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by DeviAngel Sat Jan 11, 2014 8:26 pm

Barzagli out, Pepe in

Andrea Barzagli is banned, but Simone Pepe returns to the Juventus squad against Cagliari.

This Serie A fixture kicks off at the Stadio Sant’Elia at 14.00 GMT on Sunday, click here for a match preview.

Defender Barzagli is suspended, though Pepe is back in the squad after a series of injury problems that have kept him out for a year.

The winger has played just nine minutes in the Coppa Italia this term and 22 minutes in Serie A last season.

Juventus squad for Cagliari: Buffon, Storari, Rubinho; Chiellini, Caceres, Ogbonna, Peluso, Bonucci; Pogba, Pepe, Marchisio, Padoin, Pirlo, Asamoah, Vidal, Lichtsteiner; Vucinic, Tevez, Giovinco, Llorente, Quagliarella

by S Sun Jan 12, 2014 4:18 pm

Buffon: 'Insinuations amuse me'

Gigi Buffon again slammed those who criticise Serie A leaders Juventus. “Insinuations actually please me.”

The goalkeeper had already pointed out suggestions the Bianconeri win with ‘help’ was used as a ready excuse for those lacking their level of success.

“The fact there are still people today making insinuations on our victories actually pleases me in a way, because it means Juve are back to scaring the opposition,” smiled Buffon on JTV.

“As I already said, that is the alibi for those who do not win and the best justification they can give to their fans.

“Juve have the same role as the butler in a murder mystery – he always did it! Now that I am 36, all of this doesn’t touch me. In fact, it makes me quite proud.”

The title holders can notch up a record 11th consecutive victory this afternoon when they visit Cagliari.

“Last season, between Christmas and New Year, we had a 10-point advantage over second place. In January we struggled and Napoli caught us up. We learned from that experience and are keeping our foot firmly on the accelerator.

“Udinese caused us a huge amount of trouble on home turf, because they have a great tactician. I must also say Roma impressed me for 50-60 minutes. Fiorentina are the only side who beat us, though on top of their talents, we gave them a helping hand that day.

“I am happy with what I’m doing and what I have done, but I am not remotely sated. That is what pushes me on to keep improving. I always want a new challenge.

“I’m sure there will be a new Buffon, maybe someone even better than me. He has probably been born and is already in training as we speak. He may well be deciding whether or not to become a goalkeeper.

“There are some very good goalkeepers out there, like Nicola Leali, Mattia Perin and Francesco Bardi.

“I am very proud to be the captain of Juventus and never would’ve believed it a few years ago. At times I try to avoid thinking about being a reference point for the fans and teammates, just in case the enormity of it intimidates me.

“The initial criticism was excessive, but when you have a lot of experience it’s the type of thing that wakes you up, makes you feel alive again and want to prove yourself all over. This is the essence of our job, the essence of being a top level sportsman.”

Buffon also remembered back to his howler against Lecce, when he let a timid shot slip through his grasp, two years ago in Turin.

“A second after the ball rolled into the net, I heard the chants of support and affection from the crowd. It was priceless.”

by DeviAngel Sun Jan 12, 2014 8:19 pm

Conte: 'Extraordinary Juve'

Antonio Conte praised Juventus for their “extraordinary achievement” of an 11th straight win in Cagliari.

The Bianconeri set a new club record with 11 consecutive Serie A victories, something they had never achieved.

“It’s an extraordinary achievement, the fact in the history of Juventus – knowing the teams they had – never managed this before is amazing. The lads deserve applause, as football can go so quickly that you barely have time to enjoy these moments.

“Now we want to continue this positive streak, knowing full well there will be teams lining up to stop us,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

Despite the 4-1 scoreline, Cagliari had a very strong start and took the lead through Mauricio Pinilla.

“Our start wasn’t that bad, but we conceded on the first opportunity and risked again on another set play. These are distractions we rarely allow ourselves. I called the team to get their minds on the job, as the mind leads the legs.

“Even in moments of difficulty, we held out well and forced Cagliari to use up their energy with a very strong opening hour. This team held Roma at the Olimpico, which shows how good they are.”

Claudio Marchisio replaced Andrea Pirlo in the second half and netted a scorching strike from distance. Manchester United manager David Moyes was in the stands in Cagliari, reportedly to watch both Davide Astori and Marchisio.

“Claudio is an important player for us and I must thank him for his professional attitude, he’s a real champion. He has ended up on the bench this season, but behaved like a great champion and has Juve in his heart. You can see he’s in good shape and today I needed a change of pace in midfield, which he provided.

