Since the next couple of days will be kind of slow around the club news circuit, I feel like nows a good time to talk about some of the thoughts that I’ve amassed recently about our beloved club. It’ll just be a quick little chat between friends to help this Juventus fan sleep at night. Most of all, I encourage your feedback as my girlfriend often says that sharing your feelings with others is somewhat therapeutic.

Juventus, I fucking hate your guts sometimes. Everyone do yourself a favour between now and the last game of the season. Do not search for Juventus videos on Youtube and surf through twenty pages of content on La Grande Storia della Juventus, or La Vecchia Signora, because that will only make you infuriated with what’s happening to our team. Gone are the iconic members of football’s high society, as they’re replaced with mediocrity; players, coaches, and management alike.

The reality, one that I’m sure many of you are aware, is that we’re more than just a few pieces of the puzzle away from the glory days. We’re about 8-9 men short by my calculations which is mind-boggling considering the shit-load of resources we’ve spent over the last four years. We need to focus on building the team’s spine once again, and Chiellini can be the rock we can build our revival on.

‘And I say to thee. Thou art Giorgio, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ Matthew 16:18, sort of.

Marotta, for my money, was going good until the Diego deal. From now on, he’s got an uphill battle to win back my good graces after the costly Fabio loan, and the move for the Serie A unproven Armand Traore. However, he did manage to secure a capable partner for Chiellini in Bonucci, as well as a potential homerun for our midfield in Aquilani. Now if the Aquaman gamble pays-off, we’ll have finally made a solid start in our re-construction.

From top to bottom, the Serie A is the world’s most competitive football league, and for that I am truly proud to be a fan of Italian calcio today. But the taste in my mouth left after Calciopoli has yet to be purified, and thus, my overwhelming sense of anger looms. It’s agonizing at times being a Bianconeri fan because that bar was set so high decades ago. Not to mention just how tough it is to play for Juventus today as the jersey can weigh so much.

The truth is though; I will stand by my club even when it seems that there is no hope in sight because I’m sure that when we taste that success again, it’ll taste that much sweeter. I guess that’s the difference between a fan and a supporter.

IERI… OGGI… DOMANI… SEMPRE JUVE!!!

And how the hell do I stay?

Italy and Juve’s history and futures are inextricably linked, it seems. When Juventus wins, Italy wins. When Juventus concede record amount of goals and lose every game, so does Italy. Evidently, Pepe’s strange inclusion into the Nazionale, under 2 coaches now, meant he had to come to Juventus. And now, both Juventus and Italy are stuck with him playing just terrible, as he did today against Estonia, of all teams.

My conclusion on Pepe is this- Italy is so desperate for a naturally wide player, that he has gone from Palermo bench player to Juventus and Italy regular. Apparently no coach has ever tried to convert him into a fullback (as many young wingers in Italy are) and thus, he is the only “mature-age” winger we have. Seems Italy and Juve may have been a bit hasty in getting rid of a creative winger this summer…

Twenty-one years ago today, Italy and Juventus’ talismanic defender, Gaetano Scirea, was killed in a road accident while on a scouting mission for the club in Poland. To this day, Scirea is one of only five players in European football history who have won every international trophy possible in club football, and one of only nine players who have won all three major UEFA club competitions.

On the anniversary of Scirea’s passing last year, Aaron wrote a fitting tribute that I want to share with you again today. Enjoy.

It should not be surprising that the greatest defender in the world, comes from the land of the greatest defense, Italy. And thus, the greatest defender naturally would come from the dominant team, our beloved Vecchia Signora.

Defiant.

