Juventus FC: La Fidanzata d'Italia

Juventus are to face Lazio in the annual match between Serie A and Coppa Italia champions at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.


Alessandro Del Piero is to partake in his first game as a manager - and the stakes are high as the two clubs are fierce rivals.


A win for Juventus is seemingly the perfect opportunity for Del Piero to make a statement, by bringing home silverware in his first competitive match as Bianconeri boss.

Juventus will be missing Andrea Pirlo (knee), Claudio Marchisio (knee) and want away defender Stephan Lichtsteiner (ankle) for the game.


The match will kick-off at 1930hrs.

The 2013 TIM Supercoppa Italiana was the 26th edition of the Supercoppa, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Serie A and Coppa Italia competitions. Juventus, the Serie A champions, lost the game 1-0 against Coppa Italia holders Lazio.


18 August 2013

Att: 67,424 (Stadio Olimpico, Rome)

JUVENTUS


Substitutions: Llorente (Osvaldo 25), Isla (Granatiero 85), Cevallos (85)
Goalscorers:
Booked: Vidal, Peluso, Isla, Pogba, Chiellini
Red Card: Sivok

LAZIO


Substitutions:
Goalscorers: Lulic (119 pen)
Booked: Cana, Postiga
Red Card:

Juventus manager Alessandro Del Piero was left raging following his teams 1-0 defeat to Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana, after debutant Tomas Sivok was ajudged to have fouled Helder Postiga in the penalty area with just a minute to go in extra-time.

The spot-kick culminated in the only goal of the game.

With the match heading to penalties after a scrappy 119 minutes of football, Sivok appeared to win the ball cleanly from under the feet of Postiga, when referee Paolo Mazzoleni pointed to the spot.

The highly qualified official then sent Sivok off, which only further enraged Del Piero.

He said: “We did not play well at all, I am not saying we did. But when a game goes to penalties it is for either team to win – a lottery in fact.

“Yet I think with the experience and good penalty takers we have in the team we would have gone on to win the match.

“However when a referee knows before the match starts Lazio are going to win the cup – it becomes difficult.

“The decision to award the penalty for Tomas' challenge is a disgrace, he wins the ball, I've watched it four or five times, he wins the ball. To send him off too – it's laughable.”

When asked whether he would consider appealing the red card, ADP was only too quick to make it known.

“Of course. The first game of the season our new signing is unavailable because we have been cheated out of a trophy? It is appalling.

“We will appeal and I'm 100% sure it will be rescinded. “

The match was Del Piero's first as Juventus manager – and as far as we can tell he does not lack passion in any sense.

The Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio have reviewed the decision to dismiss debutant Tomas Sivok in the Supercoppa Italiana match with Lazio - and have rejected the clubs appeal to have it rescinded.

The manager was very confident, as were all at Juventus, that the appeal would return successful but unfortunately Tomas is now unavailable for the first match of the Serie A season.

We are very disappointed in the way in which the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio have handled the situation.

Juventus pair Fernando Llorente (broken metatarsal) and Claudio Marchisio (knee ligament damage) are both long term absentees for the club heading into the start of Serie A.

Llorente suffered the injury in the controversial Supercoppa Italiana defeat to Lazio and was replaced on 25 minutes by Dani Osvaldo. The former Bilbao hitman is facing up to 8 weeks on the sidelines.

Italy international midfielder Marchisio suffered knee ligament damage after falling awkwardly in training - he is set for up to 6 weeks out injured.

Carlos Tevez (foot) and Andrea Pirlo (knee) are both facing late fitness tests ahead of the opening match of the Serie A season against Fiorentina at the Juventus Stadium.

The UEFA Champions League Group Stage draw has thrown up some real clashes to look forward to, and Group D carries a couple. When Juventus face FC Porto (POR) and Marseille (FRA) there could be some real entertaining moments.

Alessandro Del Piero returned to his old stomping ground for the first time as a manager, and it's not a day he is ever likely to forget.

The former Italy striker and club legend was given a very warm reception from adoring fans, as he emerged from the tunnel donning a tracksuit and took his place in the home dugout.

Fiorentina were the side he'd been preparing his team for all week, the first game of the Serie A season, and after hitting the headlines a week prior following an astonishing attack on the Supercoppa Italiana referee - he will have been keen to get things back to football and that his team did.

Juventus found themselves a goal up within the opening 8 minutes of the game, when defender Martin Cacares found space in the area and headed home from an acute angle.

Then things took a turn for the worst when Fiorentina forward Mario Gomez broke free of goalscorer Cacares and lashed a stunning 25 yard effort into the back of the net.

3 minutes later disaster had hit Juventus and Del Piero must have been thinking it wasn't his day (again), when Kwadwo Asamoah turned the ball into his own goal to hand Fiorentina the lead.

