Juventus will make a surprise move for Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery after they were granted a healthy transfer kitty for the summer, according to Il Corriere Dello Sport.
The club announced good profits during their board meeting on Friday as high-powered chiefs gathered around the table to discuss plans to go forward.
Roberto Bettega and Alessio Secco, who are in charge of overseeing transfers, are said to be happy with the outcome after being promised cash to spend during the next transfer session.
It means Franck Ribery is no longer just a dream in Turin and the Bianconeri are likely to fight Real Madrid and Barcelona to sign him.
However, Bayern want nothing less than €40 million for their French attacker. Despite a strong interest from Spain, Juve will not be discouraged and a lucrative bid is expected.
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Juventus chasing Ribery
Juventus-Palermo tonight
It has the taste of a decisive match and yet we are still at the beginning of the second round of the championship. With one point between them, the two teams will be trying to make an important step towards qualification to the most impoartnat of European competitions.
Zaccheroni’s bianconeri will once again be missing Buffon as well as Amauri, Marchisio and latest addition to the list Camoranesi but in compensation will have Grosso back. The bianconeri will be looking, botwithstanding this to lengthen their series of positive results and consecutive wins in the championship.
Delio Rossi’s Palermo, on the other hand have come from a series of positive results, even though most of them were obtained at home. The Sicilians have been lately aspiring for a place in Europe’s top competition.
Kick off at the Olimpico is at 20:45hrs. Follow the live match on www.juventus.com.
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Candreva: «Juve, a unique experience»
«I’m very happy for the goal I’ve scored yesterday, but concerning the exultation and the gesture by which I silenced the audience, I must say it was all instinctive, sometimes joy makes you do certain things, but I would not do that again». Antonio Candreva, at the opening of Juventus Store in via Garibaldi in Torino, just renewed, speaks about the goal that put an end to the challenge vs. Bologna. A goal, his first at Juventus and in Serie A, propitiated by a Del Piero’s masterpiece: «His assist was really great. Playing in a team with so many champions is fantastic and it is an experience completely new compared to those I lived till now».
Scoring such important goals could allow him to have a ticket for South Africa: «I’m not thinking of the National Team at the moment. What matters in this moment is doing well in Juventus and try helping the team»
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A tasty victory ala Bolognese
Zaccheroni fielded a 3-4-3 formation which can be transformed into a 4-2-2 formation at times with Del Piero and Amauri in front of Diego as the attacking duo.
The teams are determined and the first couple of minutes see Bologna putting on an aggressive approach. On the 1st minute a soft back pass towards Buffon forces the keeper to clear on Zalayeta. Two minutes later, there is a free-kick for Bologna: Adailton puts a ball into the area but no Bologna strikers are close enough.
It is the 4th minute when Juve rejoice. A great counter-attack by Diego sees the Brazilian shooting a first time and Viviano saving but the keeper does not manage to hold on and Diego shoots home for the opener: 0-1.
Three minutes later, De Ceglie runs towards goal and is fouled but the referee keeps the card in his pocket. Free-kick for Juve: Diego puts the ball into the area but Zalayeta clears. On the 8th minute, a good Grygera cross goes into the hands of the keeper. Juve are playing well on the attack showing great ballistic and technical skills.
It is the 14th minute when there is a corner for Juve after Zenoni deviated a Diego pass to Amauri: Diego puts the ball into the area but the defence clears. Four minutes later, Melo puts in a good ball but the defence manages to clear.
The 18th minute sees a corner for Bologna: Adailton puts the ball into the area but Legrottaglie clears. One minute later, Zalayeta puts the ball wide from a good position after a series of crosses and clearances.
On the 20th minute there is a good Amauri ball but the flag is up for off-side. Two minutes later, a Marchisio shot is saved by the keeper. From the rebound Diego hits the post. Between the 23rd and the 30th minute, Bologna benefir of 3 corners which are cleared by the Juve defence.
The 32nd minute sees a dangerous ball into the area goes just wide. One minute later there is a free-kick for Juve: ball goes straight into the hands of the keeper. On the 34th minute, there is a free-kick for Bologna from just outside the area for an involuntarily handsball by Melo: Adailton hits the bar.
It is the 36th minute, when a Del Piero cross is cleared by the defence. One minute later, a good Diego cross is cleared by the defence. On the 40th minute, there is a corner for Juve following a Melo shot: Viviani punches away before Amauri manages to strike.
On the 41st minute, Del Piero impresses Harry Potter with a magical move. Four minutes later, a good idea by De Ceglie is blocked. The half ends after two minutes of stoppage time when Chiellini heads away following a dangerous Bologna initiative. After a series of attempts Guana shoots powerfully from a distance with the ball going inches wide.
