JUVENTUS SEASON 2016-2017

Socrates · October 17, 2016

JUVENTUS - UDINESE

2-1-

Jakub Jankto 30'

Paulo Dybala 43'

Paulo Dybala 51' (penalty)

MATCHDAY 8

Saturday, October 15th, 2016 - 08:45 PM
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Arbitro: Claudio Gavillucci

Paulo Dybala on target as Juventus edge past Udinese

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http://www.espnfc.co.uk/club/juventus/111/blog/post/2973827/juventus-edge-past-udinese

Oct 16, 2016

Juventus ground out a 2-1 win against Udinese on Saturday, needing to rely upon some star veterans to deliver the victory.

Deployed in a 4-4-2 formation, Juve looked both confused and unclear of the new strategy, resulting in plenty of errors and an open game. Taking advantage of the Old Lady's tactical perplexity, an organised and hungry Udinese side opted to attack, looking for their opportunities to make darting runs forward to exploit the gaps and apply pressure on the back line.

The second half saw a more capable and united Juve side. Forced to suffer for the result, Patrice Evra and Gianluigi Buffon stepped up for the Bianconeri to secure maximum points as Udinese looked in vain for the equaliser.

Positives

With a beautiful free kick followed by a well-taken penalty, Juventus have officially recovered Paulo Dybala. The Argentine is back to playing with confidence and panache. The forward's relentless desire, skill on the ball and perfect finishing gave Juve the win.

Negatives

Having thrilled for Croatia this past week, scoring foul goals in two games to secure victory, Mario Mandzukic looked utterly confused and off the pace for Juventus. With Higuain regularly looked upon to start important matches, it seems a lack of minutes has harmed Mandzukic's ability to influence the game.

Deployed up top, Mandzukic failed to read the patterns of play, regularly missing his chances to latch onto a clean pass and strike. With Higuain the better forward, can Mandzukic still perform if he's simply a bench player?

Manager rating out of 10

6 -- Massimiliano Allegri was forced to perform several changes to the side due to absences, but the tactics deployed robbed the side of their ability to control the game, resulting in confusion. Thwarted in the wide areas, Juve were incredibly careless through the middle.

The team did greatly improve in the second half, even if the substitutes thereafter did little to change the flow of the game.

Player ratings (1-10; 10=best; players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Gianluigi Buffon, 6 -- A mere mortal, he made a mistake on the opening goal to allow Udinese to score. However, a superb save from the near post in the 82nd minute rescued his team.

DF Stephan Lichtsteiner, 5 -- Struggled to play as a defensive full-back after having spent so many years indulging in attacking runs forward. Looked confused with the tactics deployed.

DF Mehdi Benatia, 6 -- Proved to be better in a three-man backline, Benatia played with composure and confidence.

DF Andrea Barzagli, 7 -- Recovered the ball incessantly, read the game well to ward off the danger.

DF Patrice Evra, 6 -- A petulant fight could have caused problems, but he more than made up for it in the second half, when he made a vital interception to stop Udinese from equalising.

MF Juan Cuadrado, 6 -- Never the most measured player, Cuadrado boasts skill and pace, but he has yet to really hone his talent to cause serious damage. He did improve when he moved closer to goal.

MF Hernanes, 5 -- Gave the ball away cheaply to allow Jakub Jankto to score Udinese's goal. Lost confidence in the second half, becoming more and more imprecise.

MF Mario Lemina, 6 -- On the whole, Lemina played a relatively good game considering he wasn't played in an ideal role. Won the free kick that lead to Juve's equaliser and tried to participate in attacking moves.

MF Alex Sandro, 7 -- Won the penalty. This player attacks with confidence, delivering the forward thrusts the team have come to rely upon. Should have scored Juve's third goal.

FW Mario Mandzukic, 5 -- For a player who proved phenomenal for his country during international qualifiers, Mandzukic looked terribly off pace as a starter. Misread most situations, seemed to lack chemistry with those around him and struggled to integrate himself within the tactics. Operated on a different wavelength to the others and missed an easy chance on goal.

FW Paulo Dybala, 8 -- A wonderful game by the Argentinian, who is back to playing with confidence. He scored the equaliser with a beautiful free kick and grabbed the other from the penalty spot. Incisive, energetic and visionary, he was the reason Juventus turned the game around.

Paulo Dybala's two goals rallied Juventus to a win on Saturday. — Paulo Dybala proved to be the difference as Juventus snuck past a stoic Udinese side.

Substitutes

FW Gonzalo Higuain, 6 -- Always looked threatening and immediately looked to impact the game after coming on. Didn't manage to help the side to impose themselves as well as he had hoped.

DF Leonardo Bonucci, 6 -- Business as usual from the player who provided continued security at the back.

MF Stefano Sturaro, N/A -- Wasn't offered long to impact the game.

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=TP_TN_110

Socrates · October 17, 2016

JUVENTUS - UDINESE

2-1-

Jakub Jankto 30'

Paulo Dybala 43'

Paulo Dybala 51' (penalty)

MATCHDAY 8

Saturday, October 15th, 2016 - 08:45 PM
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Arbitro: Claudio Gavillucci

Allegri: Scudetti won via games like this

Manager’s post-match comments

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http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/10/16/13296946/allegri-scudetti

-won-via-games-like-this-juventus-udinese-serie-a-post-match-comments

Oct 16, 2016

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri was quite satisfied by the win today as the Bianconeri picked up three points. AS Roma had beaten Napoli earlier to jump into second place, but remain five points behind leaders Juve.

“It was a very complicated match, which we made even more complicated, because we should’ve taken chances better.

“We lost a player every day, including two this morning, but Scudetti are won via games like this and we approached it the right way.

“I haven’t thought about Tuesday’s match yet. Miralem Pjanic was meant to play today, but felt ill this morning, so I had to make changes.”

When asked if club captain and icon Gianluigi Buffon was showing signs of age after makings two awful errors in his last two games -

“Absolutely not. Gigi plays 50 games per year, he can make half a mistake every now and then. Let’s just say he helped spark us into life with the opening Udinese goal… He then saved the victory with a fantastic block on the Felipe header.”

Allegri revealed today what looked to be a 4-4-2 formation for Juve -

“I would like the team to be able to transform system during the match, depending on how the opposition is set out and at different times of the game. If they manage to do that, even without their Coach telling them to, it’ll mean they’ve reached a level of maturity to take on any team.

“We work on how to occupy the spaces, reading the game and doing the opposite of what the opponent does. We changed things in the second half and took away the reference points from Udinese.

“It was decidedly better than the first half, we moved between the lines and created many more chances. We should’ve scored a third goal.

“We were with 4-4-2 without the ball, moving to 3-5-2 in possession.”

On his opinion of the Napoli-Roma clash earlier in the day -

“It was a very entertaining game with a lot of quality. Roma had a very good performance, but I don’t believe Napoli were any less impressive on the day.

“Juventus have won seven out of eight games in Serie A and it’s always tricky to win after a break for international duty, especially against this Udinese.”

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=TP_TN_110

Socrates · October 17, 2016

JUVENTUS - UDINESE

2-1-

Jakub Jankto 30'

Paulo Dybala 43'

Paulo Dybala 51' (penalty)

MATCHDAY 8

Saturday, October 15th, 2016 - 08:45 PM
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Arbitro: Claudio Gavillucci

Juventus are not yet Serie A champions, warns Dybala

The Bianconeri have moved five points clear at the top of the table

but their star forward insists there is still all to play for this season.

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http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3276/serie-a/2016/10/16/28517182/-?

Oct 16, 2016

Paulo Dybala insists it is too early for Juventus to take note of the Serie A table, despite moving five points clear at the top with victory against Udinese.

Juve had trailed their visitors in Turin on Saturday, until Dybala struck a fine double to earn a crucial 2-1 win.

And, with Roma beating Napoli earlier in the day to climb into second, the champions have opened up some breathing room at the top of the standings in the defence of their title.

But Dybala has little interest in their position at the summit at the moment, insisting the destination of the Scudetto is far from certain yet.

"We are only in October," the striker told Sky Italia. "It was a nice win, but there are still many important matches, particularly against Napoli and Roma - and soon."

However, the Argentine added that Juve cannot afford many performances like the one that saw them scrape by Udinese.

"We have to improve, we cannot suffer so much in our own third," he added. "Udinese played a great game, they have a very good attack and it's not easy to play against such a strong team.

"We have to improve in possession. We must continue like this, to think step by step. It will be a decisive month and will be crucial for us."

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=TP_TN_110

Socrates · October 17, 2016

JUVENTUS - UDINESE

2-1-

Jakub Jankto 30'

Paulo Dybala 43'

Paulo Dybala 51' (penalty)

MATCHDAY 8

Saturday, October 15th, 2016 - 08:45 PM
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Arbitro: Claudio Gavillucci

Paulo Dybala Returns to Form

at the Perfect Time for Juventus

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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2669876-paulo-dybala

-returns-to-form-at-the-perfect-time-for-juventus?

Oct 16, 2016

Let's just get this out of the way: Juventus were terrible againstUdinese on Saturday evening. Playing at home against a team that had not won a game since beating AC Milan on September 11 and sacked coach Beppe Iachini as a result, this was a woeful performance.

Appointing former Juve boss Gigi Delneri appeared to immediately improve the Friulian side’s form, the Zebrette surprising their hosts with some intense pressure in the first half. After a mix-up between Patrice Evra and Hernanes, they even took a shock lead, Jakub Jankto beating Gigi Buffon with a shot from the edge of the area that the goalkeeper should have saved.

The Bianconeri looked poor and disjointed throughout the match, with any promising attacking move breaking down as soon as the ball found Mario Mandzukic. Indeed, despite netting four times in just 146 minutes of action for Croatia during the most recent international break, he once again appeared devoid of confidence in a Juventus shirt.

hi-res-67beadc22ef661e0d0f44beef3b1870f_

MARCO BERTORELLO/Getty Images

Mario Mandzukic's struggles continued Vs. Udinese.

He has yet to score for the club this term, and his presence meant the Old Lady continued to labour as she chased the game. Fortunately for her, Paulo Dybala was in no mood to let Udinese escape with three points, looking dangerous from the moment the game got underway.

The Argentina international had hit the side netting less than two minutes after the opening whistle before combining brilliantly with Juan Cuadrado to set up Stephan Lichtsteiner, who wasted a wonderful chance.

As the first half drew to a close, a free-kick on the edge of the area provided one last chance to equalise. Dybala immediately took control of the set piece, and his team-mates wisely allowed him to do so. Goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis stood no chance.

