The new Old Lady

by RealGunner Sat Sep 17, 2011 12:14 pm

As starts go it wasn't bad, was it? Twice last week Juventus took full advantage of opportunities to show just how bright their future will be. On September 8, Juventus inaugurated their brand new 41,000 capacity stadium - built on the site of the old Stadio Delle Alpi - which makes them the only club in Serie A to own their own stadium. Just three days later they picked apart a poor Parma side to win 4-1 in their first official game at their new home.

The stadium is ultra-modern, with premium seating, executive boxes and lounges, while it bursts with state-of-the-art technology to allow Juve to leave behind the image of decrepit and unsuitable stadia blighting the Italian league. It puts the Bianconeri in position to reap the benefits of the income it generates, allowing them to compete on a level playing field with other major European clubs as the full impact of UEFA's financial fair play regulations begin to affect the spending power of the continent's leading sides.

On the field, the teamvery much represents the way football is played today. They pressed their opponents deep into their own half, maintained possession efficiently and kept it with a high-tempo short passing game employed by the most admired teams in Europe. That they did so in the very first game of the season bodes well for the club and its players, particularly in light of yet another radical overhaul of the squad. The transfer window saw eight new signings arrive to improve a team that limped to its second consecutive second place finish last term under Gigi Delneri

They are not alone in Serie A, where many teams have made sweeping changes this summer. From Roma embracing becoming both the league's first foreign-owned club and the Spanish flair of new coach Luis Enrique, to Inter's latest incarnation under Gian Piero Gasperini, the word 'revolution' has been used liberally when discussing the new Italian season.

Yet two things point to Juventus choosing to look into their past in order to begin this newest of eras, with the first being their choice of opponents for that opening night celebration. Eschewing the easy option of asking a Real Madrid or Manchester United and the guaranteed global attention that would bring, the Turin club instead invited English League One side Notts County. That decision gave Juve a chance to pay tribute to the club to which they owe their now famous black and white stripes, thanks to a 1903 switch from their original choice of pink shirts.

Secondly, they chose Antonio Conte - a member of Marcello Lippi's hugely successful Juventus team of the late 90s - to be the new coach. With only nine games' worth of previous top flight experience and a coaching career spent almost exclusively in Italian football's second division, the choice of their former captain was greeted with some scepticism on the peninsula.

That he follows a man like Delneri creates an incredibly stark contrast given his predecessor's wealth of experience as a coach, but many were quick to point out the similarities between the pair, particularly both men's preferred formation. They share a belief in the 4-4-2 system, which is undergoing something of a renaissance in Italy this season with Udinese, Siena and Palermo joining both Juventus and Parma in deploying the old favourite.

But, as much as the framework is the same, the tactics employed by the two coaches could not be more different. Delneri teams live on the counter-attack, soaking up pressure before striking at speed, with very little invention or fantasy and this was ultimately his Achilles' heel at Juventus. Very few teams, whether home or away, are comfortable piling on the pressure when faced with the famous black and white stripes. They take a more cautious approach, keeping their shape and packing heavy numbers behind the ball, looking to do precisely what Delneri spent all those years doing to other teams.

This saw the team quickly run out of ideas once Milos Krasic became fatigued and Fabio Quagliarella was injured. Without those two weapons the team simply had nobody with the tools to unlock defences and Delneri did not provide the system with which to do it. They enjoyed success against the other big clubs but losses last year against the teams like Lecce and Bologna were unacceptable.

As they demonstrated against Parma, Conte makes his team work relentlessly. They - like the man himself as a player - press, harass and annoy their opponents, squeezing space on the field, looking to win back the ball as early as possible and then remain comfortable, confident and, most importantly, patient in possession.

Juve's starting XI raised a few eyebrows on the opening day, leaving many of the big-name acquisitions on the bench in a line-up that contained no fewer than ten Italians. This was a conscious decision by the coach to only select those he had spent time with in training in recent weeks and obviously the international break prevented many from doing just that. While the opening goal would be scored by the only foreign player in the team - Swiss full back Stephan Lichtsteiner - there were some incredibly familiar faces behind a most comprehensive victory.

The man who inherited the armband from Conte, Alessandro Del Piero, notched an assist, the homegrown Claudio Marchisio scored the pick of the four goals and Andrea Pirlo spent 90 minutes demonstrating exactly why Juventus chose to sign him on a free transfer from Milan. The midfielder showed the class with which he has become synonymous, creating two goals and completing more passes than anyone else on the pitch as Juve's play constantly flowed through him.

Of course, Juve have had good starts in recent seasons only to see early promise crumble under the weight of expectation surrounding the club. Sterner tests will undoubtedly follow as Parma made this maiden victory incredibly simple for the Bianconeri but, with Arturo Vidal, Eljero Elia and Milos Krasic all held in reserve, there is also clearly much more to come from this Juventus too. From these early signs, Italian football's Old Lady may finally enjoy a vintage year. She has fully embraced her past to do so.

EspnSoccernet