The second half sees an aggressive start by Colomba’s side. On the 2nd minute, a dangerous cross into the Juve area by Zalayeta goes beyond the line. Two minutes later, a Busce’ ball first hits the post and then sees the player sliding it in for the equalizer: 1-1.
Sissoko comes on for Marchisio on the 8th minute. Five minutes later, there is a free-kick for Juve: Diego's ball sees Viviano saving well. On the 14th minute, a Busce’ shot goes wide and one minute later, Candreva comes on for Diego.
The 16th minute, a good cross into the Bologna area surprises Candreva who does not manage to strike. Two minutes later, the post and De Ceglie deny Gimenez a sitter. On the 19th minute, a Portanova overhead kick goes high over the bar.
It is the 20th minute, in a hard part of the match for Juve that a great through ball by Del Piero finds Candreva who shoots home for the 1-2. Two minutes later, there is a corner for Bologna: ball into the hands of Buffon.
On the 24th minute, a good move by Amauri sees the ball deviated into corner: ball cleared by the defence. One minute later, a Juve goal by Melo is disallowed for a foul in attack by Del Piero to the surprise of all those present.
It is the 32nd minute when a corner for Bologna is cleared by the defence. One minute later, Salihamidzic puts the ball into corner: from the flag the ball reaches Zalayeta who with an overhead kick puts the ball over the bar.
The 35th minute sees a ball which reaches Candreva alone in the area but the shot is kicked away by the keeper. One minute later, there is a corner for Bologna cleared by Melo once again into corner. The second time the ball is cleared by Del Piero and brought out by Legrottaglie.
On the 41st minute, Camoranesi comes on for Del Piero. Corner for Bologna: Buffon saves on a dangerous header by Zalayeta. Three minutes later there is a red card for Raggi.
The 3rd minute of the 5 of stoppage time allotted by Banti sees the Juve defence clearing a dangerous ball in the area. Before the final whistle, on the 50th minute, there is a free-kick for Juve: Brazzo passes to Amauri who shoots but the ball is saved by Viviano.
Juve register their third consecutive victory within a week and are now 4th in the table. The victory in Bologna is a tasty one just like a plate of pasta ala Bolognese.
Serie A 2009/10 – 25th match day
Bologna, Dall’Ara Stadium
Sunday 21st February, 2010
BOLOGNA – JUVENTUS: 1-2
Goals: Diego (4th), Busce’ (49th), Candreva (65th).
BOLOGNA: Viviano; Zenoni (Savio 73rd), Portanova, Moras, Raggi; Buscè, Mudingay (Mingazzini 83rd), Guana, Casarini; Adailton (Gimenez 60th), Zalayeta. Reserves: Colombo, Appiah, Santos, Mingazzini. Coach: Colomba.
JUVENTUS: Buffon; Grygera, Legrottaglie, Chiellini; Salihamidzic, Felipe Melo, Marchisio (Sissoko 53rd), De Ceglie; Diego (Candreva 60th); Amauri, Del Piero (Camornaesi 86th). Reserves: Manninger, Cannavaro, Grosso, Sissoko, Candreva, Camoranesi, Trezeguet. Coach: Zaccheroni.
REFEREE: Banti from Livorno
Yellow Cards: Marchisio (51st), Portanova (94th).
Red Card: Raggi (89th)
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Immediately at work in view of Bologna
Having archived the victory at the Amsterdam Arena against Ajax, in the first leg of the round of 32 of the Europa League, the bianconeri immediately began working . The fixtures see an away match in Bologna on Sunday afternoon at 15:00hrs.
Zaccheroni’s team immediately got back to work for the first of the two sessions that precede the departure to the Emilia capital. A few hours after the return from Holland, all the players were on the field in Vinovo. The players who took part in the match, they all returned free from problems, had an unwinding session while the others took part in normal training.
The approach to the match on Sunday has only one other commitment before. Tomorrow, Saturday 20th February, the team will train in the afternoon and this will be followed at 13:15hrs by a press conference addressed by Alberto Zaccheroni and broadcast live on Juventus Channel.
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Juventus confirm 11 for next year
Juventus have apparently confirmed the 11 players they aren't prepared to sell in the summer. As for the rest, they can leave.
The Bianconeri have already started the re-building process after a terrible season. They currently lie seventh in Serie A and have nothing to play for other than the Europa League and qualification for next year's Champions League.
A lot of attention has fallen on the competency of the board in recent months, but vice-general manager Roberto Bettega is said to be already working on the composition of next year's squad, which promises to be radically different from the existing one.