“Pirlo is coming off a serious injury and is training intensely, so it’s inevitable he’ll have dips in form during the game. I am fortunate enough to have Claudio and others on the bench ready to come in.

“I try to do my best as a Coach and when I make substitutions I look everyone up and down fully before choosing my players. I don’t look at the names or the faces first. I just try to pick the best available team. Sometimes I get it wrong, others I make the right choice.”

by Fuzail Mon Jan 13, 2014 7:40 am

There are a lot of things that lead to success. Every juve fan here will agree that after conte came, our thing was MVP, right? Yes Barzagli Bonucci and Chiellini are strong, but it's really MVP that does it.

This year our M got injured and was more than easily replaced by Pogba. On paper he was replaced, hes a better player seems simple. But can Pogba replace Marchisio?

Last year due to rotation, we saw Pogba on for Vidal. Nothing changed, it was one mohawk for another

Then Pogba sat in pirlos role, I think everyone will agree that was just not right

Now we have four world class midfielders and three spots.

Pogba can play on either side of pirlo
Same for Vidal
Pirlo can just play at his God-like dictating position
Marchisio until recently was like Pogba and Vidal used on either side of Pirlo

Now can Marchisioreplace pirlo? NO. No one can. Can he play in his position? Yes

Pirlo motivated and fit can you know, destroy, skin, eat anyone up. But Pirlo old, playing in his 18th season in a game no one outside of Italy cares about, against a team that cannot afford a stand with proper safety, is slow, over confident and sometimes pedestrian
The corner that lead to cagliari's goal was conceded because of Pirlo giving the ball away being the last midfielder.

I am not going to sayMarchisio would cover him better than Pogba,. Because Pogba is another Vidal upfront and you cannot put that on the bench for safety.

I am trying to say, would Pirlo ever lose a ball like that? Yes and he does against the cagliaris and lecces of serie a

So call me crazy but I would rather see MVP without Pirlo in these games.

Yes Pirlo is a legend, but not a juve legend and he is really not motivated in the smaller games

I would rather put Asamoah on the bench than one of these four butfor

by DeviAngel Mon Jan 13, 2014 10:31 pm

Cagliari: 'Moyes there for Juve'

Manchester United manager David Moyes was in the stands for Cagliari-Juventus, but the hosts insist he “wasn’t there for our players.”

There was a great deal of speculation over who Moyes was there to view at the Stadio Sant’Elia on Sunday afternoon, a game Juve won 4-1.

It was suggested he had made the trip to Sardinia to scout Cagliari defender Davide Astori.

“No, Moyes was not here for that reason,” director of sport Nicola Salerno told calcionews24.

“He wasn’t there for one of our players, as we did not have any contact with Manchester United.”

Therefore Moyes was watching a Juventus player, most likely midfielder Claudio Marchisio, who scored a long-range goal.

Another option would be Mirko Vucinic, but the forward was on the bench throughout.

by Arquitecto Mon Jan 13, 2014 11:11 pm

Very impressive by Juventus as despite being dominated and outplayed by Cagliari in the 1st half, true champions show the mentality to return and win such matches under the mammoth circumstances.

Llorente's brace was impressive, how he towered above the CB to smash it in, his aerial presence is already know. Excellent intelligence to move forward for the 2nd goal, something that he usually he is weak at. Yet what continues to disappoint me is how he is used. His finest play is when given freedom to drop deep and have a runner alongside of him. Within Juventus, despite some excellent plays, he has been played mostly on the shoulder and as a target man, the way he was played under Capaross, despite his success. Tevez cannot be dropped yet Llorente must get the role that does not involve just box play, as he will also pose a more static use of his movement.

Marchisio shows why he is brilliant when given a role that adds more responsibility on his shoulders than the usual. His deployment in the Andrea Pirlo role was brilliant, given his vision and range of passing from deep, making notable use of his excellent ambidexterity. He may be off form yet Conte cannot let go of a player who is so tactically brilliant and can evolve into possibly a wonderful playmaker.

Lichtsteiner my MOTM personally. Was absolutely wonderful.

by BoBo Tue Jan 14, 2014 1:27 am

Some great points.^ I think Juve would do so much better to let go of Pirlo and play Marc in his role he is way better than pirlo will ever be again in that role. Marcs vision is much more direct and accurate and basically we play a 2 man midfield in most games where pirlo is deployed. Marc is a waste of talent on the bench where as dropping pirlo would only be the end of a cycle and very natural. I hate how i some times get the feeling he only plays because conte the club or what ever OWES him his place in the starting 11. to me he sucks 70% of the time and for the 30 he is no more than good.