“The transfer market campaign made by Juve is full of mistakes,” said Diego in an interview with Sky Italia. “They have lost so much money as well as stars. I hope that in the future they will have a winning project with the understanding that the quality not only belongs to Italian players and that you cannot exclude foreign champions. You cannot win like that. Del Neri was very clear with me, he said he wanted me to stay. During the Trofeo TIM, I scored a nice goal against Milan, I was very happy. Delneri called me into his room.” He said “Remember our discussion in May? I said you were part of my project. Now I am more convinced than ever.” “I interrupted. Mister, if you see me as a starter, I’ll stay at Juve, happily.” Delneri smiled and nodded. “Delneri said we’ll play 4-4-Diego-Striker, you are the man of quality in my system. Only if you played 10 bad games in a row would your position come into dispute.”

Marotta told me that per the wishes of Delneri, I’d stay. “However, I looked at Marotta and understood that he was working in another direction. He was doing everything possible to sell me. Then came the deal with Wolfsburg. A few days before the sale, Delneri came up to me with a disappointed face and said I had to go talk to Marotta. When Delneri told me Marotta wanted to talk, from that moment Delneri’s opinion didnt matter anymore. Marotta was not clear. I always said that I wanted to stay and the coach always told me that he would have played me. If Marotta wanted to sell me he could have done it two months ago (instead of three days before the final day of the transfer window) as it would have been simpler. If Marotta had comported himself in a different manner with me, then we both could have worked on a move and Juve would have netted more money The fact is that Marotta did not behave well with me or with other Juventus champions like Camoranesi or Trezeguet. “Marotta decided to sell me because he wants just Italians and that is the wrong road to go down. Juventus have made a mistake with their signings, a lot of good players have arrived but no champions. Juventus should have been much stronger. The players that have left would have been useful to the next technical project.”

D’oh.

“I received affectionate messages from everyone in the team, more or less. Buffon is a true captain, he will demonstrate again that he is the world’s greatest keeper. Felipe Melo needs to be kept close, and he will give his best. Chiellini is a champion defender, and I think Amauri will return to score many goals this year. As a Brazilian, it is strange to see him wear Azzurro, but you play for who loves you, not who ignores you. Del Piero was always very nice to me, he was a friend. He had nothing to do with my sale. With Alex, there was an incompatibility [in a 4-4-2, obviously] of us both being on the pitch, but this wasn’t an issue. There was no problem between us. When I left, Alex was the first to text me. He wrote, “I’m sorry you’ve left, I’ve never had a problem with you. I wished we could play more together. Best of luck at Wolfsburg.”

Strong words. Giovinco commented as well.

Interviewed on Sky Italia, Giovinco was asked to comment on Diego’s allegations that Juventus weren’t clear with him. “It’s true, the director should have been clearer and they should have been so from the first year that I arrived. Instead, it wasn’t like this. Amen, life goes on. I don’t know how the directors behaved with Diego I think about myself. I wasn’t treated as I expected, but I don’t think about it anymore. I am thinking about doing well here. We’ll see about the future. I hope to do well here to make Juventus change their minds with facts. What I have found here is better than Juventus, above all with respect to last year. Things went badly. It was a difficult period for me, for the team and for the club. It was the ugliest period Juventus have been through, so you can imagine what it was like.”

Z3BINA threw his hat in the ring as well. (Hmmm. Z3BINA, Diego, Giovinco, one of these things is not like the other.)

“It’s useless to rant against someone…..[but]… Although, I must say we didn’t expect any kind of recognition when we went to Serie B. But then we saw how they sent someone like Pavel Nedved home, and at that moment, we knew that we could not be able to expect anything from the club. Something at Juve last year didn’t go right [you think?], surely the players had some of the responsibility, but not as much as came out in the media. Why did the fans last year fight only with the typical players? I don’t know, I never understood it. [Giving the fans the finger doesn't help, JZ] I don’t think that there were only a few disagreements, perhaps it was under the influence of another.”

However, I am only looking to be happy. It only took 10 minutes to convince of Brescia’s project. I hope to follow in the footsteps of some other great Brescia players like Guardiola and Baggio.” [WHAT]

Evidently, there’s been some kind of communication breakdown.

