Juventus Official Announcements and Interviews

[morra10]

the away kit is alright, it's a bit of a change, it's definitely better then the blue one we had this year. Overall, they aren't that bad......

[Amedio]

To anyone who knows Italian, would you please translate the short interviews in the following video?



Thanks in advance.

[Carlo Romano]

Ahmed, the interviewer doesn't make it easy because she is a little fast...

...she starts by saying that now we will see the shirts and shorts as worn by the "protagonisti" the Juve forwards. She introduces them by name and asks them to "model" the kit which is why the pose and turn. She then jokes about Giovinco having no number...I think she is saying his is to be re-evaluated! Next she asks Trez about the new baby and how he feels about becoming a father for the 3'rd time and he replies he is very happy about his son. Then she asks him how he feels about being back in European competition again and he replies it's a great occasion for the club, himself and his team mates. He wants to do well in the campionato and in Europe. Vinnie Iaquinta adds it will be another important season, again! Next she welcomes Giovinco back to Juventus and asks how he feels. He responds he is very happy. I'm not quite getting what she asks him about about Pavel's gold (shirt) or Olympic gold. She continues by wishing Giovinco good luck as he is soon leaving to be with the Olympic squad and asks how he feels about his new Juventus team mates to which he responds he is very happy to be starting the season with them. Lastly she comes to "Il Grande," the great Pavel Nedved and she jokes about his slight injuries at the end of last season and asks him about his decision to continue for another season and he says everyone at this special club convinced him to do so. In conclusion she thanks "Our Champions" as this is from the Juventus channel.

[Messinterista]

[Amedio]

[Carlo Romano]

Ahmed & Messina, I think she meant the gold Juve shirt was like the gold medal the Italian Olympic team hoped to win in China. I can't see what else she meant. You need Ita to listen to that I think...I just couldn't make her out properly.

[Amedio]

[Amedio]

Does anyone remember a bianconero with a shorter stature than Gio?

[tonykart]

No, but we will remember him for a long time.

I hate the black socks by the way.

[AngelaL]

[Amedio]

[tonykart]

[tonykart]

Sissoko Set For New Juve Contract

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport, Momo Sissoko is set to be rewarded for the fine start to his Juventus career by being handed a bumper new contract.

There was widespread criticism and uproar among many fans when Juve signed Sissoko from Liverfekkin'wankscum for €13m in January of this year.

The Malian international, who had been discarded by Reds manager Rafa Benitez as supposedly not good enough for the first team, was tipped to be just another in a long line of transfer blunders from sporting director Alessio Secco.

However, Sissoko has proved many of his doubters wrong with a series of fine performances at the heart of the Juve midfield.

The 23-year-old made 15 Serie A appearances, scoring one goal, and helped the club finish in third position, thus qualifying for the Champions League.

Sissoko is now set to be rewarded for his early promise by being handed a new, improved contract. The player’s agent, Jose Segui, will arrive in Turin today to talk over the new deal with club directors.
______________________________________________________

I get so irritated with stuff like this. The guy plays half a season of good, not great, football and he gets a new contract? That is ridiculous.

[JuveGER]

Sissoko was good enough for us so far. But it's still way too early to already give him a better contract. Let him play a complete season for us first and let's see what he can do in CL for us. I'm all for rewarding good performances, but 15 games is not exactly a long enough time period to judge him. He was good but not THAT spectacular.

[tonykart]

[tonykart]

Calcio Debate: Do Juve Need To Sign Some Big Names?

Sevilla midfielder Christian Poulsen is reportedly just days, or even hours, away from completing his transfer to Juventus. Carlo Garganese asks whether the Bianconeri need to splash out on some bigger names than the likes of the Danish international…

For at least six months now the Juventus management have been repeatedly stating that their top priority this summer will be to sign a top class centre midfielder. This has seen the Bianconeri linked to a host of top names around Europe, yet if the latest reports in the Italian press are to be believed, it appears as if the Old Lady will be settling for Sevilla hardman Christian Poulsen.

Considering the fact that Juve are one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, and indeed Italy’s most successful outfit, you can forgive the fans for being just a touch disappointed that having been associated with the likes of Diego, Rafael van der Vaart, Marek Hamsik, Alberto Aquilani, and Xabi Alonso, that the Bianconeri should eventually plump for a rather modest name in Poulsen.

