Juventus F.C. - The Return Of Nedved

Cavani

Brilliant signing, he will be awesome

Fantastic signing mate, he should lead you to the Scudetto!

Nedved's Official Debut

Juventus F.C. vs Napoli – Italian Super Cup 11.08.2012

Marek Hamsik is in for Napoli today, which will encourage Napoli fans, along with their team being slight favourites. If the strong Juve defence can control the free-scoring midfielder Hamsik for Napoli, they should easily win.

We're here in China for the first Italian piece of silverware. This extraordinary match will be held at the National Olympic Stadium 'Birds Nest' for the biggest game of the season and the first for rookie manager, Pavel Nedved. The rookie manager has taken Juventus to 2 wins out of 2 so far, the team led by Walter Mazzari haven't taken any chances and has put up a great team. Both line-ups are below.

Juventus however, will pose a tough task for Napoli, as their star player, Edinson Cavani moved to Turin last week. It will be interesting if Cavani scores in his first game against his old club.


Here are the lineups for both teams:

Juventus F.C. (3-1-4-2): Buffon, Sakho, Bonucci, Peluso, Pirlo, Vidal, Marchisio, Lichsteiner, Asamoah, Vucinic, Cavani.

Napoli (3-6-1): De Sanctis, Campagnaro, Cannavaro, Gamberini, Maggio, Behrami, Inler, Armero, Hamsik, Dzemaili, Pandev.

Strong lineups for both teams here. This match could be tense.

Commentary from Fabio Carressa

1': Napoli get us underway here in the Italian Super Cup.

5': A dangerous attack here by Juventus, who are not giving Napoli a break. Marhcisio slides it to Vucinic who shoots! De Sanctis saves!

14': Inler plays it to Hamsik. Hamsik is looking for Armero and he finds him marked. Hamsik turns and shoots! WIDE! Goal kick for Juventus. Nice try for Napoli.

20': After a bad play by Lichsteiner, Inler passes it to Hamsik. Hamsik passes it to Pandev who doesn't reach the ball to shoot. Another goal kick for Juventus.

24': Vidal passes the ball to Asamoah who runs into the penalty area and lashes out a shot! Great goal by Juventus and most importantly, Asamoah! What a way to start in his new club. Asamoah 1-0.

41' Asamoah loses the ball to Maggio, who passes the ball to Dzemaili. Dzemaili quickly returns the ball to Maggio, who passes unmarked! He tries his shot and it's a goal! Juventus have conceded! Maggio 1-1

42' Juventus quickly restart the ball with Vucinic. Vucinic passes it to Pirlo who passes it out wide to Lichsteiner. Lichsteiner passes Armero and kicks the ball into the penalty area. Gamberini kicks the air instead of the ball, where Vucinic quickly shoots! It's a goal for Juve! 2-1

45: Half Time here in the National Olympic Stadium 'Birds Nest' stadium. It's been an interesting match for the first 45 minutes and we have seen the ball hit the back of the net twice.

45': Juventus start the second half.

55' Vidal passes the ball to Cavani, who is being marked by both Cannavaro and Gamberini. Cavani passes the ball back to Vidal, who finds himself unmarked and he shoots!! GOAAL FOR JUVE! 3-1.

59' This looks like Juventus will win the game, as they dominate the midfield and Napoli can't get a hold of the ball. Lichsteiner has the ball and swings in a cross where Asamoah hits it first time! GOAL FOR JUVE! 4-1.

60' Looks like Juventus will make a substitution. New boy Mamadou Sakho will make way for Luca Marrone.

FT: Final time here at the National Olympic Stadium 'Birds Nest' Nedved's team, Juventus have won their first title under the reign of the Czech!

Let's go talk to the man of the match, Kwadwo Asamoah.

J - Journalist
KW - Asamoah

J- What a dream debut here for you Kwadwo! A brace for your new club! How do you feel?

KW- I feel ecstatic to be here at Juve and I'd like to thank Nedved for giving me such a chance in this tight match.

J- What can you tell us about Nedved?

KW- He's such a great lad. He knows about football and has taught me somethings! That first goal I scored, it was something he taught me! I'd like to dedicate this to him!

Kwadwo Asamoah 9.1

Juventus F.C. 4-1 Napoli – Italian Super Cup 11.08.2012

Juve celebrating the Italian Super Cup win

What a great victory, congrats!

Fantastic victory mate, Asamoah is already looking great

@Everyone's comments: Thank you! Asamoah has impressed and Cavani is playing pretty good! Thank you everyone for commenting, I'll comment on everyone's since now

Nedved is an absolute legend! Cavani is a brilliant signing! The scudetto should go smoothly I reckon. Try and add a few extra trophies to it

Great update m8, loving the story so far.
Keep it up

Great start at Juve Mr Nedved. Expecting more trophies by the end of the season

@Okikos: Thank you :P. Cavani played okay, but he must've felt emotional

@Alex: Thanks mate! I appreciate you having you back here!

@Arvind: I hope so too Arvind!

