Chance for Redemption

In around three months, the Juventus management (President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, Managing Director Jean Claude Blanc, Sporting Director Alessio Secco and Manager Claudio Ranieri) have a gilt-edged chance to put themselves on the path to redemption in the supporters' eyes. The bulk of this burden lies on the first three names on this list, as Ranieri has proved himself at least a decent manager over the past few years, especially with the resources at his disposal. He performed admirably in guiding Juve to a 3rd place finish last year, and has been cursed with a spate of injuries that would bury even the most accomplished of managers.

However, the upper management of Cobolli Gigli, Blanc and Secco have much more for which to answer. Staunch Juventus supporters like myself are fed up with the poor handling of footballing matters, and it's high time that changes are made, whether they be through sacking or a simple change in mentality. As I've mentioned many times before, the purchase of such abject failures such as Jean-Alain Boumsong, Sergio Almirón, Tiago, and (more recently) Christian Poulsen who seems a poor buy already, cannot be simply swept under the rug.

That being said, the chance to take positive steps forward looms large in January. Such names as Diego Ribas da Cunha of Werder Bremen, Xavi Hernández of Barcelona have been thrown around, but it remains to be seen whether or not this transfer period will come and go without a quality signing to show for it. The fans are restless, and nothing but excellence and forward progress will quell the complaints and remonstrations in the near future. Only a return to winning ways will quiet the fans and placate expectations.

No-Win Situation

It's the 71st minute of the Juventus-Napoli match and Claudio Ranieri might have just lost us the match. Tied 1-1, Ranieri opted to withdraw captain and lethal finisher Alex Del Piero for... Paolo De Ceglie. While De Ceglie has a bright future ahead of him, he is naturally a left back or left midfielder. By sacrificing a 2nd forward for a more defensive-minded midfielder, Ranieri has once again shown his "no-lose" attitude as opposed to the "must-win" mindset we've come to expect as Bianconeri fans.

At this point, I'm so upset with the Juve management I can't even speak. More to follow when the final whistle blows.

Update: Literally less than 10 minutes from the moment I began writing this post, Ezequiel Lavezzi ghosted in to make it 2-1 for Napoli. I want to be happy that my analysis was correct, but I'm so angry at Claudio Ranieri's idiocy I can't enjoy it at all.

Final update: Juve lost 2-1 thanks to Claudio Ranieri's complete lack of managerial knowledge. The only positive that could come of this is if the upper management finally realizes that Ranieri is trash and sacks him immediately.

Where Do We Go From Here?

We're only a few games into the season, but I've already had my fair share of disappointment, anger and frustration as a Juventus fan. My beloved Bianconeri have, to put it bluntly: sucked. The high hopes of last season's miraculous 3rd place finish, the return of La Formica Atomica (the Atomic Ant) Sebastian Giovinco and the signing of Amauri was supposed to signal Juventus' return to Europe's elite. But apparently it's not yet to be.

Juventus' dreadful upper management (whose names I will not mention at this time because they've become worse than expletives in my mind) have managed to nearly break the Old Lady's hip, an injury that may take more than this season to heal. Instead of investing in quality players (like anyone who knows the game would do), the Juventus directors have splashed cash on past and present garbage which has been incredibly detrimental for the team (see Jean-Alain Boumsong, Tiago, Sergio Almirón, Christian Poulsen, Momo Sissoko).

The board's insistence on crushing supporters' hopes and dreams by announcing their interest in world-class players and settling for world-class losers is enough to give even the most fair-weather Juve fan a conniption. A year ago, if you told me that instead of lining up with Xabi Alonso, Diego Ribas da Cunha, or Rafael Van Der Vaart, Juve would be sporting the likes of Christian Poulsen and Momo Sissoko side by side, I would have fought you for even mentioning the possibility. Now, as if to further enrage supporters, the management have decided to continue in their ways of stocking up on useless defensive midfielders.

While I believe Yaya Touré is a great player, he is a player that is of absolutely no use to a Juve side lacking creative midfielders and wing talent. If Touré's purchase came with the added bonus of Tiago, Sissoko, Poulsen's sales and the purchase of Diego and another creative midfielder, I would be overjoyed. Since this is far from the case, I am incensed at the board's overarching idiocy.

To me, the plan seems incredibly simple: Sell Tiago, Sissoko, Poulsen and Molinaro. They are not of Juventus quality, and need to be offloaded. Next, Juve must bring in at least one creative midfielder for the centre and one winger. Finally, we must secure a quality left back and a world-class centre back. While I am more than aware that the actual implementation of this plan is not nearly as easy as it sounds, I'm quite sure it would be possible if the board actually cared enough about the club to give it a shot.

Is It Time?

The Tinkerman's hour may be up. 4 goals in the last 5 games is hardly a stat that makes Juventus fans quiver with excitement. With such such a high-powered attack, boasting the likes of (now injured) David Trezeguet, Amauri, Alex Del Piero, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Mauro Camoranesi and Pavel Nedved, why aren't the goals flowing?

In my opinion, the problem lies in Claudio Ranieri's overwhelmingly cautious mindset. Too often he goes into matches hoping not to lose, rather than attempting to win. It happened multiple times last year, when Juve lost the title by not being able to beat the smaller teams. Too many times the players he dispatched seem intent on defending with their lives, rather than capitalizing on weaker opponents and attacking with aplomb. Interestingly enough, Ranieri seems to grow in confidence when his Bianconeri side face opponents of a larger magnitude, rarely ever losing to "big" clubs. More often than not, Juve has prevailed in the higher profile matches over the past year or so, leading me to believe that Ranieri does have it in his power to play with an aggressive mindset.

Many of Ranieri's critics (myself included) state that his tactics are too cautious overall, and he should be scrapped in favor of a more adventurous manager. While the midfield tandem of Christian Poulsen and Momo Sissoko offer plenty of steel and defensive cover, a more creative centre-midfielder would provide much of the spark the side needs. While much of the blame can be placed on Ranieri, it's been a long-standing point of contention with Juventus supporters over lack of discretion in the transfer market.

However, although Ranieri does seem to have a no-lose mindset, it has to be said that with the exception of Amauri, most of the attacking players have not been pulling their weight on the goalscoring front. With chances galore, someone besides the big Brazilian-Italian has to step up before Ranieri is sacrificed on their behalf.