Unleashing a wonderful curling effort that dipped over the wall perfectly, the Juve man wheeled away in celebration long before the ball hit the back of the net, heading directly to the bench and seeking out only one man.

With his son still extremely ill, Leonardo Bonucci had been given time off ahead of the game, but an injury to Giorgio Chiellini forced Allegri to add him to the squad on Saturday afternoon, per the club's officialwebsite.

“I have a wonderful rapport with Leo," Dybala told Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia). "We all know what happened and I promised before the game that if I scored, I’d run over to hug him. He’s got a heart of gold.”

Speaking before the match, Bonucci discussed the situation, explaining that his son was improving and telling Mediaset Premium that he was glad to be part of the group once again (h/t Football Italia):

I won’t get to rest, but that’s fine. I like to always be with my team-mates. In fact, I was a bit jealous sitting at home, but it has been an unusual time. Now Matteo is feeling good and we are all happy.

Tonight my family is here in the stadium and that is the best news for me.

He clearly appreciated the gesture from Dybala, but his young friend still had work to do. Returning to action after the break, he continued to torment Udinese, repeatedly causing their defence problems as Juve sought a second goal.

It would arrive from the penalty spot, the visitors punished when Rodrigo De Paul tripped Alex Sandro just inside the box. Again Dybala stepped up, and again he made no mistake, sending the 'keeper the wrong way to put the Bianconeri ahead, a lead they would never relinquish.

Buffon atoned for his earlier error with a crucial one-handed save to deny a Dias Felipe header and ensure the home side took all three points. But there was little doubt they owed them almost exclusively to Dybala.

Having criticised the 22-year-old in a previous column for dropping too deep and limiting his own impact, it must be said that he was back to his effervescent best during this difficult encounter.

With a plethora of injuries, the taxing international break and a looming UEFA Champions League clash with Olympique Lyonnais, Juventus had every excuse for their poor showing. Yet despite those around him woefully underperforming, Dybala simply refused to allow them to accept anything other than victory. He would not be denied, no matter the circumstances.

View image on Twitter

Follow

Adam Digby

✔@Adz77

Paulo Dybala vs Udinese: 5 shots, 3 on target, 28/32 passes (87.5%), 1 chance created, 2/2 take-ons (via @StatsZone)

9:35 AM - 16 Oct 2016

1 Retweet

8 likes

The FourFourTwo StatsZone graphic in the tweet above highlights that his impact went beyond his presence on the scoresheet, although he did weigh in with five shots and hit the target with three of them.

But he also terrified Udinese with his running on the ball, completing both his take-on attempts as he repeatedly drove at the heart of their defence. Furthermore, Dybala connected with 28 of his 32 pass attempts (87.5 per cent), almost all of them pleasingly coming in the opposition half of the field.

“Our play must be based around occupying the space without the coach necessarily needing to say so," Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri said at his post-match press conference. With that in mind, he can't fail to have been impressed by Dybala's display.

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Follow

Adam Digby

✔@Adz77

Paulo Dybala's touches during #JuveUdinese via @WhoScoredFair to say La Joya was back where he needed to be instead of always dropping deep

10:02 AM - 16 Oct 2016

3 Retweets

14 likes

Constantly probing for gaps, he popped up all across the front line, his movement key to the few cohesive moves the Bianconeri pieced together here. The WhoScored.com graphic in the tweet above shows just how involved Dybala was, a performance in stark contrast with some of his early-season outings.

Indeed, in September's Champions League clash with Sevilla, Opta noted that neither Dybala nor strike partner Gonzalo Higuain had touched the ball in the opposition penalty area during an entire 45 minutes of play:

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OptaPaolo

✔@OptaPaolo

0 - Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala had no touches in the opposition box in the 1st half of #JuveSFC. Far.

9:42 PM - 14 Sep 2016

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19 likes

While the obvious response would be to disparage Udinese and praise Sevilla, the statistics from each match tell a different story. Juventus dominated the Spanish side, with WhoScored.com showing they enjoyed 56 per cent of possession. They should have won that match, which ended 0-0.

There was no such control on Saturday, however, with the same source noting that the home side mustered a mere 49.1 per cent of possession. Leaning on the common wisdom that champions always find a way to grind out victories, Allegri told Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia) that "Scudetti are won via games like this" shortly after the final whistle.

hi-res-2ecd06f7d19e1ba6185bb219b9bc87a2_

Paolo Giovannini/Associated Press/Associated Press

Bonucci and Dybala set for new deals?

Without wishing to be overly reductive, the difference between the two matches was simply the manner and mindset of Dybala. Playing much closer to goal with far greater purpose and intent, he carried Juventus to victory in a game they could easily have lost.

His importance to the club cannot be understated, and he—along with Bonucci—seems set for a new contract soon. Speaking before the Udinese clash, director general Beppe Marotta told Mediaset Premium that Dybala and Bonucci's wages would be adjusted to bring them in line with Juve’s top earners (h/t Football Italia).

Given these kind of match-winning performances, that is no surprise; this is the player the Bianconeri need if they are to be successful. The rest of the team just needs to reach a similar level. Lyon on Tuesday would be a good place to start.

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=TP_TN_110

Socrates · October 17, 2016

JUVENTUS - UDINESE

2-1-

Jakub Jankto 30'

Paulo Dybala 43'

Paulo Dybala 51' (penalty)

MATCHDAY 8

Saturday, October 15th, 2016 - 08:45 PM
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Arbitro: Claudio Gavillucci

Juventus 2-1 Udinese Match Report

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http://www.juvefc.com/juventus-2-1-udinese/?

Oct 16, 2016

Those cursing the international break were to be proved right in their concerns, for after the travels, matches played in foreign lands and departure from what was developing into a steadily blossoming domestic momentum, Juve returned to the haphazard, error prone form of earlier this season.

There were other mitigating factors such as the decision to rest key players for the upcoming european tie against Lyon and also the change in formation to a skewed 4-4-2. Explanations aside, let me move briefly onto outlining the flow of the match and swiftly towards the player ratings.

We began with a spring in our step, which lasted all of five minutes. Del Neri had set his new side out to adopt a high press, which is the most obvious way to cause us trouble yet cannot often be sustained for 90 minutes meaning the opponent must make their period of hounding us on every ball count.

The game seemed even, end to end in a enjoyable for the neutral manner, with Juve misplacing passes and signs of that horrid sickness resurfacing wherein the players take turns to lose the ball with schoolboy errors. However it was to the home side where a couple of chances materialised, with Dybala and Hernanes both going close before Mandzukic missed a gilt edged opportunity from 8 yards out with the goal gaping. Admittedly he was under pressure, but for a man of his physical prowess, he should of scored.

On 30′ the lively visitors charged forward, found Hernanes unable to trap and control the ball, which set up Jankto to smash a fair effort towards goal. The ball blasted through Buffon for a fair 0-1 lead with half hour played. It should have been saved or parried.

Barely a serious fight-back was noted thereafter, but Dybala magically pulled us level before half time with a majestic free kick sent high into the net from 20 yards out. Delightful execution.

We emerged from the dug-out after the break with a semblance of increased determination, and began to take the game to Udinese. The biggest reason for the change in the flow of the game – for we began to close to dominate – was that Allegri has dispensed with the failing 4-4-2 and reverted to the 3-5-2, most importantly offering the right flank to Lichsteiner. With balance returned to the side we looked a different team.

Barzagli – One of a small handful of players in black and white to emerge from the first half with his pride intact.

Cuadrado did what he does best, when horribly spooning after finding himself put through on goal, and it was the the much improved Sandro who soon after won the penalty in the 50th minute with a neat piece of ball control tricking the defender into making the foul. Dybala calmly finished for his 4th goal in the last 3 games.

Lichsteiner produced a brilliant cross for Sandro to inexplicably nod wide, when it looked easier to score. After which, the game seemed strangely in the balance yet again, and as time wore on, the ascendency was ceded to Udinese, who took up the challenge.

We suffered in the final 10-15 minutes and in the end appeared far closer to clinging on than triumphantly confirming a resounding and warranted victory.

Our individual quality won the tie, not our team performance.

A wretched week for our beloved Santo Buffon.

Buffon – Very much at fault for the opening goal which was well within his grasp and should have been saved. That is two major errors in succession of games played. However, he produced two fine saves later in the game and hopefully these recent mistakes have been an anomaly. 6

Barzagli- Was far busier than he had hoped for and yet showed decent pace and made some important tackles. 6.5

Benatia – Still finding his feet and rusty after his recent injury lay-off. Displayed decent distribution. 6

Lichsteiner – Fielding Cuadrado in the RW role curtails the offensive zeal of Stephan, who looked in good form, sharp and eager to join the fray higher up the field. He wasted a decent chance when attacking the goal from the flank and was unlucky not to earn an assist with a gorgeous ball to Sandro, other than which he looked much happier in the 2nd half when given licence to attack alongside sole responsibility for defending the wide right area. 6.5

Evra – Rarely involved in the first half other than when seen stupidly pushing the wall in the build up to Dybala’s sublime equaliser. Grew in stature as the game wore on and made a smart and important clearance in the box late on. 6

Hernanes – His failure to control what appeared to be a swift yet simple pass led directly to the first goal of the match. Other than which he tried to keep the ball moving but was let down by Lemina and Sandro failing to find useful positions or make the most of opportunities when they did get the ball. Improved in the second half after we returned to 3-5-2. 6

Lemina – Much to learn.