Now that the transfer window is officially shut, we know what our team will be for the season. (Or at least until January) The real evaluations of the mercato will come in January, or more likely, by May, but here I will do some preliminary grading. I’ve put a poll for each player as well, so you can weigh in on your thoughts statistically, as well as verbally down in the comments section. For now, we’re going to ignore sales in this factor, so Diego, Giovinco, and Trezeguet won’t factor in.

What Rating Do You Give Marco Storari’s Transfer?customer surveys

Marco Storari: A- Given San Gigi is out until January, we knew we needed a new keeper. The fact that we signed one even better than Manninger, and one who was Serie A’s best performing keeper last year is excellent. The only demerit on my part is 4.5million seems like a hefty chunk of change to spend on a 33-year old reserve keeper.

What Rating Do You Give Simone Pepe’s Transfer?online survey

Simone Pepe: C Keeping Pepe’s rating from being a C- is the fact that he is one of the many that we signed on loan, thus, there is the hope he will not remain, although 2.5million for a loan is more of a “down payment” than a true loan. I understand we need depth, and Pepe fulfills that, but I have been more disappointed that I was expecting to be. Against Bari, seemingly none of his crosses or passes found their man, and he ran a lot, but that’s not good enough. Maybe he’ll come good…but I’m not holding my breath.

What Rating Do You Give Davide Lanzafame’s Transfer?customer surveys

Davide Lanzafame: B For all the talk and lament about Giovinco leaving, there has been little applause for the fact that another Juventus youth product has come home. And he’s grown a lot, too. Lanzafame has been traveling around the peninsula since age 20, when he played a very successful Serie B campaign with Bari. Last year, he had a solid season at Parma, scoring 7 goals in 27 appearances (and only 14 starts) and has returned home to Torino. I’ve watched him since his 07-08 season in Bari, and he has enormous potential. Has a good eye for goal, good pace, and decent dribbling ability. I think he’s been one of the better wingers in preseason, and we’ve only started to scratch the surface of his potential. Let’s just hope he gets playing time.

What Rating Do You Give Leonardo Bonucci’s Transfer?survey software

Leonardo Bonucci: A- His critics will tell you that Ranocchia was better last season, and has more potential. That’s true, and I would have loved to see Andrea come to the good side, but unfortunately Canna’s horror show and looming retirement meant we needed to sign the healthy one. He doesn’t complement Chiellini as well as Ranocchia would (Ranocchia more a ball-playing sweeper, Bonucci more of a hardman like Giorgio) but either way, he’s a very good young player. Bonucci’s had an average start to his Juve career, he makes some hasty/poor tackles, but this is his 2nd season in Serie A, and his 1st at a big club. It will take time for him to integrate. The price tag is high, but I’m f***ing satisfied that finally, we spilled out for a defender.

What Rating Do You Give Jorge Martinez’s Transfer?Market Research

Jorge Martinez: B Martinez has, in my opinion, come under the most unwarranted criticism this transfer campaign. 12mil is a large amount of money, but I would rate him around 10mil, not that bad of a deal for someone who has scored 22 goals in 86 games. Jorge has a nice amount of tricks here and there, and can play both wings. My concerns are primarily the fact that he’s been woefully out of shape at camp and is now injured with a knee problem, but I think he’s a quality “reserve” for the future otherwise. Considering he costs 2mil more than Simone Pepe would eventually cost…well, he’s far more talented. Decent pickup, I think.

What Rating Do You Give Marco Motta’s Transfer?Market Research

Marco Motta: B I’ve always questioned Marco Motta’s skill, it seems like Amauri his entire reputation is riding on a very good 3 months, with his fans ignoring the subsequent disastrous year and a half. I’ve been moderately impressed with what I’ve seen thus far, though. Both his attacking and defending need refinement, I think he’s an upgrade on what we had, and still has potential. It’s up to him to seize it, but paying 5mil for him overall is not a bad deal.