La Gazzetta dello Sport understands Mauro Camoranesi and David Trezeguet will be leaving Turin. They are both 32 and have one year left on their current deals, so it's the last chance for the Bianconeri to cash in on their talents.
Juventus are also said to be reluctant to give Fabio Cannavaro the option of playing another year while Fabio Grosso is expected to be in the departures lounge, together with Tiago and Molinaro who left the club on loan in January.
Martin Caceres and even Antonio Candreva are also apparently in limbo as the board is unsure whether they in fact deserve a permanent place in Turin.
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Del Piero: «Everything is still possible with regards to the Champions League zone»
Alessandro Del Piero, by means of his personal website www.alessandrodelpiero.com, examined the team’s current moment, made a self-criticism and targeted the Champions League zone is an objective.
«The moment we are going through is under everybody’s eyes and it is difficult to add more to what has already been said. If we really want to force ourselves to find something positive before returning to training in view of the match on Sunday against Genoa, we can have a look at the table and observe that the Champions League – even if through the tricky preliminary stage – is only 3 points away, that is one less than a week ago. I repeat, it is an effort. A necessary effort, because in these moments it is important to determine objectives and find something which gives you the energy to try and change things. The point against Livorno cannot satisfy us, far from it just like I am not satisfied by my performance. Now we have to target our objective – the Champions League zone – and try to reach it as soon as possible. From this point of view everything is still possible and we must lose the opportunity of returning to being protagonists».
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Juve plan big structural changes
Tuttosport understands Juventus are planning to completely change the structure of the club with Marcello Lippi becoming President in October.
The current board has taken most of the flak for Juventus's disastrous season. The Bianconeri appear to have gone backwards this year despite heavy investment in the transfer market.
They were tipped as genuine title contenders in the summer, but currently lie seventh in Serie A, out of the Champions League and Coppa Italia.
The re-introduction of Roberto Bettega as vice-general manager is said to be the first phase of Juventus's so-called reconstruction.
Tuttosport believes the second and third phases will start in the summer when Jean-Claude Blanc steps down as President and reprises his role as the club's chief executive, charged with commercial operations.
Immediately below him, there are plans to hire one of Italy's most famous transfer experts, either Beppe Marotta, Giorgio Perinetti or Pantaleo Corvino.
One of them will apparently flank Alessio Secco, Juventus's existing director of sport.
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Another 1-1 for Zaccheroni’s Juve
For his first away match since he joined Juventus as coach, Alberto Zaccheroni fielded a 3-4-2-1 formation with Legrottaglie, Cannavaro and Chiellini forming the back line and Grosso preferred to De Ceglie on the flank.
During the week Zac said that Cosmi is amongst the best when it comes to motivating his teams and this is soon proven true as Livorno show aggressiveness as from kick-off.
On the 1st minute a long ball by Chiellini reaches Amauri who is stopped for a foul in attack. One minute later, Vitale enters the area dangerously and Chiellini clears what could have been a very dangerous ball.
It is the 3rd minute when Melo enters the area but is stopped by the defence and one minute later an Amauri cross goes all along the area but there is nobody to collect it.
The 5th minute sees a free-kick for Livorno: Filippini's shot goes wide. Two minutes later,
a Pulzetti shot sends shivers down the spines of the bianconeri as it goes slightly wide.
On the 8th minute, a Caceres cross goes straight into the arms of Rubinho. Three minutes later there is a free-kick for Livorno: Vitale's shot goes wide. Livorno benefit of another free-kick on the 17th minute: ball into the area but Buffon handles with ease. Seconds later there is a corner for Juve: Diego passes to Del Piero who hangs in a cross but Rubinho grabs.
It is the 18th minute when there is a free-kick for Juve after a good Caceres initiative: Diego puts the ball into the area but Lucarelli heads away. Juve have another free-kick on the 19th minute: Diego from 39 meters puts the ball in but it is headed away.
Free-kick for Juve from 38 metres on the 213rd minute: Diego puts the ball into the area and Legrottaglie heads well but the referee signals a foul in attack by the defender. Three minutes later, a cross into the Juve area sees Filippini heading home for the opener: 1-0.
On the 29th minute a Lucarelli header sees Buffon well-placed and saving easily. One minute later there is a free-kick for Juve for a foul on Amauri in the semi-circle outside the area: Del Piero from 20 metres sees his projectile being saved with difficulty by the keeper.
Free-kick for Juve for a foul on Amauri in the semi-circle outside the area on the half-hour mark: Del Piero from 20 metres sees his projectile being saved with difficulty by the keeper. Two minutes later there is a corner for Juve: Del Piero puts the ball into the area but Lucarelli heads away.