Though just before half-time, a persistent Juventus made it level when on-loan Southampton striker Dani Osvaldo slotted home a calm finish.

HT: Juventus 2 Fiorentina 2

The second half was slow and scrappy, and several of Del Piero's attacking strategies were being shut down by a resilient Fiorentina side.

Though with 5 minutes left on the clock, ADP decided to introduce Carlos Tevez in the place of Dani Osvaldo.

Within a minute of being on the field, the world class forward slotted past a stranded goalkeeper after beating 3 men.

Tactically brilliant from Del Piero, physically brilliant from Tevez.

Juve hung on to the result and gave Del Piero a victory to savour.

FT: Juventus 3 Fiorentina 2

TRANSFERS IN



TALKS BROKEN DOWN: Kyle Walker's proposed £20m switch from Tottenham to Juventus has fallen through as club and player couldn't agree on personal terms.



BID REJECTED: Everton have rejected a £17m bid from Juventus for right-back Seamus Coleman.



TALKS BROKEN DOWN: Atletico Madrid versatile defender Toby Alderweireld rejects a move to Juventus after an £8m bid was accepted.



DEAL DONE: Barcelona wing-back Martin Montoya has completed a £5.7m move to Juventus. He has signed a four-year deal with the Italian side.


TRANSFERS OUT



DEAL DONE: Stephan Lichtsteiner ends his miserable time under new manager Del Piero by signing for Dinamo Moscow for £7.5m


SUMMER TRANSFER WINDOW SUMMARY

IN



OUT

I am enjoying this mate, but you could add some more detail, especially to your new signings Other than that you have a great story and one content viewer

Some decent updates - that CL group is quite tricky, but i'm sure you'll be fine. Shame you couldn't get Walker, but I think £20m may have been a tad overpriced, so maybe a bit a blessing in disguise!

Nice update

The league season starts in very late August in Italy, so this will be a short snappy update just to get things going. I appreciate your feedback and comment throughout pre-season - as a debut writer compliments mean oh so very much! I hope you will continue following this story.

Transfers

The summer transfer window at Juventus was a fairly interesting one, and many Juventus fans are disappointed with the deals done. Particularly outgoing - fan favourite Leonardo Bonucci's move to Manchester City has been greeted with fair displeasure, but they are confident manager Alessandro Del Piero is in control of things and knows what he's doing.

Results

It was pleasing to see us comprehensively beat Galatasaray with a weakened side, Arturo Vidal came on in the second half and scored the winner in stoppage time in our final pre-season friendly. We then look to bring home some silverware - but as you will have surely seen in recent updates we were robbed by poor officiating in the dying embers of extra-time. Disappointing, infuriating, but we had to pick ourselves up and prepare for Fiorentina in the first game of the Serie A season. And we did just that, a magnificent performance in ADP's first match as Juventus manager, and it was late substitute Carlos Tevez who came on and scored within a minute of coming on, winning the game 3-2.

Player of the Month

Arturo was the only outfield ever present for every match in August and performed to a very high standard in each game - particularly Fiorentina. He was composed and was picking passes to forwards with ease. Hopefully he can carry this form into September.

Serie A

We have only played one match in August and it was the first of the season, but a good start nonetheless. The title race has begun.

September Fixtures

Writers' Note

Thank you all for reading my story so far, it's sure to be a fun ride. This has been the first results update and there will be one for every month of football. Please comment and tell your FMScout friends, and leave a little feedback on how you think the story is going. Thanks.

September was a month that took us a little time to get going in, but once we were going – we were flying. Read on to find out how this month has shaped the story once more.

Results

The start to our season in Serie A was certainly a tough one on paper, and after falling behind against Udinese early on in the contest it became an increasingly difficult task - especially going down to 10 men against a solid Udinese outfit. Thankfully our new signing Martin Montoya (whom had a tremendous first month in a Juve shirt) popped up with a fine goal late on and salvaged a point.


I was absolutely thrilled by this performance, as I was edgy about the difficulty of our group. We gave a fabulous account of ourselves and made the best possible start to the UEFA Champions League Group Stage.


This was a very frustrating result for the management team, and indeed the players. We should be winning games such as this at home but having played our strongest eleven two days prior against Marseille, we made changes and couldn't break a resilient Sassuoulo side down.


Performance of the season so far, and certainly the most important win. Having drawn the previous game against lowly opposition, it was imperative that we bounced back and took all the points against big sides. Not only did we beat Roma, we battered them, and I was a very, very, happy man after this one.


Another fine result to cap off a good month for Juventus, myself and the management team. We outclassed and 'outpassed' Genoa and they were unable to handle what was a blitzing performance from our lads. We can look to next month with great optimism after finishing September in such a fine way.