Pirlo was a HUGE and immidiate impact his first year in a Juve jersey and i will never ever forget his contribution to that scudetto. I think he was the reason more than anyone else to that scudetto.

He looked very much finished his last 3 or 4 years in milan. Maybe some at Juve are afraid he will rise again with anger for another club like inter roma or napoli and do what he did with Juve and maybe he could but i highly doubt it.
Against Bayern it was clear he was not just having bad games but was way past being able to compete at that level. So from a finacial, sporting and legacy point of view it is just crazy to extend his contract.

Let him go and get Marrone back to cover for Marc in that role and then sign Matuidi for free to cover for Vidal and Pogba or include Veratti in the Pogba deal and just get on with it... Pirlo is the past.

by Arquitecto Tue Jan 14, 2014 3:00 am

BoBo wrote:Some great points.^ I think Juve would do so much better to let go of Pirlo and play Marc in his role he is way better than pirlo will ever be again in that role. Marcs vision is much more direct and accurate and basically we play a 2 man midfield in most games where pirlo is deployed. Marc is a waste of talent on the bench where as dropping pirlo would only be the end of a cycle and very natural. I hate how i some times get the feeling he only plays because conte the club or what ever OWES him his place in the starting 11. to me he sucks 70% of the time and for the 30 he is no more than good.

Pirlo was a HUGE and immidiate impact his first year in a Juve jersey and i will never ever forget his contribution to that scudetto. I think he was the reason more than anyone else to that scudetto.

He looked very much finished his last 3 or 4 years in milan. Maybe some at Juve are afraid he will rise again with anger for another club like inter roma or napoli and do what he did with Juve and maybe he could but i highly doubt it.
Against Bayern it was clear he was not just having bad games but was way past being able to compete at that level. So from a finacial, sporting and legacy point of view it is just crazy to extend his contract.

Let him go and get Marrone back to cover for Marc in that role and then sign Matuidi for free to cover for Vidal and Pogba or include Veratti in the Pogba deal and just get on with it... Pirlo is the past.

Bobo, I disagree on Pirlo being past it as Bayern example is not the best one, given Conte resorted to the pragmatic system he has frequently deployed against Lazio and Napoli last season, to which was the bane of Juve's existence vs Bayern. That system renders Pirlo useless as it does to Marchisio given both their sacrificial roles in that system.

I still see how tangible Pirlo's impact is as you have to understand what you will be missing without his vision, us Milanisti learned the hard way after he left.

Marchisio? He is completely able to play the DLP given his technique and two-footedness yet I feel Juventus and Marchisio should part, given the now utility role he continues to play whether SS or DLP, and somewhere; whether Manchester United or Schalke, he would display the full range of completeness that has the ones rate him so highly.

by S Tue Jan 14, 2014 11:27 pm

Buffon: Pogba could win Ballon d'Or

The 35-year-old believes his Juventus team-mate has the potential to win Fifa's prestigious award in the future, while his vote for the 2013 honour went to Andrea Pirlo

Buffon named his team-mate Andrea Pirlo as his No.1 selection this year, and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona's Lionel Messi as his second and third choices, respectively.

However, the Italy international feels midfielder Pogba has the potential to win the prize and has questioned Manchester United's judgement in allowing the 20-year-old to join the Turin club.

"I voted for Pirlo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi," Buffon told Italia 1. "Pirlo because he is the best in his role, Ronaldo because he was the best in 2013, Messi because he is the best of all time.

"In the future I could vote for Pogba. He is one of those players that leaves you open-mouthed.

"Myself and my team-mates, even in the third or fourth training session with him when he was still a stranger, wondered if they can see well in Manchester."

Buffon, who has had spells with Parma as well as Juventus, has won every honour in the Italian domestic game and was part of the Italy side that claimed their fourth World Cup title in 2006.

But the Champions League trophy has continued to elude the 35-year-old, who came closest in 2003's penalty-shootout loss to Milan in the final.

And, with Juve eliminated in the group stage of this season's competition, Buffon doubts whether his team will win the tournament during his time at the club.

"Compared to big clubs in Europe, there's still a little something lacking," he explained.

"When we met Bayern Munich last year, I realised that there was something still to be filled.