Lemina– One of his poorest showing in our colours. Did little to nothing in either the defensive or offensive phases of the game, completely failed to make his presence felt and remains, by my reckoning, well off the level required to compete with the elite. 4

Sandro – Fairly anonymous in the first half yet a return to his favoured LWB role in a 3-5-2 led to the goal and other chances. He seems better with space to run into than participating in moves high up the field in an orthodox LW or LM role. 6

Cuadrado – He was abject in the first half and only valuable in the second due to finding himself out of the play and tasked with making up the bodies centrally in a LCM position. His shooting was (and is close to always) pathetic, his passing far from competent, his dribbling useless. We carry him as a player far too often for my liking and I retain hope that the lengthy loan deal does not include an obligation to purchase, for he has always appeared and continues to appear, at very best, a squad player whose pace can unsettle opponents. He is an attacking player who cannot shoot and whose passing more often than not leaves a lot to be desired. Higher mark than Lemina, for his effort could not be faulted. 4.5

Mandzukic – Yes yes! We all hoped he had regained his confidence and goal scoring touch after hitting four in two matches during the international break. However, 3 of those came against Kosovo, a ‘country’ of less than 2 million people, created mainly to somehow legitimise the US backed balkanisation of Yugoslavia and the installation of a mega US military base at Camp BondSteel. The other came against the footballing powerhouse known as Finland. Still, goals are goals, and yet…he was close to wretched in this encounter. One wayward header and a miss from close range with the goal at his mercy pretty much summed up his evening. A couple of smart lay-offs aside, this was another performance which made me miss Zaza. It must be stated however, that we are rarely playing to his strengths, despite the focus on width, for he is tasked mainly with linking the play, often with his back to goal.5.5

Dybala – Along with Barzagli, he was the only player to emerge from the first half with his pride intact. An early chance dragged wide, constant foraging to try spark his side into life and a stunning free kick to draw the sides level. He eased up a little (thankfully) in the second half after scoring the penalty with a clinical finish. Confidence is growing, the goals ares flowing, and his place in Juve history seems ever more assured.8

SUBs- N/A

Allegri’s decision to rest Higuian, Bonucci, Pjanic and Alves was always going to affect our performance, whilst playing with two LWBs and two naturally adventurous right sided players gave the team a problem in controlling the central midfield areas. Add to this the inability of Sandro – in the first half especially – to impose himself, and the shambolic nature of much of Cuadrado’s ‘work’ and it is simple to understand why we struggled. Lemina and Hernanes had a bad night, with the former barely offering anything of value. Yet in their defence…

…With the central midfield area leaving us constantly out-numbered, and our lack of penetration on the flanks, we were barely recognisable from the side from before the international break. 1-1 was a fair reflection of the first half. For Udinese were more spirited, better organised and they were carrying not one player. All were pulling in the right direction.

The Dybala free-kick obviously took the wind out their sails, but it was far more a case of reverting to 3-5-2, adding bodies centrally, creating gaps out wide to exploit, which turned the tide.

Yet again, we played quite poorly, but won. Udinese did well to create a handful of decent chances, but we created at least double the amount and should have won far more handsomely than by a single goal.

This was an experiment, an odd one really…for whilst I understand the option to rest players, before a key european tie, why the devil deploy a flat 4-4-2 for the first time this term? Chopping and changing personnel is one way to unsettle a side, adding in a change of formation further rocks the boat. So why do it? It was not as if Allegri was trialling a new 4-3-1-2 or 4-3- anything, instead we played the two players we use for LWB and two of the three players we use for RWB in the same starting XI. Leaving the inexperienced Lemina horribly exposed and Hernanes with far too much work to do alone.

Allegri continues to hedge his bets…and they remain…just enough.

Tactically, Alllegri got this wrong. At least before the break. After which he saw sense and rectified the most obvious of issues.

It was shameful to see us settling for a 2-1 victory with ten minutes to go, and literally inviting our opponents to attack us, pulling men deep and constantly giving the ball away. The complete absence of grinta and pride. We looked not just scared, but tired.

Given the changes made to the first XI and tactics, I can understand why we were disjointed and lethargic in the first half. What I cannot excuse or explain though is that mass hysteria that began rising to the surface once again, in which each player in turn makes mistake after mistake, even simple passes go wildly astray. Of all 11 players, only Barzagli and Dybala looked like professional footballers at the top of their game for the first 45 minutes. Not one other of their colleagues impressed, other than Lichsteiner in flashes. This is nowhere near enough to entertain aspirations of glory anywhere else but domestically.

With a sigh however, I must nod my head in begrudging homage towards the Steve Buscemi lookalike, for we won, created far more opportunities than our opponents, succumbed to no new injuries and were undone only by two players on the trot committing individual errors. Also worth noting, is that we were without Chiellini, Rugani and Pjaca, with Sturaro and Marchisio miles away from match sharpness. Kean and Mattiello were on the bench, simply to make up numbers and give us options we could not find in the seniors.

Not only was Il Principino back in the squad, but Luca Clemenza – for many moons one of the hottest prospects in the youth sector – made his return from a similar ACL injury suffered in the Viareggio last March, entering the fray in the second half of an 1-8 drubbing of Avellino for the primavera yesterday. Luca scored with a superb free kick before tucking away his second from the spot in the dying seconds.

In boca al lupo, Federico.

Mattiello, who was on the bench, is another returning from serious injury. Firstly finding himself in agony courtesy of the aggression and steel legs of spite merchant Radja Nainggolan who crunched his shin in a sickening collision in early 2015, then breaking the same leg last October whilst on loan at Verona.

Welcome back ragazzi…

I would have preferred a resounding victory, as I would have preferred to have seen us start with our strongest available first XI in effort to gain momentum before the crunch tie with Lyon. I am not an advocate of resting players at this stage of the season, unless they need rest. For cohesion comes from playing together regularly, the same shape, the same players. Without which, our form will remain volatile.

Despite my grumbles, and the bothersome fear factor seeping into our play late on, we never looked liked losing, have extended our lead at the top of the Serie A table and head to France with several of our key players well rested.

Forza Juve

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=TP_TN_110

Socrates · October 17, 2016

JUVENTUS - UDINESE

2-1-

Jakub Jankto 30'

Paulo Dybala 43'

Paulo Dybala 51' (penalty)

MATCHDAY 8

Saturday, October 15th, 2016 - 08:45 PM
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Arbitro: Claudio Gavillucci

Juventus vs. Udinese 2016: Final score 2-1, Paulo Dybala

saves the day in return from international break

Dybala at the double, as Juventus extend their lead at the top of the table to five points.

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http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/10/16/13297782/

juventus-udinese-2016-serie-a-round-8-final-score-recap-result

Oct 16, 2016

Is it just me, or does one’s spirits automatically rise with the return to regular action, after the lull of an international break? It feels like the funk has lifted, and one can’t help but feel excited at the prospect of watching our beloved Bianconeri back in action again. As such, we welcomed the league’s other Bianconeri, Udinese, to the Juventus Stadium. The ensuing match was an interesting one to say the least, if not as exciting as one would hope — unless you’re Sampath and you got to watch the unheralded brilliance of one Cyril Thereau take on the strongest defense in Italy single handedly.

For all our excitement, it seemed like fate didn’t quite want things to go the way of Juventus however. Both Giorgio Chiellini and Miralem Pjanic were sidelined on the morning of the match, and Max Allegri was forced to summon forth his tactical adaptability to set us up in an interesting and new 4-4-2 formation.

The game burst into life from the get-go, as Juan Cuadrado broke free down the right hand flank after a neat interplay with Mario Lemina, before cutting it across to Paulo Dybala, who cut inside his man and fired just wide of the far post.

That said, the chances were few and far between for the first quarter of the match thereafter, as Udinese surprisingly took their chances in pressing high and pegging the Juventus offense back. The new-look Juventus lineup took some time to find their footing in the game, but they really should have taken the lead at the 26 minute mark.

A neat one-two between Dybala and Mario Mandzukic saw the young Argentine break towards goal and set himself up to shoot at goal. His shot was blocked however, but the rebound turned into a perfect assist for Mandzukic, as he found himself staring at a gaping goal with keeper Orestis Karnezis out of position, but he inexplicably lobbed his finish high over the cross bar.

Juventus were made to rue that miss a few minutes later, as a goal kick played out from the back found the defense under immense pressure, and Hernanes completely missed the ball, setting Jakub Jankto up to take a touch and fire a fierce low shot almost directly at Gianluigi Buffon. Buffon, however, was extremely slow in getting down, and the shot squeezed straight through his hands into the goal.

We looked to respond immediately as they drove forward in large numbers, and one such interplay between the omnipresent Dybala and Cuadrado, broke kindly for Stephan Lichsteiner in the box. The Swiss Express however opted to fire a tame effort well wide of the near post instead of crossing back into the box or shooting for the far post.

Juventus, and Dybala, were rewarded for their efforts a few moments later, as some quick feet from Mario Lemina won us a free kick 24m from goal, in a very central position. After some shoving in the wall, and a particularly fierce Patrice Evra shoulder barge, Dybala stepped up to fire a bullet shot into the far corner, leaving the keeper Karnezis with absolutely no chance.

The second half started in a similar vein to the first, as Dybala won the ball in midfield and charged at the Udinese defense, causing panic between the ranks. He cut past his man beautifully and found himself in a central position, but he ended up scuffing his shot and it rolled safely into Karnezis’ grateful hands.

However, after gifting Udinese the lead, the visitors would respond in kind, as on the 51-minute mark, Rodrigo De Paul foolishly brought down an Alex Sandro who was running away from the box for a penalty. Dybala stepped up and made absolutely no mistake in firing in his fourth goal of the season so far.

Alex Sandro should have made it 3-1 on the 62^nd minute, when an overlap between Dybala and Lichtsteiner down the right, saw the Swiss full back fire in a peach of a left footed cross to the far post, finding the Brazilian completely unmarked with the goal gaping. Yet, somehow, he too contrived to make a mess of the chance and failed to make solid contact with the ball at all.

The game mostly ended at a pedestrian pace, as Juventus didn’t look too keen to push forward in large numbers, preferring to use the speed of Cuadrado and Dybala on the counter, while Udinese struggled to breakdown our dogged defense. A few shots on target from Cuadrado and Thereau, and a Felipe header from a corner that Buffon got down well to save aside, the rest of the second half was mostly uneventful. Dybala’s brace proved to be enough to give us the five points, and extend our lead at the top of the table to five points over second-place Roma.

TACTICS

The injuries to Chiellini and Pjanic, and late returns from international action for the likes of Khedira, forced Allegri to set us up in a new 4-4-2 formation. Considering Bonucci was initially rested for this game, and was only recalled after Chiellini’s injury, I feel like Allegri was already considering using a four-man backline. What is interesting about this setup, is that Udinese is doing what almost all Italian teams seem to favour doing at the J-stadium, crowding the midfield.

However, the double overlap on either flank meant that the midfielders Lemina and Hernanes, could quickly cycle possession out wide and let the overlap against the opposing fullback and a very central midfielder, push us forward. This plan did have a domino effect however, as while most teams crowd out the centre of the pitch to prevent us from controlling play from there, Udinese found that they could use their man advantage in the middle to break forward at pace and release their wide forwards, De Paul and Thereau, in the space vacated by our full backs’ forward forays. Barzagli and Benatia were on their toes for the entire first half in snuffing out any such danger, and I cannot stress enough how well they did in making sure Udinese found no inroads to goal in this manner.