What Rating Do You Give Milos Krasic’s Transfer?online surveys

Milos Krasic: A In a tremendously overpriced market, Krasic is a good signing at 15mil. He’s no Pavel Nedved, but I think Krasic will come good. Adjusting to Serie A from the Russian league will take time, though, so don’t be surprised if he gets the Bidone d’Oro in December and then is widely acknowledged as a master signing next spring. Fast as hell, occasional eye for goal, good crossing, Krasic is a quality signing and one I am very excited about.

What Rating Do You Give Milos Krasic’s Transfer?online survey

Alberto Aquilani: A Of course this grade all depends on his health, but given the 9-hour medical he underwent, can’t blame Marotta for signing him. Very much the type of player we needed to add in midfield, someone with quality and skill, an eye for a shot and a good pass. Marchisio has been in relatively poor form recently, so maybe the Aquilani competition will jog him up, but either way, Aquilani is a creative central midfielder and that’s what we needed this summer.

What Rating Do You Give Fabio Quagliarella’s Transfer?customer surveys

Fabio Quagliarella: B- There’s a lot of questions about this move for me, for example, is Fabio worth 15million euros, and can he finally deliver consistent performances? Or the age old question, can he make it at a big club? Last year was a pretty poor one for Fabio at Napoli, it appears the weight of being the hometown boy and the refusal of certain members of the squad to accept him (Hamsik) hurt his performances. Can he deliver at Juventus, or did we just waste 4.5million euros (and his salary) on a loan?

What Rating Do You Give Leandro Rinaudo’s Transfer?online surveys

Leandro Rinaudo: B I know what some of you will say…Rinaudo is a rubbish player and not Juventus quality. Both are legitimate statements. He’s our 4th CB, which we needed, and on loan with no obligation to buy. Moreso, his poor performances at Napoli can probably be attributed partially to the 3-man defense which he is not cut out for, just as Bocchetti and Moretti look(ed) average at Genoa in their leaky defense. 5mil seems a bit high to sign him for, he’s not worth that much, but again, there’s no obligation and I’d rather see Rinaudo step in to play CB in February than Grygera or Motta.

What Rating Do You Give Armand Traore’s Transfer?online survey

Armand Traore: D Absolutely makes no sense to me. First, why would Wenger let a 20-year old go? Arsenal fans say he is decent going forward, but poor defensively. And that’s in the EPL. I could understand if we had a veteran player, the merits of signing a young inexperienced kid to learn from him, but why reinforce De Ceglie, aka “a defensively raw inexperienced left-back” with another one? Supposedly he played left-wing at Portsmouth to some acclaim, but all in all, this move just makes little sense to me. Not entirely writing this kid off, but from what I’ve been told, we’d probably be better off playing Grosso.

What Rating Do You Give to Our Overall Signings?survey software

Overall Signings: B+ Could the mercato have been better? Sure. But after Aquilani’s signing, I said ideally I’d like a left-back, a center-back, and a striker. We got 2/3, and I’m glad we didn’t sign Borriello in full…in addition to all the previous work Marotta did. The only signings I really do not like are Traore and Pepe, but thankfully both are on loan and should be considered reserves. In rebuilding the team, Marotta perhaps opted for “quantity over quality” but to take a team that finished in 7th place with record amounts of goals and losses, that’s what needs to be done.

What Rating Do You Give Overall to Beppe Marotta?online survey

Beppe Marotta: B- This category kind of meshes with the above, but the above is about signings, this is about overall work. I agree that there are questions over the quality in our squad, but there is no doubt this team should be able to get into the Champion’s League. And I agree that perhaps letting Trezeguet, Diego, and Caceres leave when they could have been influential was a mistake. However, remember Krasic, Storari, Bonucci, and Martinez are the only ones we own, the rest can leave if they don’t cut it this season. The squad is younger (youngest in Serie A), we rebuilt the wings, and offloaded high salary players like Tiago, Z3BINA (finally), Poulsen, Trezeguet, Camoranesi, Cannavaro and (d’oh) Diego, to create a lot more salary space for future signings. Marotta had a LOT of work cut out for him- defense, wings, bring down the age, and offload players, and he did them all pretty well, hard to expect a perfect record in each category. Marotta is in his first season at a big club. He’s got things to learn as well, though I think his negotiating and recognition of the team’s needs are encouraging.