"Conte is sure we will win the Champions League. I had this thought 20 years ago, but it has certainly began to waver a bit."

by S Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:18 pm

Buffon: Are Man Utd blind?

Gianluigi Buffon has admitted that he didn’t know what Manchester United were thinking letting Paul Pogba go.

The French youngster joined the Bianconeri on a free transfer from the Old Trafford outfit, and has since gone on to become one of the Old Lady’s most integral parts.

And the shot-stopper has conceded that it was obvious straight away what a talent Pogba was.

“He's one of those players who leaves you with your mouth wide open,” Buffon told Italia Uno.

“We all asked ourselves, after seeing him train with us for the third or the fourth time, when he was still unknown, whether the people in Manchester couldn't see very well.”

by DeviAngel Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:17 pm

A movie will be shoot for Juve link :

http://www.blackandwhitestripes.com/

- | Juventus Arena | - - Page 4 Www.blackandwhitestripes.com

by S Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:30 pm

Isnt this supposed to be posted in the Museum thread ? hmm

Thats a nice pic btw ^

by S Thu Jan 16, 2014 2:03 pm

It time for contract renewals at Juventus. As reported by Tuttosport, in fact, Marotta, after bringing home the signatures of Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo, which, however, will formalize the agreement with Juventus only in February, would be ready to" lock down "the other 5 players: starting, of course, Paul Pogba, who, rumors aside, in the next few days should continue with the champions of Italy, to continue with Lichtsteiner and Asamoah, until you get to Chiellini and Marchisio, elements that are part the "old guard" of Conte's team, and have every intention of staying at Juventus for life.

by S Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:57 pm

JSS expands international reach to Tunisia

The Juventus International Camp Tunisia is unveiled at a press conference by manager Marco Isnardi and head coach coordinator Davide Fornaca

The Juventus Soccer Schools project has extended its international reach after being officially unveiled in Tunisia.
There in person to present the Juventus International Camp Tunisia initiative during yesterday’s press conference in Tunis were JSS manager Marco Isnardi and head coach coordinator Davide Fornaca.
The training camps, which are set to begin in March, represent an excellent opportunity for local coaches to learn new skills whilst allowing participants to experience the teaching values that have always set Juventus apart.

- | Juventus Arena | - - Page 4 61f2b905-4604-4158-86eb-7f95db296bb6

http://www.juventus.com/juve/en/news/jss_tunisia_launch

by S Fri Jan 17, 2014 12:48 pm

Tevez: Juventus can win the double

The Bianconeri striker is hoping to complete his collection of continental medals and to help his side close out the Serie A title race

Juventus attacker Carlos Tevez is determined to help his side triumph in both the Serie A title race and in the Europa League.

The Argentine moved to Turin in the summer from Manchester City and has scored 11 goals in 19 league appearances as the Bianconeri sit eight points clear of nearest rivals Roma.

However, he was unable to prevent a premature Champions League exit but the 29-year-old is determined to make up for it in Europe's secondary competition.

"I'm thinking about both competitions. I want them both," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"I won titles in Argentina, Brazil and England. Italy would be the fourth country. I dream of writing a page in the history of this club.

"[The Europa League] is the only international competition I'm missing at club level."

Despite Juve's hefty lead at the top of Serie A, Tevez is adamant that the title race is far from over, given some of their tough trips to come.

"Unfortunately, it's not finished. We have some of the toughest away matches: Napoli, Roma, Lazio, AC Milan and Udinese, for example," he continued.

Finally, Tevez says that playing in Serie A has made him a more complete player following successful spells in England, Brazil and Argentina.

"It's still the toughest league in the world. It's the university of football. Tactically, it's at the highest level here and we suffer on the field," he said.

"Italy is completing me. If you can score goals here, you can anywhere."

by S Fri Jan 17, 2014 1:22 pm

Three Bianconeri shortlisted for Golden Foot 2014

Gigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Pirlo have all been nominated for the illustrious Golden Foot 2014 award, an international prize handed to players over the age of 28.

The three Bianconeri, alongside Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi, are the only Italians who figure in the 30-strong shortlist of contenders for the Best Player of the Year recognition.

An online voting process, open to the general public, will see the list whittled down to 10 candidates. These will be revealed in April, prompting another round of votes ahead of October’s gala night in Monaco.

The eventual winner will be announced during the ceremony and presented with his award by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco before leaving his footprint on the Champions Promenade, an open-air museum situated on the Principality of Monaco’s waterfront.