While we did seem to line up in a 4-4-2 to start with, this started to resemble a very lopsided 4-3-2-1 soon, as for most of the first half, Sandro played more as an LCM than a left winger, and Evra manned almost the entire left flank himself, almost like a traditional wing back. There are many occasions when Udinese would win the ball and break forward as mentioned earlier, when Sandro was the one racing back to cover for Evra’s advanced position. On the right side however, it seemed far more straightforward, with Lichsteiner overlapping with an advanced Cuadrado down the right. Dybala ended up playing very centrally as a Trequartista almost, leading to the lopsided 4-3-2-1 with an extra man in the central Dybala on the right, and Evra covering the entire left side himself with Sandro’s help.

Sandro’s heatmap shows that a significant chunk of his touches were in a more central position

Both teams adapted shape in the second half however. Juventus came out lined up in a 3-4-2-1 setup, with Benatia, Barzagli and Evra forming the back-3, Lichtsteiner, Lemina, Hernanes and Sandro forming the midfield, Dybala playing as a wide forward on the right, Cuadrado mirroring this on the left, and Mandzukic leading the line. Udinese responded to this by taking off De Paul, and bringing in Stipe Perica as another forward next to Duvan Zapata, while Thereau continued to play as almost a free roam striker behind them, in a 4-3-1-2 setup.

The change was a very positive one for us, as it finally freed Sandro up to dominate the left flank, and Cuadrado looked quite impressive using his quick feet to cut in and link-up with Mandzukic and Dybala. Hernanes also looked far more at home in a more central deep lying role, and he recovered from his mistake to have a much more decent second half, where he continuously brought the wide players into the game. Dybala thrived the most in this setup, as the build up was not through the centre, and this meant he was under less pressure to drop deep and find the ball. Instead, the wide players like Lichtsteiner and Sandro found him in his central/drifting right free roam position, and he found himself playing between the Udinese defense and midfield, and wreaked havoc as a result.

Dybala enjoyed a free roam position in the middle of the Udinese half, eventually drifting to the right for the second half

LE PAGELLE

Buffon: 6

It hasn’t been the greatest few weeks at the J-stadium for Superman, as another big error gifted the opposition the lead. However, for the second time, it did help his team take more initiative, so maybe it wasn’t the worst thing in hindsight. He did well to keep out Felipe’s header at the end, but here’s hoping his brainfart quota for the season is close to being met.

Lichtsteiner: 6.5

Decent game for the Swiss Express, he was very solid and vastly untroubled at the back. That said, considering the emphasis on wing play this game, one would have hoped to see more from him going forward. He found himself in some decent positions, and on multiple occasions, his overlap runs alone were able to help Cuadrado find some space as he pulled defenders away, but honestly, he’s set the bar high enough these past years for us to expect more from him.

Barzagli: 8

Stunning game from the veteran defender. He dominated Zapata the entire 90 minutes, and gave him not even the slightest sniff at goal. He did a fantastic job in the first half of making sure Udinese didn’t have too much time and space to exploit the adventurous play of our full backs, and he mopped up any forward advances with minimal fuss and maximum efficiency. Timeless.

Benatia: 7.5

If Barzagli is dominant in the twilight of his career, Benatia is surely a sign of the not so distant future. Just like his older partner for the day, Benatia possesses stunning reading of the game, and an excellent control and passing range with the ball. He stepped forward into midfield and found space to pass into excellently, without risking anything. His aerial dominance is something to behold, and is surely a positive sign when one considers the potential weaknesses our defense possesses. Its important we keep him fit.

Evra: 7

Uncle Pat hasn’t had the happy and inspirational start to the season that his “I Love This Game” Instagram posts might suggest. He was solid for the most part, but offered very little down the left going forward. He also left acres of space behind him for De Paul to exploit, and a better player and team might have done more damage, but this is more of a criticism of Allegri’s tactics than his personal game play. That said, he does bump his score up from 6.5 to 7, thanks to a very dominant performance as an LCB in the second half.

Cuadrado: 7

The duality that is the enigma that is Juan Cuadrado. Such impressive ability with the ball, but his decision making and shooting leave so much to be desired. That said, setups like this that emphasize on the wing play to create suit him. He was a driving force for us going forward, and his link-up with Dybala was impressive all game. He also showed a tactical versatility I wasn’t sure he possessed when he played well from a left wing position in the second half. If only his shooting were better.. And he dropped to ground in his “Another Juan Bites The Dust” act a little less, referees are starting to be stricter with him and it could come back to haunt us.

Lemina: 6.5

Not the best game from the midfielder. He was also solid for the most part at either end. He provided decent cover for the center backs while defending, and his strength and dribbling to break forward gave us a different dimension with which to counter, but overall, it was a sloppy display. That might have something to do with the new system, as he wasn’t the only player who’s touches and passes were a little off throughout the game.

Hernanes: 6.5

I do think Hernanes had a better game than Lemina. Had it not been for his taking his eye off the ball at the worst possible time and setting Jankto up for the opener, he would have gotten a 7. His range of passing was instrumental in spreading play to the wings, and his positional sense has improved vastly, as he always gave Barzagli and Benatia an option to pass to when under pressure. Although he tried some adventurous through balls that were once again, a little off in the second half, much to the irk and boos of the crowd, I credit him for being adventurous enough to try.

Sandro: 6.5

It was a really quiet display from the Brazilian Bomber, as his first half position baffled me completely. He played for the most part in the position Asamoah would have played in, in a 3 man midfield, and his influence on the game suffered as a result. He hardly found himself in any promising positions throughout the half, and his chemistry with Evra wasn’t quite there. He improved in the second half, but the team weren’t pushing up with too much endeavor, but he ought to have buried his chance to make it 3-1.

Dybala: 8.5 (MotM)

La Joya is well and truly back! His performances for the first month of the season weren’t poor by any stretch of the imagination, but he wasn’t playing like his usual confident self. The difference a goal or two can make. He was everywhere and was running the offense. His positional sense is back with a bang too, as he wreaked havoc playing between Udinese’s lines. He came close on a few occasions beside his dead ball goals, his corners were much improved, and that free kick was SEX (Shoutout to DelPiero’sGirl). He is vital to our offense.

Mandzukic: 6

At first, I thought it was the team’s tactics that were leaving Mandzukic so isolated and ineffectual. Now however, its been too long to not attribute some of the blame to the player. Buffon had 1.5 as many touches as Mandzukic did, and that tells the story. His much vaunted “chemistry” with Dybala from last year has been completely absent. And there is absolutely no excuse for that horrific near open goal miss in the first half. Will the real Mandzukic please stand up (and batter a few defenders and elbow a few guys and score a few clinical goals)?

Higuain: N/A

Bonucci: N/A

Sturaro: N/A

All three substitutes had little to do after coming besides seeing the game out, without expending too much energy. Sturaro did impress me a little in his short time on the pitch, as he flew into a few crunching tackles and played with a lot of heart. He’ll be crucial considering our dearth of options in the middle.

Thanks for joining me in reliving this thrilling exciting game, and I wish you all a great Sunday and week ahead! Next up: THE CHAMPIOOOOOOONS! This is Kaushik, signing out. Peace.

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=TP_TN_110

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Chiellini out of Lyon-Juventus

http://www.football-italia.net/93023/chiellini-out-lyon-juventus?

Oct 16, 2016

Giorgio Chiellini is likely out of Lyon-Juventus, but tests showed “no long-term damage” to the thigh muscle.

The centre-back pulled out of last night’s 2-1 victory over Udinese after picking up a left thigh injury in training.

“Medical examinations have come back positive, ruling out any long-term damage for the defender,” announced the Juve staff.

“Chiellini’s condition will however continue to be monitored in the coming days with further inspections set to take place at the start of next week.”

As Juventus are due to face Olympique Lyonnais in the Champions League on Tuesday, it’s safe to say he won’t be passed fit to play in that game.

Meanwhile, Polish referee Szymon Marciniak has been assigned to the game at the Stade de Gerland.

Marciniak was the official in the second leg of Roma’s Champions League play-off with Porto, sending off both Daniele De Rossi and Emerson Palmieri.

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Giorgio Chiellini, Claudio Marchisio, Mario Mandzukic

not called up for Juventus’ trip to Lyon

http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/10/17/13304130/juventus-lyon

-giorgio-chiellini-claudio-marchisio-mario-mandzukic-champions-league-squad-list

Oct 17, 2016

Giorgio Chiellini, Claudio Marchisio and Mario Mandzukic have not been included by manager Max Allegri in Juventus’ traveling party for the team’s trip to France to take on Lyon in the Champions League group stage, the club announced after training on Monday afternoon.

The trio joins a handful of players who missed out on Juve’s 2-1 win over Udinese on Saturday in the five-time defending champions’ return from the international break. Besides Kwadwo Asamoah, Daniele Rugani and Marko Pjaca, the list of players who are unavailable due to injury — or, in Marchisio’s case, continued recovery from a long-term injury — has now suddenly doubled.

Here is the explanation we got as to why those three aren’t included in the squad that will making the trip from Italy to France on Monday in preparation for Tuesday night’s game against Lyon:

Among those players to remain in Turin are Giorgio Chiellini, whose condition is being monitored at present, Claudio Marchisio, who resumes his personalised programme en route to recovery, and Mario Mandzukic, who picked up a muscular strain in his right adductor region, the extent of which will be evaluated in the coming days.

Chiellini being excluded from the traveling squad was pretty much expected seeing as he’s on a day-to-day evaluation program, something we’ve known about for a couple of days now. Marchisio’s omission, as well, is somewhat expected seeing as he is just back from his six-month recovery from major knee surgery. But Mandzukic is the one that catches you off guard for the simple fact that there was no word of an injury following his start against Udinese two days earlier.

Here is the full squad list that will be facing Lyon on Tuesday:

1 Buffon

4 Benatia

5 Pjanic

6 Khedira

7 Cuadrado

9 Higuain

11 Hernanes

12 Alex Sandro

14 Mattiello

15 Barzagli

18 Lemina

19 Bonucci

21 Dybala

23 Dani Alves

25 Neto

27 Sturaro

32 Audero

33 Evra

34 Kean

35 Severin

So if you wanted to see Moise Kean included in Juventus’ match day squad for more than just one random Serie A game, then you’ve got it. And for all of the Yoan Severin fanboys out there, you now get to see your favorite primavera defender head back to the country he grew up in.