On the 35th minute a powerful Bellucci shot goes wide and seconds later Amauri is stopped for a foul in attack. It is the 36th minute when a long distant shot by Del Piero goes high over the bar.
The 37th minute sees a corner for Juve: Del Piero puts the ball into the area, Melo heads but the defence clears. Two minutes later there is another corner for Juve: Del Piero puts the ball into the area with the defence clearing a first time. The captian puts the ball in again and again the defence clears with some difficulty.
It is the 41st minute when there is a free-kick for Juve: Diego from a great distance hangs a perfect ball in and Legrottaglie heads home for the equalizer: 1-1. The first half ends after 2 minutes of stoppage time and no real dangers incurred by the two teams.
The second half is more fragmented with the referee stopping play for a number of fouls. On the first minute Rubinho is forced to punch away on a dangerous Juve strike. One minute later, a Candreva shot from outside the area after receiving from Diego is saved on the ground by Rubinho.
On the 5th minute, Zebina comes on for Cannavaro and Juve benefit of a free-kick after a foul on Amauri: Diego sees his ball go straight into the arms of the keeper.
It is the 10th minute when there is a corner for Juve: ball into the area swept away by the defence. One minute later, there is a free-kick for Juve from a good position: Diego puts the ball into the area but the referee whistles for a foul against Grosso.
The 13th minute sees a free-kick for Livorno: after a series of passes the ball reaches Raimondi in the area who does not manage to head well. One minute later, Diego enters the area and puts a very dangerous ball which finds nobody to post home.
On the 15th minute, a beautiful Amauri conclusion is stopped for a handsball. Two minutes later, a Marchini cross is cleared by Chiellini. Sevgen minutes later, Diego puts an excellent cross into the area for Amauri but the striker does not manage to deviate the ball.
It is the 25th minute when there is a corner for Livorno: ball reaches Mozart who shoots but Amauri puts the ball out for another corner. From the second flag kick, the ball reaches Vitale who enters the area and passes to Filippini whose shot goes high over the bar.
The half hour sees De Ceglie come on for Grosso and one minute later a good Del Piero cross sees the keeper saving. On the 36th minute, a Mozart shot goes well high over the bar. One minute later, Rubinho saves on an Amauri incursion and seconds later, Melo sent-off for a second yellow card in a more then strict decision. Giandonato comes on for Del Piero making his debut.
On the 43rd minute, a Moro shot is saved by Buffon and cleared by Chiellini and two minutes later, a Caceres shot goes wide. The 1st minute of the 5 awarded as stoppage time there is a free-kick for Livorno: ball into the area handed by Lucarelli who is shown a yellow card.
The 48th minute sees a Candreva shot go well high over the bar. One minute later, a Marchini shot is first blocked by Legrottaglie and then the same players sees Buffon saving. Two minutes later comes the last bit of action of the match with a De Ceglie shot going high over the bar.
The match ends in a 1-1, the second identical result for Zaccheroni’s Juve in as many matches since the coach from Romagna took over from Ferrara. Juve is surely a work in progress and hopefully this work will begin to pay-off from the next match against Genoa.
Serie A 2009/10 – 23rd match day
Livorno, Picchi Stadium
Saturday 6th February, 2010
LIVORNO – JUVENTUS: 1-1
Goals: Filippini (26th), Legrottaglie (42nd)
LIVORNO: Rubinho; Perticone, Knezevic, Diniz; Raimondi (Marchini 60th), Pulzetti (Moro 80th), Mozart, Filippini, Vitale; Bellucci (Di Gennaro 85th), Lucarelli. Reserves: De Lucia, Bergvold, Moro, Bernardini, Marchini, Di Gennaro, Danilevicius. Coach: Cosmi.
JUVENTUS: Buffon; Legrottaglie, Cannavaro (Zebina 51st), Chiellini; Caceres, Candreva, Felipe Melo, Grosso (De Ceglie 75th); Diego; Del Piero (Giandonato 83rd), Amauri. Reserves: Manninger, Zebina, De Ceglie, Marrone, Giandonato, Giovinco, Paolucci. Coach: Zaccheroni.
REFEREE: Brighi from Cesena.
Yellow Cards: Felipe Melo (20th), Mozart (27th), Cannavaro (46th), Pulzetti (75th), Felipe Melo (82nd), Lucarelli (92nd),
Red Card: Felipe Melo (82nd)
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Blanc: «I’m hoping for a boost starting from Livorno»
On exiting the Lega assembly, president Blanc spoke of the current moment of the team on the eve of the match against Livorno: : «I’m hoping for the boost to be seen tomorrow night. In the last few days I witnessed intensive work carried out with serenity and a high level of attention. Obviously, we will judge everyone’s attitude tomorrow on the field».
