplinary reasons, all the way to deciding to field all the “titolari”, the coach(es) got everything right. This was a game Conte obviously wanted to win, and he did. And as an added bonus, with the win well in the bag he even got to dust off a few of the “reserves”. Buona domenica!

ANALYSIS WRAP-UP (by Adam Digby)

The Old Lady has often left us short of superlatives since the arrival of Conte last May but when considering this was the first time she had registered six goals in a Serie A match since an April 1997 thrashing of Milan. Having set a number of records this past week thanks to the end of two streaks and debut European goals for Marchisio and Giovinco, that trend continued with Quagliarella’s first ever hat-trick.

The Delfini attempted to block Juve by mirroring their 3-5-2, a tactic which has often frustrated the Champions but here they simply were in no mood to allow anyone or anything to stand in their way. They dominated possession, claiming 62% of the ball, and out passed their opponents with 673 to just 263. Pirlo was given far too much space, dominating play and dictating the game at will but, whatever Pescara had done, the visitors were simply too powerful and to energised to be denied.

Now comes a run that sees games against Lazio, Chelsea, Milan, Torino and Shakhtar Donetsk, a run that will serious test both the quality and depth of the squad. They will be boosted for the first of those matches by the return of Simone “The Lazio Killer” Pepe, scorer of three goals in as many games against the Roman side since his move two years ago.

Make no mistake, Pescara – much like Nordsjaelland before them – are undoubtedly weaker opponents and nothing like the caliber of sides to come over the next month for the Bianconeri but you can only beat what is put in front of you and ten goals across the two games sends a clear message that the defeat to you-know-who was but a temporary blip.

Andiamo ragazzi!

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

[Socrates 8328]

Serie A Team of the Week:

Quagliarella, Denis & Dybala head goal-glut XI

Goal.com chooses the best eleven players in the Serie A this weekend, which saw

AC Milan and Inter defeated while the likes of Juventus and Napoli earned three points.

Nov 12, 2012

There were goals galore in the latest round of Serie A, and Goal.com's Team of the Week has nine different goalscorers, accounting for 14 of the 34 netted over the weekend.

Mariano Andujar was the man primarily responsbile for the first of two 0-0 draws in Round 12, with his efforts between the sticks ensuring Catania took a point from Cagliari.

Gabriele Angella was a surprise goal hero for Udinese, as his double earned the Friulani a draw against Chievo at the Bentegodi, and Gonzalo Rodriguez saw off Alexandre Pato by half-time as Fiorentina took all three points from their trip to Milan. Danilo D'Ambrosio showed his knack for grabbing the odd surprise goal too when netting the winner for Torino against Bologna.

Antonio Candreva tilted the Rome derby in Lazio's favour with a first-half free-kick which somehow beat Mauro Goicoechea in the Roma goal, and his all-round contribution helped to seal the victory in the second half. Arturo Vidal was once again the catalyst for Juventus, scoring the opening goal in the 6-1 rout of Pescara, while Borja Valero got in on the scoring act as Fiorentina continued their fine form with victory at San Siro. Marek Hamsik earned his customary place in our XI with a battling display and crucial late goal as Napoli took three points off Genoa.

A hat-trick for Fabio Quagliarella was the highlight of Juventus' battering of poor Pescara, and German Denis became a Bianconeri hero for the day by scoring a couple of goals in Atalanta's victory over second-placed Inter. Meanwhile, Paulo Dybala marked a rare first-team start with a double which gave Palermo a vital 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Sampdoria.

ANDUJAR (Catania)

ANGELLA (Udinese) - RODRIGUEZ (Fiorentina) - D'AMBROSIO (Torino)

CANDREVA (Lazio) - VIDAL (JUVENTUS) - BORJA VALERO (Fiorentina) - HAMSIK (Napoli)

QUAGLIARELLA (JUVENTUS) - DENIS (Atalanta) - DYBALA (Palermo)

[Socrates 8328]

[Socrates 8328]

[Socrates 8328]