Who knows if any of these injuries will alter what the Italian press has been predicting will be a 3-5-2 formation Allegri will go back to against Lyon. There are still those mainstay options for a 3-5-2, it’s just the fact that Allegri’s depth on the bench has been seemingly zapped is what will be interesting to see as the game goes by on Tuesday night.

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Juve trio out of Lyon trip

http://www.football-italia.net/93066/juve-trio-out-lyon-trip?

Oct 17, 2016

Giorgio Chiellini, Claudio Marchisio and Mario Mandzukic have been spared for Juventus’ trip to Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday.

A statement on Juve’s official website explains how the trio have not been included due to nursing knocks.

“Giorgio Chiellini, whose condition will be monitored, Claudio Marchisio, who continues with his work as planned, and Mario Mandzukic, who has suffered a muscle strain in his right adductor and will be evaluated in the coming days, will stay in Turin,” it read.

However, teenage sensation Moise Kean is included for the second straight game, the 16-year-old complementing fellow attackers Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala.

Juventus squad for Lyon: Buffon, Neto, Audero; Benatia, Alex Sandro, Mattiello, Barzagli, Bonucci, Alves, Evra, Severin; Pjanic, Khedira, Cuadrado, Hernanes, Lemina, Sturaro; Higuain, Dybala, Kean

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Pjanic: ‘Buffon still the best’

http://www.football-italia.net/93072/pjanic-‘buffon-still-best’

Oct 17, 2016

Miralem Pjanic believes Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon “is still the world’s number one”, and expects him to prove it against Lyon.

The goalkeeper made a notable blunder in Italy’s draw with Spain, and compounded that with another error against Udinese on Saturday.

  “Buffon is our captain, I don’t think he’s going through a bad period,” Pjanic assured in the Press conference ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League match.

“He’s still the world’s number one. In a career there are high points and low points, that’s normal, but Buffon is playing and talking with us as normal so I don’t think there’s anything to say.

“He’ll make the difference tomorrow too and prove he’s the world’s number one.”

Pjanic is a former Lyon player, and will face the French side at the new Parc OL tomorrow.

“I want to congratulate you on this beautiful stadium. I’m glad to be here, the years I spent in this city were an important step in my career, three years I remember very well.

“Six years have passed so it’s been a long time, I’ve improved a lot and had a steady growth which allows me to give the best of myself today.

“Nabil Fekir and Alexandre Lacazette? They’re definitely top-quality players, and tomorrow won’t be an easy match.

“It’s true that Lyon are having - or have had - a difficult period, but I know the players, the Coach and how things are here and usually these difficult times don’t last very long.

“That means tomorrow is a very difficult game for us, we have to give our best to qualify for the knockout stage.

“Fekir and Lacazette can cause problems for a lot of teams, but we’ll do our best to be more dangerous than them, we’ll do everything to qualify.”

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Pjanic: ‘Lyon the biggest games’

http://www.football-italia.net/93073/pjanic-‘lyon-biggest-games’?

Oct 17, 2016

Miralem Pjanic warns the Lyon double-header represents “the most important” games if Juventus are to progress in the Champions League.

The Bianconeri are in France ahead of tomorrow night’s match at Parc OL, and will welcome the Bosnian’s former side to Turin in the next round of fixtures.

“It’s the most important, because these are the third and fourth games,” Pjanic admitted in the pre-match Press conference.

“It can be decisive in terms of the two roads you can take, making it a bit easier to progress or not. Because of that, this double-header could be much more important.

“We’re preparing well, and after that we’ll see. The most important thing is to pick up a positive result tomorrow and I’m convinced we can do that.

“We’ll try and take all three points, which would be a big step forward in terms of reaching the next round.”

As a former star in Ligue 1, Pjanic was asked if the Champions League is more difficult for French sides.

“I think you could definitely say that in the Champions League, which has hard and selective games, that French football has probably gone through a difficult period, if we leave Paris Saint-Germain to one side.

“Of course there are also financial reasons which would explain this, and Paris Saint-Germain have a lot of experience, which gives them a bit of an advantage.

“Thanks to this new stadium though, Lyon will improve. The President [Jean-Michel Aulas] has very clear ideas in that regard.”

The former Roma midfielder is known as a free-kick specialist, but Paulo Dybala might be challenging him for them after his goal against Udinese on Saturday…  “If there’s a free-kick we’ll see which side it’s on,” Pjanic smiled.

“Dybala hits them very well, we’ll see who feels good about taking it, who is on the pitch - there’s no problem.

“If someone feels that they can take the ball for this one, then there might be another one later, it’s no problem.

“The important thing is that we have good players, and good free-kick takers in these situations.”

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Injured Mandzukic to miss Juventus'

Champions League clash with Lyon

The striker has been left out of the Italian champions' 20-man travelling party

as a result of injury and will be monitored ahead of Saturday's trip to Milan.

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2914/champions-league/2016/10/17/28564982/-?

Oct 17, 2016

Juventus will be without Mario Mandzukic for their Champions League Group H match against Lyon after the Croatia striker suffered an adductor strain.

The full extent of Mandzukic's injury is not known at this stage and Juventus' medical staff will assess the 30-year-old ahead of Saturday's trip to Milan.

"Mario Mandzukic … picked up a muscular strain in his right adductor region, the extent of which will be evaluated in the coming days," read a statement on the Juventus website announcing the 20-man travelling party to Stade des Lumieres.

Head coach Massimiliano Allegri will also be without Giorgio Chiellini for Tuesday's match due to the experienced defender sustaining a thigh problem.

The Serie A champions lie top of Group H, above Sevilla on goal difference, having thrashed Dinamo Zagreb 4-0 last time out.

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Allegri: ‘Not worried by injuries’

http://www.football-italia.net/93075/allegri-‘not-worried-injuries’?

Oct 17, 2016

Juventus Coach Massimiliano Allegri insists “I’m not worried”, despite a raft of injuries ahead of the Lyon game.

Giorgio Chiellini and Mario Mandzukic have not made the trip to France for tomorrow night’s match, while Claudio Marchisio is not yet ready to return after a cruciate ligament injury.

“I’m not worried,” Allegri shrugged in his pre-match Press conference.

“We can’t do anything other than play the players who we have available. This can happen during the course of a season, and every year there will be a period where you’re missing maybe three or four players.

“No-one would want this to happen, but it’s part of football. I’m sorry for Mandzukic, who was injured this morning, but the important thing is he won’t be out for long.

“After that we’ll have him available, if not for Saturday then from Wednesday against Sampdoria.

“Marchisio is getting closer to returning to the pitch, meanwhile we have [Moise] Kean who is a good lad and [Juan] Cuadrado who can play in attack.”

The Bianconeri switched to a 4-4-2 against Udinese, could they return to 3-5-2 tomorrow night?

“More than a formation, I pick the players based on the characteristics they have. We’re working on trying to change things, but more than the formation it’s the way we approach the games.

“Let’s say that the formation you use on the pitch is all relative.”

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Juventus aim to wrap up Champions League

qualifying vs. Lyon - Allegri

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/juventus/story/2974788/juventus-aim

-to-wrap-up-champions-league-qualifying-vs-lyon-allegri

Oct 17, 2016

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri wants his side to close in on a place in the Champions League knockout stages by beating Lyon in France on Tuesday night.

The Bianconeri started out with a 0-0 draw at home to Sevilla and followed that up with a convincing 4-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb. Victory in France would therefore put them in a commanding position in the group at the midway stage of the campaign and allow them to focus on defending or extending their five-point lead at the top of Serie A without much further distraction.

Reaching the round of 16 once again would also be a great personal satisfaction for the former AC Milan coach.

"Certainly this game could be very significant in terms of qualification," Allegri told Mediaset television. "If we win, it would put us on the brink of qualifying, knowing then that in the return [against Lyon] in Turin, we could wrap up qualification.

"The objective is to get through because it would be the seventh last-16 qualification in a row for me in the Champions League and that would be huge.

"A year and a half after the final against Barcelona, we've changed 16 players and this is a stimulus for the club, who have put some quality players at my disposal."

Giorgio Chiellini, Claudio Marchisio and Mario Mandzukic have all been left behind, while Moise Kean is included and, if he features, he would become the first player born in the new millennium to play in the Champions League.

That is quite a strong possibility too with Allegri confirming that the 16-year-old is a serious alternative for a late cameo.

"I've got three forwards available and that includes Kean," Allegri said. "I'm sorry about Mandzukic's injury and obviously [Paulo] Dybala and [Gonzalo] Higuain will start, but I also have [Juan] Cuadrado as an alternative."

Marchisio may be an alternative for the top-of-the-table clash with Milan at the weekend with Allegri admitting that he had been left out to "favour the best possible recovery and not to risk anything" after such a long injury absence, even though the Italy international is now back training fully with the rest of the team.

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Allegri: Injuries a part of football

Manager’s pre-match comments

http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/10/17/13309538/allegri-

injuries-a-part-of-football-juventus-lyon-pre-match-comments

Oct 17, 2016

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri is not expecting an easy game tomorrow despite the fact that Olympic Lyonnaise have lost three of their last four games in all competitions.

“When you play in the Champions League there’s no such thing as difficult games and easy games.

“Lyon had a good game against Sevilla, then in their last game they played Nice and went behind early which made it difficult to recover.

“Tomorrow will be a difficult game, because the Champions League is difficult to play in, both for them and for us.

“Lyon are a tricky team, especially at home, and they have quality players up-front in [Nabil] Fakir and [Alexandre] Lacazette. They’re an organised team, and they play differently at home compared to how they play away.

“Fekir and Lacazette are two great players, really good on a technical level. They’re quick and very good on the counter-attack, so we have to be especially careful in those situations.”

Allegri was asked what he would consider a good finish in the Champions League, but evaded the question a bit.

“Pride for me this year would mean going through. It’s better to finish top, but the next stage is crucial because it would be the seventh year in a row that one of my teams made it to the next round in the Champions League.

“So that would be a major achievement.

“As for the growth of the team, there’s been a steady improvement in Europe. Basically, we played the final [against Barcelona] on June 7 [2015] and in a year and a half we’ve changed 16 players, 10 last year and six this year.

“Fortunately the club provided me with good players and the team has grown since starting six years ago.”

The Bianconeri have ground out some results recently without looking very good.

“It doesn’t bother me at all, partly because the season lasts 38 games.

“I’m pretty confident that, given it lasts for 38 hard games, it’s not easy for a team to win if they play 38 bad games.

