Serie A Week 1: Juventus Edges Out Chievo With 1-0 Win
August 25th 2009 00:20
Juventus is one of those teams who had a disruptive pre-season this summer. New arrivals and various injuries didn't leave much time for new manager Ciro Ferrara to really get the line-ups he wanted, nor for the players to get the appropriate amount of PT. The bianconeri's lack of fitness showed in their opening game of the season where an early goal was enough for them to defeat ChievoVerona.
The one player who stood out in that game was Juventus midfielder Diego. Acquired from Werder Bremen during the summer, the Brazilian is already a fan favorite at the Stadio Olimpico thanks to a dazzling first half performance. Showing great poise and technique, Diego attracted the ball – and fouls – like a magnet. It was his free-kick that connected with Iaquinta's head in the 11th minute to put the home side ahead. However, his magical touch on the ball was also a negative quality as he often tried to do crowd-pleasing passes and moves instead of keeping it simple.
With Diego showing his stuff in midfield and Amauri and Iaquinta looking dangerous in front, Juventus easily dominated the opening 45 minutes. Amazingly enough, that great first half performance was almost canceled out by a poor second half where Chievo basically sieged Juventus' territory while the bianconeri relied on a solid Cannavaro-Chiellini pairing in defense to fend off any dangerous attack and hit the visitors on the break.
Unfortunately, that tactic didn't work at all for the hosts. After two breaking attacks around the hour-mark, Juventus players looked exhausted and seemed unable to keep up with the pace of the game. From the 70th minute to the final whistle, it was like watching a game in slow-motion due to Juventus' compact defensive form and Chievo's patient probbing. Finally, they managed to hold out for the win, but there's no doubt that against a more talented team, Ciro Ferrara's side probably would have lost the game. They have to thank Cannavaro, Chiellini, Buffon and Pellissier's bad luck for those three points. Check below for a full highlights video.
Juventus line-up: Gianluigi Buffon; Zdenek Grygera, Fabio Cannavaro, Giorgio Chiellini, Hasan Salihamidzic (Paolo De Ceglie, h-t); Claudio Marchisio, Christian Poulsen, Tiago (Luca Marrone, 73rd), Diego (Mauro Camoranesi, 88th); Amauri, Vincenzo Iaquinta.
The one player who stood out in that game was Juventus midfielder Diego. Acquired from Werder Bremen during the summer, the Brazilian is already a fan favorite at the Stadio Olimpico thanks to a dazzling first half performance. Showing great poise and technique, Diego attracted the ball – and fouls – like a magnet. It was his free-kick that connected with Iaquinta's head in the 11th minute to put the home side ahead. However, his magical touch on the ball was also a negative quality as he often tried to do crowd-pleasing passes and moves instead of keeping it simple.
With Diego showing his stuff in midfield and Amauri and Iaquinta looking dangerous in front, Juventus easily dominated the opening 45 minutes. Amazingly enough, that great first half performance was almost canceled out by a poor second half where Chievo basically sieged Juventus' territory while the bianconeri relied on a solid Cannavaro-Chiellini pairing in defense to fend off any dangerous attack and hit the visitors on the break.
Unfortunately, that tactic didn't work at all for the hosts. After two breaking attacks around the hour-mark, Juventus players looked exhausted and seemed unable to keep up with the pace of the game. From the 70th minute to the final whistle, it was like watching a game in slow-motion due to Juventus' compact defensive form and Chievo's patient probbing. Finally, they managed to hold out for the win, but there's no doubt that against a more talented team, Ciro Ferrara's side probably would have lost the game. They have to thank Cannavaro, Chiellini, Buffon and Pellissier's bad luck for those three points. Check below for a full highlights video.
Juventus line-up: Gianluigi Buffon; Zdenek Grygera, Fabio Cannavaro, Giorgio Chiellini, Hasan Salihamidzic (Paolo De Ceglie, h-t); Claudio Marchisio, Christian Poulsen, Tiago (Luca Marrone, 73rd), Diego (Mauro Camoranesi, 88th); Amauri, Vincenzo Iaquinta.
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