UEFA Champions League Group Draw

In this year's draw, we will find European giants battle each other in the group stages, making it difficult for lower teams. The 'Group of Death' contains Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint Germain and Portugal giants Benfica. The question remains, who will win this year's Uefa Champions League? The 2012-2013 Group Draw is full below.

Group A:

Real Madrid
Manchester City
Anderlecht
FC Nordsjaelland

Group B:

FC Bayern Munchen
Juventus F.C.
Feyenoord
Braga

Group C:

Celtic
Galasataray
Zenit
Porto

Group D:

Manchester United
Olympiakos
LOSC Lille
Red Bull Salzburg

Group E:

CFR Cluj
Milan
Valencia
Fenerbahce

Group F:

Shakhtar
Chelsea
Dinamo
Udinese

Group G:

Arsenal
Borussia Dortmund
Benfica
Paris Saint Germain

Group H:

FC Barcelona
Ajax
Schalke 04
Montpellier HSC

Nedved's View

This year's group has been kind of harsh for Juve, but I expect to pass to the 'Knockout Round', but it could have been easier without European and German giants Bayern. Braga are a good side, and have some decent players like Beto and Alan. Then, Feyenoord have a tight defense. Finally, we have recent Champions League finalists, which will be a harsh task for us.

Team Reaction

PN: Pavel Nedved

GB: Gigi Buffon

AP: Andrea Pirlo

GC: Giorgio Chiellini

Around 15 minutes after the draw...
PN: Okay team, huddle up. We have a tough task ahead of us. We haven't played European football in a long time and to be frank, we'll rip this group apart. We will start with Braga, then Feyenoord and beat the odds against Bayern Munich! Who is with me?

GB: FORZA JUVE! I'll do my best boss. I'll try to have the record of clean sheets of the Champions League!

AP: I will pull the strings in the midfield Pavel. Me and Chiellini will also try to hold the attack from attempting anything at our goal.

GC: I agree.

Good luck in the Champions League, not that you'll need it

Pre-Season Report - July - August 2012

Sassuolo 0 - 4 Juventus – 28.7.2012

Juventus (3-1-4-2): Buffon, Sakho, Bonucci, Peluso, Pirlo, Marchisio, Vidal, Asamoah, Lichsteiner, Vucinic, Matri

Subs Used: Hordar Magnusson for Mamadou Sakho(64)

Goals: Mirko Vucinic (7) Mirko Vucinic (22) Arturo Vidal (49) Alessandro Matri (55)

MOTM: Mirko Vucinic (Juventus)

Cardiff City 0 - 4 Juventus– 04.8.2012

Juventus (3-1-4-2): Buffon, Sakho, Bonucci, Peluso, Pirlo, Marchisio, Vidal, Asamoah, Lichsteiner, Vucinic, Matri

Goals: Arturo Vidal (45), Mirko Vucinic (51), Mirko Vucinic (59) and Arturo Vidal (61)

MOTM: Stephan Lichsteiner (Juvetus)

Juventus 4 - 1 Napoli – 11.8.2012

Juventus (3-1-4-2): Buffon, Sakho, Bonucci, Peluso, Pirlo, Marchisio, Vidal, Asamoah, Lichsteiner, Vucinic, Cavani

Goals: Kwadwo Asamoah (24), Mirko Vucinic (42), Arturo Vidal (55), Kwadwo Asamoah (61)

MOTM: Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus)

Milan 0 - 0 Juventus – 18.8.2012

Juventus (3-1-4-2): Buffon, Sakho, Bonucci, Peluso, Pirlo, Marchisio, Vidal, Asamoah, Lichsteiner, Vucinic, Cavani

Goals: None

MOTM: Jores Okore (Milan)

UEFA Champions League Group Stage Fixtures

Juventus vs SC Braga
Feyenoord vs Juventus
Juventus vs Bayern Munchen
Bayern Munchen vs Juventus
SC Braga vs Juventus
Juventus vs Feyenoord

Pre Season Results

August Matches

Serie A Tim
Chievo Verona vs Juventus F.C.

Pre-Season Review

A goal conceded in 4 matches is an absolute cracker. You also have to take in mind that neither Caceres or Chiellini participated in the pre-season after being ruled out with injuries. One of the bad things however, was the injury of Gigi Buffon right before the Serie A opening, against a stubborn side, Chievo Verona. The match will be tough without Gigi, but with Chiellini back there, we should be okay.

Transfer Round-Up

In two hardworking months for Juventus, they got their long-term target Edinson Cavani from one of their bitterest rivals, Napoli. However, with other players such as Bertolacci and Sakho joining in, we will analyze and ask some of the fans veredict of the purchases their new manager has completed, Pavel Nedved.

First up is Nedved's first signing, Mamadou Sakho. The French centre-back joined Juventus early in the transfer window, who many people think will pair with Chiellini and Bonucci in Nedved's three man defense.