“In the end what matters is the final result, on May 31 when the League season ends, and you have to be on top then. Because then next year, in the roll of honour, they’ll write who won the League, not who played well and who played badly.

“That said, there are some teams who have played really well, Napoli and AC Milan are playing good football.

“Milan are returning to fight for the top three positions and the Champions League, they’re doing really well and they have good kids, good players.

“Just the same, AS Roma played really well on Saturday [against Napoli], but there are moments.

“Juventus have our own techniques and character, and we have to use that to try and get through and try to win in all the competitions we compete in. That’s the most important thing.

“We’ll work to play better, and sometimes our rivals will play a bit worse.

“The lads have taken seven wins out of eight in the League, the only game we lost was in Milan against Inter and now we have to keep going.

“Right now the important thing is to pick up points in the Champions League and progress in the Champions League.”

On Juve’s extensive injury list -

“I’m not worried. We can’t do anything other than play the players who we have available. This can happen during the course of a season, and every year there will be a period where you’re missing maybe three or four players.

“No-one would want this to happen, but it’s part of football. I’m sorry for Mandzukic, who was injured this morning, but the important thing is he won’t be out for long.

“After that we’ll have him available, if not for Saturday then from Wednesday against Sampdoria.

“Marchisio is getting closer to returning to the pitch, meanwhile we have [Moise] Kean who is a good lad and [Juan] Cuadrado who can play in attack.”

What formation would he be likely to use tomorrow?

“More than a formation, I pick the players based on the characteristics they have. We’re working on trying to change things, but more than the formation it’s the way we approach the games.

“Let’s say that the formation you use on the pitch is all relative.”

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Onus on Max Allegri to field an attacking

Juventus lineup against Lyon

h http://www.espnfc.co.uk/club/juventus/111/blog/post/2975027/onus-on-

max-allegri-to-field-an-attacking-juventus-lineup-against-lyon

Oct 17, 2016

"Against Juventus, we have a 10 percent chance, at best."

President Jean-Michel Aulas is an ambitious man with aspirations of transforming his Olympique Lyonnais side into one of the biggest clubs in Europe, yet even he recognises the superiority of the team he is set to face next in the Champions League.

Boasting a beautiful new stadium and a clear five-year footballing project, Lyon are a club looking to emulate Juve's business model. Having invested €500 million on infrastructure, the French side are looking at ways to increase revenue and ensure financial stability, a feat that can be managed if they continue to incorporate more and more graduates from the youth academy and build upon the success the women's team has achieved.

Having finished second in the league last season, Lyon have suffered in these early stages of the new term. Lack of form combined with a number of injuries to key players such as Alexandre Lacazette have seen them suffer, conceding more goals than they would have liked.

Many opined that Bruno Genesio's attempts to recover fluidity and tactical balance would give Dinamo Zagreb the advantage in their Champions League clash but the quality within the French side prevailed.

Deployed in a 3-5-1-1 formation, Lyon may have suffered several defeats this season but they are a tough side to play. For one thing, no team in France has had more shots on goal than Genesio's men, while they the second best when it comes to holding possession -- only PSG have kept the ball longer.

A team that likes to win the battle in midfield, Lyon will focus on provoking errors to win back possession in the middle which, in all honesty, is not difficult to manage these days. Juventus do not appear as strong as they once were in midfield when they boasted the power of Paul Pogba, the strength of Arturo Vidal and the balance Claudio Marchisio provided.

Max Allegri will hope Sami Khedira's tactical intelligence combined with Lyon old boy Miralem Pjanic's creativity will prove enough while Marchisio should return to the fold in the coming weeks.

Retaining the ball and minimising the errors in midfield will prove vital should the Bianconeri hope to achieve success in France. Against Udinese, Juve were worryingly careless through the middle, consistently losing possession and committing silly errors to give the opponent confidence. With so many injuries, it may be harsh to demand perfection but Allegri ought to stress the need to play with greater care in the middle, exploiting the superior technical level of his players.

Boasting pace and speed of thought, Lyon can cause problems when they set off looking to score and have proved powerful on the counter-attack. Teams must be vigilant and respond quickly to halt them. However, if Juventus attack with fluidity and technique, this will force the home side to focus on their defence, neglecting their intent to attack in much the same way Sevilla managed against them.

Jorge Sampaoli's Sevilla also showed how quickly Lyon cease to compete when they feel overwhelmed. Their defenders surrendering to cheap errors while the forwards are left isolated, Genesio failed to spot the problems in that match quickly enough to affect the game with tactical substitutions.

Overwhelming Lyon requires that Juve use the full width of the pitch to attack, ensuring they force each one of their opponents gets back to defend. This is not the time to rely on the cautious Patrice Evra but to keep faith in Alex Sandro's ability to stretch play and create space for his teammates to exploit.

Unfortunately for Allegri, injuries mean he is forced into selecting certain players, robbed of the opportunity to introduce interesting substitutions that could alter proceedings in the final 20 minutes of the game. The likes of Marko Pjaca, Mario Mandzukic and Marchisio are all absent and each one had the potential to change the game.

Now is the time to throw caution to the wind and play with ferociousness and intensity from the start. Juventus must impose their strength and attack in numbers to terrorise a side that is not only low on confidence, having won only one of their last four games, but that is still getting to grips with their new formation.

A win in France is vital if Allegri and his boys wish to top their qualifying group and avoid the mistakes they made last season.

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Allegri: ‘No easy games’

http://www.football-italia.net/93076/allegri-‘no-easy-games’

Oct 17, 2016

Max Allegri warns “there are no easy games” as Juventus prepare to face Lyon in the Champions League.

The French side have lost three of their last four games in all competitions, but the Coach is expecting a tough test at Parc OL tomorrow.

“When you play in the Champions League there’s no such thing as difficult games and easy games,” Allegri warned.

“Lyon had a good game against Sevilla, then in their last game they played Nice and went behind early which made it difficult to recover.

“Tomorrow will be a difficult game, because the Champions League is difficult to play in, both for them and for us.

“Lyon are a tricky team, especially at home, and they have quality players up-front in [Nabil] Fakir and [Alexandre] Lacazette. They’re an organised team, and they play differently at home compared to how they play away.

“Fekir and Lacazette are two great players, really good on a technical level. They’re quick and very good on the counter-attack, so we have to be especially careful in those situations.”

Allegri was then asked what would represent a proud achievement in the Champions League this season.

“Pride for me this year would mean going through. It’s better to finish top, but the next stage is crucial because it would be the seventh year in a row that one of my teams made it to the next round in the Champions League.

“So that would be a major achievement.

“As for the growth of the team, there’s been a steady improvement in Europe. Basically, we played the final [against Barcelona] on June 7 [2015] and in a year and a half we’ve changed 16 players, 10 last year and six this year.

“Fortunately the club provided me with good players and the team has grown since starting six years ago.”

Some pundits have accused the Old Lady of playing badly but grinding out results, but the tactician brushes that off.

“It doesn’t bother me at all, partly because the season lasts 38 games,” Allegri shrugged.

“I’m pretty confident that, given it lasts for 38 hard games, it’s not easy for a team to win if they play 38 bad games.

“In the end what matters is the final result, on May 31 when the League season ends, and you have to be on top then. Because then next year, in the roll of honour, they’ll write who won the League, not who played well and who played badly.

“That said, there are some teams who have played really well, Napoli and Milan are playing good football.

“Milan are returning to fight for the top three positions and the Champions League, they’re doing really well and they have good kids, good players.

“Just the same, Roma played really well on Saturday [against Napoli], but there are moments.

“Juventus have our own techniques and character, and we have to use that to try and get through and try to win in all the competitions we compete in. That’s the most important thing.

“We’ll work to play better, and sometimes our rivals will play a bit worse.

“The lads have taken seven wins out of eight in the League, the only game we lost was in Milan against Inter and now we have to keep going.

“Right now the important thing is to pick up points in the Champions League and progress in the Champions League.”

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Pjanic: ‘Lyon not easy’

http://www.football-italia.net/93091/pjanic-‘lyon-not-easy’?

Oct 17, 2016

Miralem Pjanic urges Juventus to take “a big step forward” against Lyon, but warns “it won’t be an easy game”.

The Bianconeri are in France to take on OL in the Champions League, with the Bosnian facing his former side.

“I spent three years at Lyon, and I could have spent several years there,” Pjanic told Mediaset.

“I’m happy to be back, it’s a great club, I’m happy and we want to get a good result, play a good game and get closer to reaching the next round but it won’t be an easy game.

“From the start of the season we’ve wanted to do well, we want to get a good result, we’re a strong team and we want to take a big step toward going through.”

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Lyon Looking For a Juventus Miracle As Pressure Mounts

h ttp://bleacherreport.com/articles/2670199-lyon-looking-for-a-juventus-miracle-as-pressure-mounts?

Oct 18, 2016

Parc Olympique Lyonnais was built for nights like this. It was always club president Jean-Michel Aulas’ baby, envisaging a way for Lyon to grow internationally as well as domestically. On Tuesday night, it will host its biggest night since its January inauguration when Juventus roll into town.

The extent of Aulas’ obsession to get to this point has been clear for years, as OL alumnus Miralem Pjanic acknowledged while he got his first look at his old club’s impressive new pad. “Thanks to this new stadium, Lyon will improve,” the midfielder said at Juve’s pre-match press conference, per Football Italia. “The president has very clear ideas in that regard.”

Playing Juve is a significant moment. Lyon will see the serial Italian champions as a benchmark—not just on the pitch, but off it—as an example of a club that has made the most of a new facility, in terms of commerce plus sheer atmosphere and prestige.

During the protracted construction of Parc OL, which was subject to over 100 judicial challenges, Aulas talked repeatedly about wanting to ape the self-sufficient stadium-led financing model of Bayern Munich or Arsenal (including to News Tank in 2015, as recounted by Le Figaro, in French). Juve are an even more modern example.

There’s just one problem—what’s on the pitch. Not for the first time, the club’s supporters are asking themselves what the worth of having such an impressive stadium is if the club doesn’t have a team fit to grace it. For all the evident quality on the club’s playing staff, the sporting direction of OL is a growing cause for concern.

Friday’s defeat at leaders OGC Nice left a mark, not only for the fact it left Lyon 10 points from the summit and was their sixth reverse in 12 matches, but for its timing. The extra 24 hours afforded by moving the fixture for television for Champions League preparation is of limited value when your visitors are the all-conquering Juve, and especially when a chance to reflate your fragile confidence has been frittered away.

hi-res-925d51b2e65aafa359d9653760a2da8e_

Miguel Angel Morenatti/Associated Press/Associated Press

Corentin Tolisso was among the Lyon players who came close to scoring in defeat at Sevilla.