The Golden Foot accolade, first handed over in 2003 to Roberto Baggio, also counts Pavel Nedved and Alessandro Del Piero amongst its previous winners.

Several legends of the game will also be invited to leave their permanent mark on the Champions Promenade, with Jean-Pierre Papin, Carlos Valderrama and Osvaldo Ardiles the three to be honoured last year.

http://www.juventus.com/juve/en/news/golden_foot_2014_nominees

by salmano9 Mon Jan 20, 2014 1:26 am

Ciro Immobile is becoming a star at Torino, but concedes their rivals Juventus could be in his future. “It doesn’t depend on me.”

The striker is co-owned between the two city neighbours and currently impressing in the Granata jersey with nine Serie A goals.

“The World Cup is a dream for everyone, but first I have to achieve another dream with Torino. Can we get into Europe? First we must secure safety, then we’ll see,” he told Tuttosport.

“The fans are ambitious and that is a positive thing, but nobody here can predict the future or know what will happen.

“As for my future, it’s no mystery that it doesn’t depend on me. I am happy at Torino, so why should I want to leave? Everyone knows I am co-owned by Juventus, so the situation will have to be sorted out between all three parties at the right time.

“Meanwhile, I am focused only on what is best for Torino. I will admit I was nervous when I first arrived, as I didn’t know how the fans would treat me, but the Granata immediately made me feel like I was at home. They are fantastic.”

Immobile shot to fame at Pescara with Marco Verratti and Coach Zdenek Zeman, who reminds him of Toro boss Giampiero Ventura.

“They have the same focus on tactical details, the desire to play good football and never give the ball away. Plus they have that ironic sense of humour that helps in the locker room at the right moment. It’s important to create the right alchemy.

“It will be tougher for Torino in the second half of the season, as we are no longer a surprise package. We want to prove at all costs that if we got this far up the table, it was not a fluke.”
====
He is proving to be a good player
He scored a nice goal today, amazing chip to the GK, in the rainy bad weather.
He could be used for potential deals, or we could buy his other half, then sell him worth a lot. He is worth at least 10m now...

by dronte Mon Jan 20, 2014 1:51 am

Amazing youth we have right now, Gabbiadini, Immobile, Berardi all banging goals this year

by S Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:09 pm

No Conte conference pre-Roma?

Antonio Conte will reportedly not be addressing the media ahead of Juventus’ Coppa Italia clash with Roma.

Coaches traditionally talk to reporters on the day preceding each fixture, but ahead of Tuesday evening’s Cup quarter-final in the capital, Conte is reported by Tuttosport as set to skip that particular commitment.

Roma Coach Rudi Garcia is expected in front of the microphones during the course of Monday, however.

by DeviAngel Wed Jan 22, 2014 4:01 am

Barzagli on Roma and Vucinic

Andrea Barzagli was “disappointed” with a Coppa Italia exit to Roma and reveals Mirko Vucinic’s Juventus locker “is empty.”

The defender spoke to RAI Sport after a 1-0 quarter-final defeat at the Stadio Olimpico.

“Of course we’re disappointed to go out of the Coppa Italia, as this was one of our objectives.

“What did we get wrong? The goal. We knew it would be a balanced encounter that would be decided on incidents, which in truth it was at the Juventus Stadium too.

“We had a few chances, but the goal came late and we didn’t have time to turn it around.”

Gervinho scored the winner 11 minutes from time after good work from Miralem Pjanic and Kevin Strootman.

“We hesitated for a moment. When you concede, there are always a series of errors. We could’ve closed up on them earlier in the move, but Roma are so strong on these moves and we tried to prevent them going on the counter-attack.

“Pjanic’s pass looked like it was going out, but Strootman kept it in, and then the cross found Gervinho reacting quickly to get in position.

“We are doing very well this season, as we’re top in Serie A and still in the Europa League. This exit and the Champions League were painful, but will help us grow.”

Antonio Conte was angry at the decision to disallow Federico Peluso’s goal, but Barzagli calmed the situation.

“To be honest, I don’t think a player should comment on refereeing decisions. They look different on the pitch to on television. I didn’t see them, so I won’t comment.”

Today has been chaotic for Barzagli’s teammate Vucinic, who was on the verge of a move to Inter in exchange for Fredy Guarin before Erick Thohir pulled the plug under pressure from fans.