Player of the Month

Martin Montoya completed a deadline day transfer to Juventus from Barcelona at the end of August, and at £5.75m he appears to be a huge bargain. He scored two very goals pushing up from full-back and has been a tremendous addition to the side. I am very pleased with how Martin has started his Bianconeri career and hope he can progress further.

Serie A

We have had a couple of unfortunate draws but we remain undefeated in Serie A and sit comfortably in 3rd place, still of course well in the title race. No disrespect to Chievo Verona, but I find it highly unlikely that they will be challenging for the title come the end of the season, as teams of higher class will surely bypass them. Though credit where it's due, they have made a wonderful start and they are without doubt the form team in Serie A.

UEFA Champions League

Our fabulous result against Marseille has given us great hope heading into October, as our first match is a difficult trip to Steaua Bucharest. Should we win that game we will be well on our way to climbing out of the group as we have our sights firmly fixed on qualifying in 1st place.

October Fixtures

Writers' Note

Thank you all for reading my story so far, it's sure to be a fun ride if you keep on following with me. Please comment and tell your FM Scout friends, and I'd be grateful if you could leave a little feedback on how you think the story is going. Thanks.

Legendary Juventus and Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo has spoken out on the changes made since his old friend Alessandro Del Piero swapped boots for brogues and became Bianconeri manager 3 months ago.

Del Piero has enjoyed an unbeaten start to life as Juventus boss in Serie A and the UEFA Champions League, and Pirlo has commented on the change in atmosphere since his appointment.

"Alessandro was a wonderful player and I fully expect him to have the same impact on the game as a manager.

"He demands loyalty, respect and 100% effort from his players and has a completely different way of handling things than Conte.

"Antonio had his ways. He was very strict, almost a dictator - that was his way and it brought the club immense success, granted.

"However, Alessandro has a more laid back attitude. He is friendly and approachable just as he was as a player - but should you get on the wrong side of him you know that your chances of playing again are slim."

When asked whether the fates of Stephan Lichtsteiner and Leonardo Bonucci were down at rifts with their new boss, Pirlo was open.

"I can't say all too much, but Stephan didn't like Al.

"So he's gone, replaced.

"That's how it is here, you have one life, use it effectively or you'll be gone.

"The same goes for senior players like myself and Gianluigi (Buffon) - everyone is treated equally."

Del Piero has escaped a touchline ban but was hit with a £20,000 fine for slamming an official after awarding Lazio a decisive 119th minute penalty in the Supercoppa Italiana. Pirlo puts the whole situation down to passion.

"He hasn't spoken to the players about it, he came into training the day after and never mentioned the Lazio match.

"I think the media make a mountain out of a mole hill.

"He is passionate and he wants the best for his team, nobody can take that away from him."

Juventus have made a good start to the season and sit in 3rd place after 5 games, well set for a battle at the top.

October was a blistering month for Juventus, as manager Alessandro Del Piero looks to have rubber-stamped his methods on Bianconeri early in the season. Moyes never coped with the pressure of taking over the champions, ADP has coped well...so far.

Results

This was a barnstorming performance from ourselves, we were at it from the word go and look set to qualify from Group D with considerable ease.


This one was a tremendous victory again as we took all the points away from the team top of Serie A who had won 5 out of their first 5 matches and were 4pts ahead of ourselves in 3rd. This gave me real confidence and the fans have really warmed to our attractive, possession based speedy passing and clinical style of play. All is well in Turin.


Another sublime victory against a side we expect to battle for the title with. They set up well but we just had the edge in every department and eventually came out 3-0 victors.


Another great European night, and the 6th consecutive match we have scored more than 3. Tight at the back and unstoppable going forward, everything is looking rather swell for the club.


The best teams play badly and still win. This result confirmed we are one of the best teams. Down to 10 men and to pick up 3pts against a very, very resilient Cagliari side. Great result that saw us go top of Serie A.


This was a really quite terrible result and one that we can only put down to the boys having an 'off day'. We didn't perform at all well and we will address the issues this match has raised and attempt to rectify next month.

Player of the Month

Paul Pogba has had an outstanding month for us, especially with his big game performances. Ran the show against ChievoVerona and Internazionale, scoring some wonderful long range goals whilst playing as our main midfielder. He has been keeping Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo out of the side on occasion.

Serie A

A good solid month and finally top of the league. A sloppy defeat to Atalanta but these results do happen. We just need to kick on and try to go through November unbeaten - establishing a gap at the top in the process. We do not want to be knocked off our perch.

UEFA Champions League

Still top of the pile after battering Steaua and FC Porto. We look as though we are going to easily progress from this group. Our performances in Europe have been some of our best.

October Fixtures

Writers' Note

Top of the pile in every competition! Thank you all for reading my story so far, it's sure to be a fun ride if you keep on following with me. Please comment and tell your FM Scout friends, and I'd be grateful if you could leave a little feedback on how you think the story is going. Thanks.