Lyon are eighth in Ligue 1, but of more relevance—given the mountainous task that faces them this week in the shape of Massimiliano Allegri’s team—they sit in third place in Group E, a point behind Sevilla, their chief rivals for (one would safely assume) the second qualification spot.

After spurning a series of presentable chances—a theme for Lyon's season so far—against the side that sit third in La Liga above Barcelona, in the pair’s first confrontation three weeks ago in Andalucia, Les Gones have to scrap to get what they can from back-to-back matches with Juve. In comparison, Jorge Sampaoli and company have successive games against Dinamo Zagreb, who are already nailed on for the group’s wooden spoon.

It has been a hard debut to Lyon’s season which doesn’t promise to get much easier in the immediate future. Few people will be so acutely aware of the pressure such a difficult start puts on the head coach than the current incumbent, Bruno Genesio. He was Hubert Fournier’s assistant this time last year as the young team bombed in their first Champions League group campaign in four years.

Having initially been given a mandate to the end of the season when Fournier was sacked on Christmas Eve, Genesio won the job permanently on the back of a stirring second half of the campaign.

A 6-1 demolition of fellow Champions League chasers AS Monaco in the season’s penultimate game completed an overhaul of the Principality side having started with a 10-point deficit. Unfortunately for Aulas and his lofty ambitions, maintaining the status quo has meant inertia, and the repetition of many of the same early-season mistakes as last year.

Genesio’s evident joy at making the most of his big chance at a club that he has served for so long seems to have quickly disappeared. There was something quite sad about his (justifiable) statement at his own pre-game press conference on Monday that “in top level football, the only pleasure is winning matches” (per the club’s official Twitter feed, below, in French).

Follow

Olympique Lyonnais

✔@OL

B.Genesio "Dans le football de haut niveau, le seul plaisir c'est de gagner les matchs"#OLJUVE #teamOL

4:06 PM - 17 Oct 2016

37 Retweets

41 likes

The 50-year-old seems worn down by dealing with all the drama around the club, whether it’s finding a place for the marginalised Mathieu Valbuena (the club’s top earner) or being caught in the middle of a spat between presidential advisor Bernard Lacombe and the returned Gerard Houllier, the club’s new consultant.

Houllier broke his silence recently by granting an interview to Christophe Dugarry on RMC Sport, and at least took a step to undermining Genesio by confirming that he was in favour of signing free-agent striker Emmanuel Adebayor as cover, shortly after the coach declined to take him. “The only thing,” Houllier said, “is I thought we were a bit short of numbers. It’s experience that tells me that. It’s the coach who decides.”

Genesio has declined to get involved in a public discourse, which is sensible. He has plenty of other things on his plate.

Facing Juve, his side will have to show a vast defensive improvement on recent weeks. The 4-3-3 with which Lyon hunted down Monaco last season did its job but left them defensively vulnerable. After injuries to Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir—which at least partially back the thrust of Houllier’s point—the coach rejigged to 3-5-1-1, with mixed results.

hi-res-d9b863b3adc24a13bdda48e82dc7265c_

Laurent Cipriani/Associated Press/Associated Press

Lyon fans will take hope from their reunited front pair of Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir.

After Fekir’s recent return from an arthroscopy, ironing out complications in his recovery from cruciate knee ligament surgery, he has looked far closer to the player who carried all before him in 2014-15 and beguiled France coach Didier Deschamps. The return to a front two has suited him much better than 4-3-3, as the player himself reiterated in an interview with Le Progres this week, as reported byL’Equipe.

Reunited with Lacazette, a player with whom Fekir enjoys an intuitive relationship and who returned from five weeks out with hamstring trouble against Nice as a substitute, there is at least the suggestion that Juve could have something to think about.

It will be the first time the pair have started a Champions League match together; they played a half alongside one another in the unsuccessful August 2013 playoff against Real Sociedad though they, and especially Fekir, were considerably more green back then.

The OL team that gave Juve a good examination over two legs in the 2014 Europa League quarter-final was significantly weaker than the current one, at least on paper, so perhaps it’s not a totally lost cause. That group contained a young Fekir, and a teenage Corentin Tolisso, who has gone on to become one of the team’s mainstays.

hi-res-653bc4eceaf15484f3615b40af391ef7_

Laurent Cipriani/Associated Press/Associated Press

Jimmy Briand battles Juve's back line in OL's 2014 Europa League quarter-final loss.

With the news that Maciej Rybus and Emanuel Mammana have dropped out through injury and illness respectively, Genesio might even be forced to revert to 4-4-2, which many would argue a full-strength Lyon should play anyway.

Others would suggest that after the unexpected success of the front three of Lacazette, Rachid Ghezzal and the currently injured Maxwel Cornet last season, it could be another instance of the coach finding the right recipe by default.

That, however, is several leaps forward from the present reality—which is that Lyon, and Genesio, face the might of Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala, Leonardo Bonucci and company with almost an obligation to get a result.

There will be little time to enjoy the essence of the elite football occasion that Aulas has waited so long to welcome to Parc OL.

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Gianluigi Buffon: Juventus can send

a message with victory over Lyon

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/juventus/story/2975073/gianluigi-

buffon-juventus-can-send-message-with-victory-over-lyon

Oct 18, 2016

Gianluigi Buffon has told RMC that Juventus will "send out a signal" to their Champions League rivals by beating Lyon on Tuesday.

Buffon, 38, will captain the Bianconeri at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais as the Italian champions seek to add a second win in three games to continue their unbeaten start in Group H.

With five victories and just a single goal conceded in their last five outings, Juve start as favourites against their inconsistent French opponents, and Buffon believes a win in Lyon will lay down a marker for the 2015 Champions League runners-up.

"They're a team we respect a lot because they have undeniable quality," said Buffon, who helped Juve draw with Sevilla before beating Dinamo Zagreb in their opening two group games.

"But it's also true that our aim is to go as far as possible in the Champions League and be a major player in the competition. That's why we have to show other teams that we're able to send out a signal by winning this match."

Gianluigi Buffon is hoping Juventus can produce a positive display on Tuesday.

After winning their opening group-stage match against Dinamo, Lyon were then beaten by Sevilla, and have struggled to string together positive results in Ligue 1 this term with four victories and as many defeats in nine matches.

Juve won both legs of the teams' 2013-14 Europa League quarterfinal tie and have the better form currently, sitting five points clear at the top of the Serie A table.

But with the Parc Olympique Lyonnais -- into which Lyon moved in January -- having proved a happy home for the club, captain Maxime Gonalons still feels his team can spring a surprise.

"I don't know if you remember the game against PSG last season," Gonalons, whose side have lost just once in 15 outings in their new stadium, told reporters. "We had a massive list of injuries, and no one saw us winning that game. So perhaps that match can serve as an example to us.

"Juventus are more than favourites for the game, but in football, there is always a 'but,' and it's to that 'but' that we have to cling to have hope, because we know we're capable of doing great things."

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Lyon v Juventus Betting: Goals at both ends expected

With Lacazette back in the side after an injury lay-off, Al Hain-Cole is expecting

Bruno Genesio's team to cause some problems for a suspect Bianconeri defence.

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2995/betting/2016/10/18/28594142/-?

Oct 18, 2016

Juventus will be hoping to maintain their recent winning streak when they travel to the Parc Olympique Lyonnais to take on Lyon in Tuesday's Champions League clash.

With five wins from their last five consecutive games, Massimiliano Allegri's team are 7/10 (1.70) favourites with Betway to make it six in a row in France.

In contrast, Les Gones slumped to their third defeat in four matches against Nice on Friday, and are available at 9/2 (5.50) to return to form by coming out on top here.

The visitors have drawn five of their last eight fixtures in this competition, and you can get odds of 11/4 (3.75) on them being held to another stalemate in this one.

While confidence may be at a low ebb after their most recent defeat against the surprise Ligue Un leaders, Bruno Genesio's team will be looking forward to another big night at their new home ground.

Having won 12 and lost just one of their 15 home matches since the stadium opened in January, they certainly represent a different proposition in front of their own fans to the team that has taken just one point from the last five away games.

What's more, Alexandre Lacazette's return from injury will considerably enhance their chances of finding the net for the 16th game in 16 at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, with the France international having scored six goals in the first three league games prior to being sidelined.

gfx-fact-lyon-v-juventus_1csdybs2okutp1r

Meanwhile, the Bianconeri must do without the injured Giorgio Chiellini as they attempt to keep just a second clean sheet in seven Champions League away games, having conceded in 11 of the previous 15.

All things considered, odds of 19/20 (1.95) seem well worth a punt on Lyon giving themselves something to cheer about in an entertaining encounter featuring goals at both ends.

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

From Turin to Lyon – Champions League Preview

http://www.juvefc.com/turin-lyon-champions-league-preview/?

Oct 18, 2016

We meet again. Two years after our last encounter with Les Gones, a game, which saw the Old Lady go through thanks to a Samuel Umtiti own goal.

Both clubs have come a long way since that chilly night in Lyon, Juventus more so than Lyon though. Since their last meeting, Juventus won their fifth consecutive Scudetto whilst Lyon have gone another year trophy less but moved into their new stadium. Like their illustrious opponent, Lyon became the first French club to own their stadium.

There are two completely different teams facing each other tonight, compared to the two teams that stepped out on Stade de Gerland in 2014. Both have lost players, and brought in new faces. In addition, one familiar face will be returning to Lyon tonight, and its former Lyon player Miralem Pjanic who spent 3 years with Les Gones. Pjanic joined the Bianconeri this summer from Roma.

Les Gones lost their star defender Samuel Umtiti to the Spanish giants Barcelona earlier this summer, and replaced him with Marseille’s Nicolas N’koulou and highly rated Argentinian defender Emanuel Mammana who misses out due to sickness.

Juventus come into this game having seen their midfield star Paul Pogba move back to Manchester United, but replaced with Pjanic. Another familiar face to the Lyon fans is former Marseille midfielder Mario Lemina who joined the Old Lady last summer.

Lyon will be hoping that their home form will help them tonight, having won 14 in 15 at Parc OL. There’s no doubt that Juventus are clear favorites tonight, but Lyon captain Maxime Gonalons stated that his young side will cling to hope, because they know they are capable of great things. And Gonalons is right, we’ve seen Lyon perform against the very best and won. Both sides are struggling with injuries, but Lyon are much stronger now than they were two years.