“He had emptied his locker. We said goodbye to Mirko and he was an integral part of two and a half fantastic years. If he returns to Vinovo then we’ll embrace him again.”

by DeviAngel Sun Jan 26, 2014 10:10 pm

by salmano9 Sun Jan 26, 2014 11:00 pm

Beautiful pictures Smile

by DeviAngel Mon Jan 27, 2014 7:33 pm

Klose: Tevez, Llorente have to go

Miroslav Klose has asserted his belief that Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente both ‘deserve’ and ‘have to go’ to the World Cup this summer.

Both in their first season in Turin, the two Juventus strikers have attracted respective debate over possible returns to their national sides.

Whilst Llorente is seen as having re-attracted the attentions of Spain boss Vicente del Bosque, Tevez’s poor relationship with Alejandro Sabella sees hopes with Argentina look unlikely.

Considering the prospect of heading out to Brazil and not seeing either striker there with him, Lazio’s leading forward made clear his opinion.

“A World Cup without Tevez and Llorente would be less spectacular,” Klose told reporters over the weekend.

“The two Juventini are great strikers, they both deserve to go to Brazil.”

Klose faced the duo in Week 21’s 1-1 draw between Lazio and Juve, with Llorente equalising for the Bianconeri.

by DeviAngel Mon Feb 03, 2014 5:19 am

Conte: 'Juve always attack'

Antonio Conte praised Juventus for their “attacking mentality” against Inter and explained how Daniel Osvaldo will help.

Stephan Lichtsteiner, Arturo Vidal and Giorgio Chiellini were on target in a 3-1 Derby d’Italia victory this evening.

“We won. That’s good. We prepared this game in every minute detail, including how they might mark Andrea Pirlo or not mark him by bringing Mateo Kovacic and Ricky Alvarez on him in turns,” Conte told Sky Sport Italia.

“We played well and it’s just a shame we conceded that goal which created a bit of anxiety. People ask why I continue waving my arms like crazy on the touchline, it’s because I know it just takes one moment of fortune to score and the game is open again when the tension sets in.

“We are the top scorers in Serie A, but could’ve had more goals tonight. Samir Handanovic did very well on several occasions and we weren’t as accurate as we could’ve been, but I was more interested in the performance and I’m happy with that.”

Sky pundit Gianluca Vialli joked that Vidal, Paul Pogba and Claudio Marchisio score so many goals because Conte can teach them the tricks of the trade.

“As a player I did like this role and going forward to replace the striker. That attacking bent was always in my mentality as a player and now as a Coach, as I always wanted to take the initiative. I say it’s better to lose a game by attacking – as we could’ve done at Lazio last week – than to draw while sitting behind the ball.

“As a player I won five Scudetti, the Champions League and everything there was to win, so I can only wish they follow me and do even better.

“It’s rare we go on the counter-attack, as we don’t have players with those characteristics. We study our opponents and how to limit their strengths, but still maintain our own strong points.

“When attacking, our wingers go on the same level as the strikers. A 3-5-2 is variable and all down to the interpretation. There are others who use this system in a more defensive way and to go on the counter, but that’s not our style.”

Osvaldo was signed on deadline day from Southampton, arriving on a free loan with option to buy for €19m.

“Osvaldo was an opportunity that we took, as the striker desperately wanted Juventus and cut so much off his wages. We are happy to have a player who improves our quality in attack, as we have Serie A and the Europa League to challenge for.

“There were some very well-defined hierarchies and some others who had been here a long time and perhaps needed a little competition to renew their enthusiasm. It was positive to know players wanted Juve so much that they’d reduce their wages to help it happen.”

Fredy Guarin was about to arrive at Juve in exchange for Mirko Vucinic, but Inter pulled the plug.

“Guarin was an opportunity too that had been created between the clubs. I didn’t make any specific requests, but if the opportunities arise on the market then we’d take them. It all stopped and we’re happy as we are now.”

by DeviAngel Mon Feb 03, 2014 5:21 am

Vidal: 'Juve start was key'

Arturo Vidal scored in the 3-1 victory over Inter and said the difference was in the way Juventus started.

“It was important to win against a team it is always difficult to face. Now we have to continue like this until the end,” the Chilean told Sky Sport Italia.

“We started strong, unlike our performances against Roma in the Coppa Italia and Lazio in Serie A. We have proved how much we want to win the third consecutive Scudetto.”

Mirko Vucinic was a late substitute and his Juve teammates tried to set him up for a goal against the club he nearly joined last week, but he only hit the upright.

“This team is a family and it’s important Mirko stayed here, as we need everyone.”

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