However, this will be the first time that Sakho will leave France for another club, as he had been at Paris Saint Germain ever since his 6 birthday until his 22nd. The French defender has been dubbed as the new 'Laurent Blanc' for his very similar play. Something that also brought into Juventus's eyes, was the glimpses of leadership that Sakho posesses. He captained his former side at the tender age of 20, but has lost his captain's armband and place to Brazilian duo Alex and Thiago Silva.

Glenn Tham's View

I've seen players such as Thuram and Conte paired together in the Champions League Final against Milan during the 2002-2003 time. With the addition to Sakho in their defense, it will bolster it and mostly add some new and fresh blood. With Chiellini and Bonucci, Sakho will most likely make their defense almost impossible to break through. With Sakho, both club and manager will have perhaps, secured the services of a possible captain for both France and Juventus.

Fans Veredict

I've got to say that seeing Barzagli go made me crazy, but with Sakho coming in to replace his place, it will be fantastic! We paid one million less than what PSG paid for Barzagli, who to be honest, is not getting any younger. However, it will be interesting how we will cope without Barzagli, who was a key member to last year's unbeaten Scudetto. If Nedved is wrong with this, it might cost him his job.

Mamadou Sakho

We go on next to the second addition from Juventus, Andrea Bertolacci. The player had two successful loan spells at Lecce during the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 season. When Bertolacci came back from two successful spells at Lecce, Roma gave 50% of his rights for Greece international Paniagotis Tachsidis. With extensive scouting, it seems that Pavel Nedved anxiously wanted the 21 year old's services, as he paid Genoa 2.5 million and Roma 3.1 million pounds for him. Whether he will act as a warm-bencher or a first-team player remains unknown.

During Bertolacci's short life, he has certainly reached some landmarks. Being the captain of the U21 Italy side and has collected a Serie B champions during his first loan at Lecce. Seen as many as the next Italian sensation, you might be seeing him play during the 2014 World Cup at Brazil.

Jason Hunt's View

Pavel Nedved has made a great transfer deal, at least from my eyes. Bertolacci is seen as the next Italy captain because ever since his twenties, he has improved a lot. Of course, Bertolacci can be seen as a player who will compete with Marchisio in this year's plans, so if Marchisio lets Nedved down, he surely has a man he can count on. With two years at Lecce, he surely has been taught learned and shows that he is also a quick learner for such a player in his early ages.

Fan's Veredict

Of course, when you see our former midfield maestro, Pavel Nedved looking into the eyes of a 21 year old and spending that amount of money, he must be right. Bertolacci is quickly gaining fame around Italy with his performances at Lecce and will perhaps feature as captain in next years Euro 21 Championship at Israel. Believe me, Marchisio will have to fight for his place now!

Andrea Bertolacci

Next on, will be Juventus final and perhaps the best signing in years to come, Edinson Cavani. The Uruguayan player has cost the club a total of 35 million pounds, which will go back straight into the scouting and youth, according to Napoli chairman Aurelio de Laurentiis.

The former Danubio star joined Palermo at the age of 20 and stayed there for three years, scoring an amount of before he made his move to Napoli and scored 29 goals in 109 appearances. Catching Napoli's eyes, he joined on a loan basis and impressed the staff there, scoring a whopping 26 goals in 35 matches. In a total of 70 matches for the Uruguayan at the Naples club, he has scored 49 goals, an astonishing ratio for such a young striker.

The 25-year-old Uruguayan striker was brought to Napoli by Walter Mazzari, initially on loan from Palermo, but was later purchased for a fee rumored to be about 15 million euros. With this type of signing, many people tip Juventus to have their best season yet, only if Cavani starts scoring like he did during his two year stint at Napoli.

Under Mazzari, Cavani blossomed, and has now proven himself as one of Uruguay's best in recent history, almost beating Forlan's recent goalscoring record. He has been linked to the biggest European clubs, such as, Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain, Chelsea and now, his new club Juve. With Juventus quickly acting after a month into the transfer window, Juventus will be a team to fear worldwide.

Kane Brooker's View

As we all know, Cavani posesses anything a world striker needs. Strength, speed, power in the air, but most importantly finishing. All qualities that Cavani posseses are top notch and he cost the club millions of pounds, something that Juventus hadn't done in recent years. However, reports on Sky Italia and Corriero dello Sport assured that this particular signing was backed by the board 100%, even if it meant that the Uruguayan striker could become a multi-million flop, similar to what happened to Felipe Melo after he joined the club. Though, many people, including Nedved have given Cavani all the confidence he needs. Whether he will beat his record of 26 goals in the league this season will be determined by early season performances and of course, throughout the whole campaign.

Fan's Veredict

I think that Cavani will be a total success here at Juve. He has something that we have lacked in recent years, a world-class striker. We all knew that it was going to cost millions. A friend of mine whose dad is close to Nedved said that it was between Lewandowski and Cavani. I still prefer Cavani, as he has 5 years of experience at the Serie A, while Lewandowski has had two successful seasons at Borussia Dortmund. Maybe we could sign Jovetic and Lewandowski next season, along with a goalkeeper. Perhaps Neuer, who is one of the best now a days.

Edinson Cavani