The OL team that gave Juventus a run for their money over two legs in the 2014 Europa League QF was arguably weaker than the current team. The side contained an inexperienced Lyon side, a young Nabil Fekir and Corentin Tolisso who’s gone on to become one of France most consistent midfielders and one of Lyon’s most important players. Having improved their midfield with signing of Spanish international Sergi Darder, and the rebirth of Corentin Tolisso, Lyon will feel that they are arguably stronger collectively than the current Juventus midfield.

Whereas they will be strong in midfield, Lyon’s biggest weakness this season has been their defence. In terms of quality, Lyon are slightly stronger now than they were back then. Better fullbacks, no Kone but the loss of Umtiti has been massive for the young Lyon side. They are very shaky at the back and the likes of Mbiwa and N’koulou has to be wary of the talented Argentinian duo of Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain.

Lyon’s front two in Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir are huge threats; the pair start their first CL game together. Juve’s defense will have to be on the lookout for the skillful, and quick feet of Fekir. Fekir is very talented, great on the ball, intelligent and almost back to his best after a year out with an ACL injury. Lacazette is obviously now a well-known name in France and Europe. Having been played out wide for most of his young career, Alex was then reverted into the middle when Gomis and Lisandro left. Having led the top scorer chart for 2 seasons, Lacazette is one of the best young strikers in Europe. Quick, strong, not only a great finisher but also creates room for players around him to score.

Much has been said about Lyon having lost a lot of their prestige in the last few years, due to PSG’s rise as a domestic protagonist. Nevertheless, Lyon remains of the biggest clubs in France even though they might not dominating side they used to be. They are currently the best academy club in Europe, having overtaken Barcelona. Tonights starting 11 will contain six academy players; one to look out for tonight will be Corentin Tolisso.

Coretin Tolisso has come a long way in the last 12 months. He rejected Napoli this summer, a move that could have seen him suffer the same fate that his colleague Paul Pogba is currently suffering. The young midfielder stated that he decision to stay at Lyon was a choice of heart. In a time where young French players leave too soon, some for the money whilst the lure of England attracts them, it is a refreshing sight to see players like Tolisso staying on out of loyalty. In the past 12 months, Tolisso has progressed and became a key player for Lyon. He’s captained the side in Gonalons and Lacazette’s absence and is currently the captain of France U21 side. Compared to Pogba, Tolisso is progressing at a faster rate. He is tactically aware, technically proficient, disciplined, powerful, more versatile, a greater threat in front goal, shields his defense and more importantly has a good head on his shoulders. It is important to emphasis that I am not necessarily saying Tolisso is better than Pogba, but he has done more to improve his game over the year than Pogba.

Were the Old Lady to be interested in replacing one French midfielder with another then Corentin Tolisso is their man, a quality midfielder who has proven himself in every position he has played in, whether it’s been RB, LB, LWB, AM, CM and even DM. He is currently playing as a false nine for France U21, a role that has seen him score 4 in 2 games for Les Bleus.

I expect Juventus to beat Lyon tonight. I don’t think it’ll be an easy game but experience will be the decisive formula for a Juventus win.

Expected Lyon XI: Lopes; Rafael, Mbiwa, N’Koulou; Gaspar, Ferri, Gonalons, Tolisso, Rybus; Fekir, Lacazette.

Formation

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Juventus changes in Lyon

http://www.football-italia.net/93116/juventus-changes-lyon?

Oct 18, 2016

Juventus are expected to start Patrice Evra and Mario Lemina in an unusual 3-5-2 hybrid formation against Olympique Lyonnais.

The Champions League clash kicks off in Lyon tonight at 20.45 CET - 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).

Some decisions are foisted upon Max Allegri, as Giorgio Chiellini, Daniele Rugani, Claudio Marchisio, Marko Pjaca and Kwadwo Asamoah are out injured, while Stephan Lichtsteiner is cup-tied.

It was predicted he would use Medhi Benatia as a left-sided centre-back, with Hernanes pulling the midfield strings.

Instead, the latest reports from Mediaset Premium claim Evra is chosen for an unusual defensive role with Lemina as playmaker.

A clue as to the system was given by Allegri when speaking to reporters after Saturday’s 2-1 Serie A victory over Udinese.

“We were with 4-4-2 without the ball, moving to 3-5-2 in possession,” said the Coach at the weekend.

“I would like the team to be able to transform system during the match, depending on how the opposition is set out and at different times of the game.

“If they manage to do that, even without their Coach telling them to, it’ll mean they’ve reached a level of maturity to take on any team.

“We work on how to occupy the spaces, reading the game and doing the opposite of what the opponent does. We changed things in the second half and took away the reference points from Udinese.”

Alex Sandro is expected to track back and cover when Lyon have the ball, mutating into a 4-4-2.

Probable line-ups

Lyon: Lopes; Yanga-Mbiwa, Nkoulou, Morel; Rafael, Darder, Gonalons, Tolisso, Gaspar; Lacazette, Fekir

Lyon bench: Gorgelin, Diakhaby, Tousart, Ghezzal, Ferri, Valbuena, Cornet

Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Evra; Dani Alves, Khedira, Lemina, Pjanic, Alex Sandro; Dybala, Higuain

Juventus bench: Neto, Mattiello, Benatia, Hernanes, Sturaro, Cuadrado, Kean

Ref: Marciniak (POL)

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Line-ups: Lyon-Juventus

http://www.football-italia.net/93120/line-ups-lyon-juventus?

Oct 18, 2016

Juventus rely on Patrice Evra, Mario Lemina, Gonzalo Higuain and Miralem Pjanic in their Champions League trip to Alexandre Lacazette’s Lyon.

It kicks off at 20.45 - 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).

The Bianconeri are joint top of their Champions League group with Sevilla on four points, while OL follow on three thanks to a 3-0 home win over Dinamo Zagreb and narrow 1-0 loss to the Spaniards.

Max Allegri has an injury crisis on his hands, missing Giorgio Chiellini, Mario Mandzukic, Kwadwo Asamoah, Claudio Marchisio, Marko Pjaca and Daniele Rugani.

Medhi Benatia was expected to start in the three-man defence, but instead Evra is chosen in what appears to be an adaptable 3-5-2 formation, mutating to 4-4-2 out of possession with Alex Sandro or Dani Alves tracking back.

Paulo Dybala and Higuain are the only real candidates upfront. The option on the bench is 16-year-old Moise Kean, who is yet to make his senior debut for the club.

It’s a return to his old stomping ground for Miralem Pjanic, who wore the Lyon jersey from 2008 to 2011, inheriting the Number 8 shirt and mantle of free kick maestro from his mentor Juninho Pernambucano.

Lemina is picked as the playmaker, bumping originally predicted starter Hernanes to the bench.

Lyon miss Clement Grenier, Christophe Jallet, Maciej Rybus and ill Emanuel Mammana, while Aldo Kalulu sits out a ban.

Mathieu Valbuena is only fit for the bench after missing the 2-0 defeat to OGC Nice on Friday, while hitman Lacazette gets his first start in five weeks following a thigh strain.

Nabil Fekir was sent off in that Ligue 1 clash, while goalkeeper Anthony Lopes parried a Mario Balotelli penalty.

Men to watch include Corentin Tolisso, who turned down a €30m transfer to Napoli this summer because he didn’t feel “ready.”

It has been said Lyon struggle with three at the back, but Coach Bruno Genesio sticks to his guns in a 3-5-2 system, giving 19-year-old Mouctar Diakhaby his Champions League full debut.

The referee is Poland’s Szymon Marciniak, who famously sent off Daniele De Rossi and Emerson Palmieri in Roma’s Champions League play-off defeat to Porto in August.

These two teams met in the Europa League quarter-finals, Juve winning 1-0 in France in April 2014 and 2-1 on home turf.

However, the Bianconeri have never won on French soil in the Champions League’s current iteration. They lost 3-2 at Nantes in April 1996, 3-2 to Monaco in April 1998 and 2-0 at Bordeaux in November 2009.

The most recent visit was a 0-0 draw at Monaco in April 2015. Lyon, on the other hand, have lost their last three matches against Italian sides.

Lyon: Lopes; Yanga-Mbiwa, Nkoulou, Diakhaby; Rafael, Darder, Gonalons, Tolisso, Morel; Lacazette, Fekir

Lyon bench: Gorgelin, Gaspar, Tousart, Ghezzal, Ferri, Valbuena, Cornet

Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Evra; Dani Alves, Khedira, Lemina, Pjanic, Alex Sandro; Dybala, Higuain

Juventus bench: Neto, Mattiello, Benatia, Hernanes, Sturaro, Cuadrado, Kean

Ref: Marciniak (POL)

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Socrates · October 18, 2016

OLYMPIQUE L. - JUVENTUS

-

MATCHDAY 3

Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 - 08:45 PM

Parc O. Lyonnais, Décines-Charpieu (Lyon)

Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland)

Marotta: 'Juve seeking identity'

http://www.football-italia.net/93122/marotta-juve-seeking-identity?

Oct 18, 2016

Juventus director Beppe Marotta confirmed a Paulo Dybala contract improvement and Max Allegri “is still seeking a precise identity” for this team.

The Champions League trip to Lyon kicks off at 20.45 - 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).

"It makes us very proud to see so much interest in Dybala, as it means we spotted his talent early,” Marotta told Mediaset Premium.

“Don’t forget we closed this move when Inter and Milan were also trying to sign him. It’s normal that big clubs want our players, but it is not in our DNA to sell champions unless they ask to go.

“Dybala has a long contract and hasn’t shown any inclination to leave, so that isn't an issue, but we feel it's right to improve his contract to reflect his improvements on the field and maintain harmony in the locker room.

“Claudio Marchisio is completing the rehabilitation process. He needs to get match fitness now and will probably play in a friendly tomorrow that’ll be organised mainly for him. His ligament is fully healed and he’s ready to be a protagonist again.

“An organised side is more likely to win and I think this is a winning approach. If you notice, when changes were made to the line-up, it was almost always due to injuries or international duty.

“There is not yet a precise identity to the side, which is what Allegri is seeking. It’s only natural that it’ll take a while with so many new players.

“If objectives are achieved even when not playing that well, it is a good thing. Imagine when we do play well…”

http://www.goal.com/en/tables/uefa-champions-league/10?ICID=MP_TN_167

Accedi

JUVENTUS SEASON 2016-2017

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