Confirming that the objective is to «qualify directly for the Champions League», the president spoke of the work being done by Zaccheroni and what he expects from him: «Every coach has his own style. Obviously, Zaccheroni came during a situation of negative results and hence with his style, with his serenity, his professionalism and experience he will try to bring forth this group. I hope we see the results soon, as from tomorrow. Zaccheroni is also working on the psychological aspect in order to bring back the right attitude into a group that has lost many matches in the last two and a half months and which has had a very long negative period. It is only fair that there was disappointment and it is now only fair to get back and move ahead».
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Zaccheroni: «We must become compact again»
After having gotten to know the Olimpico, it is time for Alberto Zaccheroni to travel. Tomorrow night Juventus will be playing against Livorno, after a week of close contact with the team.
The press conference by the coach from Romagna on the eve of the match is mostly an analysis of the situation after having gotten to know the team: «On the field it is me who informs the lads, on a character level I have to learn from them. We did not only work on tactics even though from a physical point of view I found a team that is well and this could be seen last Sunday. For the whole week I had maximum availability from everyone, which is normal when there is a new coach. Now I must be clever enough to have the same attention».
One of the topics which has been popular in the last few days with regards to the new coach is a 3-strong defence, a trademark of Zaccheroni, who answered to this in this manner: «The 4-3-1-2 formation is known by everyone, the 3-4-1-2 is less known. At the moment we are trying to build, we are carrying out work which will not be finalized by the time of the match in Livorno. First we have to take the best route and then continue. I want a team that can interpret matches and adapt».
In the first few days as Juventus coach, Zaccheroni has received his first confirmations and affirmations: «I have no doubt with regards to the value of this squad but only about the timeframe to realize my project. I often watched the team play this year and I am convinced that the real team is the one seen at the start of the season. My objective is therefore that of recreating the conditions to be able to help it express itself on those levels. First of all we must become compact again».
It is now time for the match against Livorno, not the ideal opponent at the moment, especially in the light of the draw obtained by the amaranto away in Milan a week ago. Zaccheroni concluded with a compliment for his colleague Cosmi: «I will try to change as little as possible to take advantage of the ones who are in a better condition. Cosmi is very clever in many ways and has no rivals when it comes to motivating his teams. He is very concrete and well prepared and I expect a tricky match».
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Juve make Mexes a priority
Juventus would like to sign a centre-back in the summer and Roma's Philippe Mexes is their No 1 transfer target.
Fabio Cannavaro has come under a lot of criticism lately and is likely to retire after the World Cup this summer.
His understudy, Lorenzo Ariaudo, isn't ready to step into the captain's shoes while Martin Caceres is a jack-of-all-trades rather than an established stopper.
Tuttosport understands that Roma's tendency to sell one of their key assets every summer could play into Juventus's hands, although Claudio Ranieri is unlikely to sanction the departure of one of his regulars.
Mexes has a contract with the Giallorossi until 2011 and earns €2.4m a season. The Frenchman will either renew his existing deal or leave in the summer.
He is currently being valued at around €12m, considerably more expensive than Juventus's other targets, Leonardo Bonucci and Serdar Tasci. s
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Zac tests three at back
Alberto Zaccheroni is already experimenting with a three-man defence during today’s Juventus training session.
The Coach replaced Ciro Ferrara on Friday and did not have time to make many changes before his debut, a 1-1 draw with Lazio on Sunday evening.
It’s reported from the Turin training ground that he is now working on three at the back, who are Fabio Cannavaro, Nicola Legrottaglie and Giorgio Chiellini.
It would be a radical switch for the Bianconeri, who have used a four-man defence regularly for many years.
Zaccheroni is famed for a very different tactical system, as he used the 3-4-3 at Udinese and adapted to a 3-4-1-2 when winning the 1999 Scudetto at Milan.
Considering Juve haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last nine games, it is a big risk to take on their trip to Livorno.
“I want to end this myth that I only ever focus on the attack,” commented Zac.
“To support a trident you need four midfielders and so, logically, the defence is reduced to three players.”
Felipe Melo should be back despite a muscular problem, but Momo Sissoko and Zdenek Grygera are suspended.
The injury crisis has above all hit the midfield, where Mauro Camoranesi, Hasan Salihamidzic, Christian Poulsen and Claudio Marchisio join David Trezeguet and Vincenzo Iaquinta.
Newspaper reports out of Turin, where the team has been training behind closed doors, suggest Antonio Candreva and Felipe Melo will be partnered on the wings by Martin Caceres and Paolo De Ceglie.
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