From Juventus.com:

Juventus Football Club has announced the consensual rescinding of the contract of footballer Mauro German Camoranesi.

When football is an art

Just like an Argentine tango, made of rhythm, improvisation and passion: this is the football of Mauro German Camoranesi, the football which the Juventus supporters admired and loved for 8 seasons during which “Camo” delighted them with his class and fantasy. 288 appearances with Juventus and 32 goals scored and many more goals which he helped his mates score thanks to his precise crosses, assists and his intuitions which would have been science fiction to others but which for him were just one of the many solutions available within his immense technical baggage.

Three scudetti and 2 Italian Super Cups: these are the trophies he won in bianconero besides a Serie B championship which Mauro accepted to take part in notwithstanding the title of World Champion which he had just won in Berlin with the Italian national team which he was eligible for thanks to a great grandfather who emigrated to Argentina from Pro Potenza Picena at the end of the 1800s. Joyful and available with his team mates, reserved and well spoken with the media, Mauro was never the diva type and never liked to make big statements or public appearances. He always preferred to let his dribbling and his velvet like right-footed shot to speak for him. It will now be the turn of other stadiums to appreciate his right-footed shot but whoever loves Juve will always remember him with affection and gratitude.

Compared with:

Zebina’s contract rescinded
Juventus Football Club has announced that the contract of footballer Jonathan Zebina has been consensually rescinded

Rather different tributes, eh. And thus it will also be on the Juventus Offside. A tribute to the great Mauro Camoranesi will come up later, who has left for Stuttgart. Not sure whether trashing or silence is deserved for Zebina.

Grazie, Mauro. In bocca al lupo.

When asked if he’ll stay at the club, Borriello said: “I don’t know, I am at the height of my career. I have to make a decision. A great champion has arrived and so the space for me is limited.” Milan talisman Clarence Seedorf believes his team-mate should keep a cool head. “For me, Borriello must stay calm. There are still a few days until the end of the market. I don’t like this way of doing things. I would like it if the market were closed already in July. It’s not right that a season starts and you still don’t know where you might end up.”

What do I think about this move? Meh. Same as Quagliarella. It is proving that unfortunately, Beppe Marotta does not have a master plan, and we should seriously question his evaluation of some players quality. I don’t think Quagliarella or Borriello are “Juve-quality” players, nor do either of them merit a 16mil transfer fee.

However, is Borriello better than Amauri? Given the last year, in which Marco scored 14 goals and Amauri 5, yes. The biggest question for Borriello should be the same as Aquilani- injuries. In 08-09, Borriello spent nearly the entire season with Nesta on the treatment table. If he can stay healthy, well, Borriello is the best of a Serie A’s most profligate group of strikers. He’s no Pazzini, but considering it appears Marotta is unable to nab Pazzo, he might be the “least worst striker.”

The other question we should have about this move is it’s effect on future mercati. All these loan moves with right-to-buys are great, but between Pepe, Motta, Borriello, Quagliarella, and Aquilani, we’d have about 55mil in signings next summer. Which kind of precludes future signings. All of these players seem to be solid players for the current season of rebuilding, but can we create a future Juventus with these players?

Ideally, I’d take Borriello on loan…and then just not sign him next summer, unless he makes a hell of an impact. Or more ideally, rather than sign Quagliarella and Borriello, two strikers at their peak (and not real champions) we’d have kept Trezeguet, Diego, and our 30million in transfer fees…