As Conte equals Capello's unbeaten league record - Here is how Juventus 2012 compares with the class of 2006

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3276/serie-a/2012/03/25/2990292/as-conte-equals-capellos-unbeaten-league-record-here-is-how

By Sergio Stanco & Kris Voakes

"I'm told that with today's result we have equalled the record of Fabio Capello's Juve with 28 games without defeat. Well, now go and watch Capello's Juve and tell me we are not working wonders."

So said Antonio Conte after his Bianconeri had beaten Fiorentina 5-0 last Saturday. His class of 2012 have equalled the record of 'Don Fabio's outfit in 2005-06, who bounced back from defeat to challengers AC Milan in week 10 to go the rest of the season unbeaten on the road to the Scudetto.

But does that make Conte's team as good as Capello's? Does it mean that this season's achievement is greater than the one of six years ago? Goal.com takes up the coach's challenge and compares the two Juventus sides.

FABIO'S FINEST

The fact that it was erroneously reported in Conte's post-match interview in Florence that Capello's men set their 28-game record in 2004-05 shows how little it was remembered. In fact, the Friuli native's men lost just one game in 2005-06, against the second-placed Rossoneri, on their way to a 91-point haul in the second of the two Calciopoli-affected seasons. Their entire campaign tally came from 27 victories, 10 draws and one defeat.

One area in which the current Bianconeri have definitely excelled is in their head-to-heads with Milan. Capello's side drew their home fixture with Carlo Ancelotti's outfit, meaning they failed to beat the Rossoneri in either meeting, whereas the present day side won 2-0 in October thanks to two late Claudio Marchisio goals.

This was the era, though, with Buffon still at the very top of his game behind names like Fabio Cannavaro and Lilian Thuram in the centre of defence. Ahead of them was the midfield partnership of Emerson and Patrick Vieira, with the latter having signed the previous summer from Arsenal. Up top came Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Trezeguet with, then as now, Alessandro Del Piero in reserve. It was the team which many agreed was the best of the Luciano Moggi era, particularly in terms of the superior defensive strategy. And, lest we forget, that summer's World Cup-winning Italy squad featured five highly-influential Juve players.

CONTE'S CONTENDERS

The big factor when comparing the two would be in terms of how many of the current side would get into that Juve team. Even Buffon is arguably a little more susceptible than he was six years ago, with perhaps only Andrea Pirlo being of the level now that the 2006 Bianconeri would have sought to improve their line-up.

The likes of Giorgio Chiellini, Arturo Vidal, Marchisio and Mirko Vucinic may have been key additions to Capello's bench, but with Mauro Camoranesi working so hard down the right and Pavel Nedved excelling on the left, there will have been little space for the current crop to force their way in.

One area that really would have been strengthened with today's number is right-back, with the underperforming Jonathan Zebina no match for Stephan Lichtsteiner, even though the Swiss has been asked to raise his level of late to keep Martin Caceres from winning his place on the flank.

With that in mind, a ratings comparison is arguably the right way to decide just how the two sides would match up, with Capello's men marked by their 2006 form.

TWO OLD LADIES COLLIDE - THE HEAD-TO-HEAD
JUVENTUS 2005-06
JUVENTUS 2011-12

GK
Buffon
9.5
Buffon
9

RB
Zebina
5
Lichtsteiner
6.5

CB
Cannavaro
9
Barzagli
6.5
Thuram
9
Bonucci
5

LB
Zambrotta
7.5
Chiellini
7

RW/RM
Camoranesi
7.5
Vidal
7.5

CM
Emerson
7
Pirlo
9
Vieira
7
Marchisio
7

LW/LM
Nedved
9
Pepe
6.5

ST
Ibrahimovic
8
Matri
6.5
Trezeguet
9
Vucinic
7

2006 AVERAGE
7.95

2012 AVERAGE
7.05

THE IMPOSSIBLE COMPARISON

In short, if Capello's Juve was a Scudetto winner, Conte's would be a Europa League side in comparison. If these two came up against each other in a match - impossible though that is - there could well be a result similar to the one against Fiorentina last weekend. However, there is a big 'but' to come.

That 2006 team won the Scudetto against a Milan that had Cafu, Nesta, Stam and Maldini in defence, Gattuso, Ambrosini, Pirlo and Seedorf in midfield, and the likes of Kaka, Inzaghi, Shevchenko and an in-form Gilardino available in attack. If Juve were different back then, so were Milan.

So too were Inter. They finished third under Roberto Mancini with 76 points, with an excellent Roma finishing fourth. The reason this year's Juve may have struggled to make the top three in 2006 is that so many teams back then DID struggle to compete in what was a hugely competitive league.

Perhaps then, the real answer is that, statistics apart, there is no comparison between the two Juve sides, because there is no comparing the two leagues either. The 2011-12 Serie A is in an altogether different world to its 2005-06 version, meaning Conte's Juve would not only have struggled to remain unbeaten, but also found it difficult to compete with many sides at the top end of the league.

Capello's Juve were a far superior team. They had to be to win such a magnificent competition.

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A pretty good article. That 2006 squad was so dominant. Almost every single player was a first team selection for his respective national team and most of those teams were potential World Cup contenders. I agree with the overall conclusion of the article, but the fact that Conte has put together a run that can even be compared to the 2006 team is a very remarkable feat by itself.

The only similarity off the two sides is that both coaches wont play Del Piero.

I hated and still do hate Capello one of the reasons was his inability to make the strongest side in the world ever, play some great football they didnt and they couldnt because off him. Capello made Juve look like a fool in europe thoose two seasons with totaly bullocks tactics. It was very little achivement to win the league with that squad but Capello still managed to make it look very difficult.

This new Juve fills me with pride and joy and already plays some much much better and more beautiful football.
And this Juve will rip up europe too next season. Forza JUVE

I disagree. I love Del Piero, but you had to pair Zlatan with Trez because of the way their styles complemented each other. However, Capello still used ADP in 30 league matches (far more than his prior season). Also, people forget that ADP did not have a very good season the year before Capello arrived and many talked about him being past his prime. Capello just happened to be the manager that was stuck with the unfortunate decision to go with a player like Ibra, who was entering his prime, over ADP.

Capello is a great coach that has won everywhere he goes. I do agree that the 2005-06 Champions League campaign was very disappointing, especially when you consider that the squad was only stronger than the prior year, but the 2004-05 campaign ended by losing to Liverpool. That Liverpool team was a team of destiny and there is no shame in losing to them.

the 2006 team had two golden ball winers; NEDVED + CANNAVARO

at this moment the only player who deserve to think about the golden BALL on all SERIE A is IBRAHIMOVIC

if MAROTTA manage to bring two magical players like NEDVED + TREZEGUET on the summer then we can start to compare the 2006 with 2012

you will be hard pressed to find another nedved anytime soon