This is not to say that the 28-year-old is a bad player. He has twice been named Danish Player of the Year, and indeed he has more often than not impressed me when I have seen him play. Poulsen is a no-nonsense holding midfielder (just ask Francesco Totti), who has personality, and will not be fazed by what awaits him in Serie A. However is he really the man to plug the hole in Juve’s midfield?

If Poulsen were to be signed, in addition to a top class midfielder, then I for one would be all for his purchase, as he would add good squad depth. Whether this proves to be the case remains to be seen. If Poulsen proves to be Juve’s only acquisition in this area, then the transfer directors are making another huge blunder. Ask yourself if you can honestly see a centre midfield of Poulsen and Sissoko leading the club to Serie A or Champions League glory. It seems highly unlikely.

The problem with the new Juve management is that rather than spend their entire budget on two or three guaranteed top class players, they would rather even out the funds on six or seven ‘good’ players. This kind of policy is a recipe for disaster at a big club like La Vecchia Signora.

The biggest myth about last summer’s transfer campaign is that Juve did not have the money available in order for them to immediately compete for the Scudetto. In truth, the Bianconeri comfortably outspent their rivals, bringing in a whole host of ‘good’, but not ‘great’, players. Indeed they thrashed out a whopping €43m just on Vincenzo Iaquinta, Sergio Almiron, Tiago Mendes and Jorge Andrade.

Rather than spread out this vast sum of cash on four players, it would have been far more beneficial to blow the entire €43m on two cast-iron top class stars. Had they done this, I am certain that Juve would have been there or thereabouts in the Scudetto race. The squad was already big enough to cope with injuries, and none of these four players, with the exception of Iaquinta, played any serious part in the first team. As it turned out, it was largely the old guard of Buffon, Camoranesi, Nedved, The Waterboy and Trezeguet, as well as another player from the old regime, Chiellini, who carried the team last season.

If Juve learn from their mistakes from last summer, they will realise that they are better off spending big on one or two names, rather than going for four or five cheaper options. Alessio Secco has splashed out on one player, Amauri, unfortunately it is an area that Juve were already well stacked in. It is quite clear that the areas that need to be addressed are centre back, left back and centre midfield.

Of course spending vast sums of money never guarantees success, and indeed the secret behind Luciano Moggi’s achievements was that he was a shrewd market operator, who always knew a bargain when he saw one.

Having said this though, the current management need to realise that the only way the club are going to become, as Amauri said yesterday, the “Kings of Italy and Europe againâ€

[AngelaL]

Admit it Tony, it was you!

And I'll admit it - our new management are not so hot on the transfer market.

IMO, you have to strike a balance! Big names:not so "big names" - youth:experienced veterans. With over 20 years in the job (around 12 of them at Juve), Moggi was clearly better than Gigli & co. The new boys have a lot to learn.

[AngelaL]

Here's more from Amauri: -

July 2008
Amauri: «I'll repay the fans for their affection»


«My first impressions are excellent. There's a great group of players here, they made me feel at ease from the off and only confirmed the idea I had of Juventus before coming here: that of a great team». Amauri, from his very first appearances here at the pre-season camp in Pinzolo, is one of the players who have been more of a hit with the fans; a real confidence boost for the Brazilian, but also a lot of responsibility, seeing how much the fans are expecting from him: «I hope I can repay all the affection I felt in these first few days as soon as possible. There’s great competition here at Juventus, but I'm used to having to earn my place on the team. Wherever I've played, I've always fought hard to get my chance to play. Sure, it's going to be more difficult here, seeing the calibre of the players, but this is good for the team».

Despite being one of the new signings, Amauri already sounds like a leader when talk switches to objectives for next year: «My dreams and Juve's ones coincide: I'm hoping this team can do well, both in the League and in the Champions League. On a personal level I hope I can give a huge hand; I've been doing well in Italy for the last three years, but I still have to prove myself here». Regarding the possible new signing in midfield, Amauri has no preference: «In the middle we have players who are very good at defending, such as Sissoko, but also others that can set up the forwards, like Tiago or Zanetti. We'll see how the Club operate on the transfer market». Finally this is how he replied to someone reminding him about the recurring comparison with Ibrahimovic: «They already compared us when I was at Chievo and it pleases me because he's a great player, who did well here too. Obviously I'll try and do better than him…»

This guy sounds as though he's going to be a tifosi favorite!

[Zoff82]

[tonykart]

I love Luciano Moggi. Sorry, but success is hard to argue with. I guess you want to blame Calciopoli on Moggi, but it takes some special "tactics" to get to the top sometimes. Moggi was the man. Bow down.