I watched Juventus playing against Celtic this morning and I was very pleasantly surprised. I haven’t seen or heard much of the old lady lately.
They were very tight at the back and pretty deadly when they got into the Celtic box.
Celtic worked hard to deliver some good crosses into the area but without the imposing figure of Georgios Samaras to finish it off, Celtic lacked a real edge.
I don’t really think that Juventus will lift the cup but I do believe they have some steel in their defence. Going into an away game and getting the 3 away goals pretty much sealed the home game so they will more than likely progress.
With the addition of Anelka who can finish on the break and the strong defence they will really cause some teams some trouble.
I would say the main contenders to win would be Manchester united, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and maybe Dortmund or PSG at an outside chance. With Manchester and Real playing tomorrow we will get a good idea on how real will go.
With their poor league form they are clearly focusing on the champions league but will Jose Mourinho be able to get the team up to contend and going. Odds are Cristiano will have a fantastic game against his own club and I think real progress through.
But I can see a team like Juventus giving R.Madrid trouble. Real love to have space in front of them to run into with Ozil orchestrating through the middle and Di Maria and Ronaldo on either side using their blistering pace.
Because Juve defend pretty deep and don’t often venture to far forward I can see this as frustrating to Madrid. If Juve are able to get some set pieces in attacking areas Madrid will really have their work cut out, there set piece defending in the league has been atrocious.
The one major advantage is that when they do defend a set piece correctly they get out and run and can score at the other end.
If Manchester progress I can see them being more of a threat to Juve. The ability of Rooney and Van Persie to poach goals and create inside the opposition box will be very dangerous if juve defend so deep.
Pirlo would be key in that game as it has been well stated United have a poor midfield so if pirlo is able to have the ball in space and without pressure he will be able to play some magic counter attacking balls and give his forwards opportunity to score.
Because Bayern is running away with the bundesliga they have the ability to rest people and fully prepare for the champions league fixtures.
Saying this it is also fair to say Manchester united and Barcelona have also almost wrapped up their domestic titles. Bayern also have the added incentive to play for Jupp Heynckes as this will be his last season. Bayern have a great looking squad and came so close last year so that may add real fire into the squad.
I am an arsenal fan but I think its safe to safe Bayern have much too much fire power for the Gunners, plus arsenal have other things to think about like the trophy of coming fourth and making money. A juve and Bayern game would be an interesting one.
I think it would be pretty reliant on the skills of Muller, Ribery and Robben to create their own chances and utilise there excellent foot work.
With Boateng and Badstubber at the back Bayern are very strong at set pieces, adding Lahm into the back four gives them intelligence and pace so I would be tough for juve to snatch a goal.
Realistically I think Barcelona is the favourites. The form of Messi and Inestia is breath taking. It doesn’t seem to matter who is brought into the squad they just keep rolling on and winning. Barcelona are the complete unit on their day they can break any down.
With the cool heads of pique and Puyol they are extremely tight at the back. Jordi Alba is really showing a great prospect so it doesn’t matter if they play him or Dani Alves they will be strong defensively and also going forward.
The bench power barca possess is really quite incredible. We saw when Barca played Chelsea last year though that if you park the bus well enough you can beat them.
Its not totally unrealistic to think Juventus could defend well enough over two legs so keep them out if they are in form. It is hard to discount the imagination and creation of Messi though.
As in any game of football it will be decided on the day by the best performer. Whichever way it goes I’m excited for the upcoming ties and to see which ways the comp goes. I think the champions’ league is a great competition.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
fair call. Every top team has to deal with managing egos though and they are still the one winning so i think Ancelotti can manage that. The arrival of Beckham has also switched the attention towards him, which is good imo a the Ibra, Lucas, Lavezzi and co can now concentrate more on their football. Sirigu the GK is the next Buffon imo.
Riddell
Roar Rookie
That's a fair point. I was really looking into what they may face in the later stages and maybe throw up a few ideas on how they go. I appreciate the feedback. Buffon still commands a back four like no other. I didn't know about their stadium but if it is a bit of a cauldron in sure the competition don't want to go near it.
Riddell
Roar Rookie
Lavezzi looks great. I think he undo any defence if he shows the same form as the other night. He really should of had 3. My main worry about PSG is the egos in the dressing room and they haven't been together as a squad for very long. They certainly have the talent to beat anyone though.
doomba
Guest
100% agree chris and im not even a juventus fan.
Chris
Guest
i feel that the statement "I haven’t seen or heard much of the old lady lately." should not be followed by an article on the old lady and their chances of winning the CL. As to write about a team you need to have at least heard about them and seen them recently. They have the best midfield in europe bar barcelona. they have 3 of the 4 starting Italian international defenders + Buffon. They are not the defensive minded juventus of old and made chelsea look like amateurs and now have 2 x 3-0 games under their belt in the CL already. Above that they have a new stadium that they have only lost at 2 or 3 times since it was built and after beating former champions chelsea there 3-0 its safe to say that even the likes of barcelona or man united would be quite intimidated playing there.
The Dogboy
Guest
Great to read an article about the old lady, thanks Riddell. While I agree that the match against Celtic was no where near the way we usually play, I was delighted to see that we can still use that tactic if required. And it wasn't even our strongest defence, with Chellini and Asamoah to come back into the squad. I like the way things are humming along, but Ithink the close competition that is Serie A, compared to the other major leagues which are already wrapped up (Spain, England, Germany) will eventually count against us. Players just get tired, fact of the game. But it is great to see Juve back where they belong, in the knockout round of the UCL.
Ben of Phnom Penh
Guest
I tend to agree, the Hoops were no Madrid. At the moment Dortmund look sharp and I can see them having a real crack at the title this year.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
Re Barca, I think PSG has what it takes to cause them a lot of problem. Valencia had 60-70% possession this week yet they didn't exist and could have lost 3 or 4 nil. Lucas Moura and Lavezzi are very quick and I reckon they could do some damage in Barca's defence. Early days yet but there is hope.
Riddell
Roar Rookie
Celtic tried and tried they just didn't quite have the class to open Juventus up. I liked Izagurirre though, I thought he showed a bit of nouse going forward and back. Chiellini is a decent out though and if he can make it back for the next round that will be a big help. It will really depend big on who they draw into the next round. But you have a good thought in regards to depth. It is so vital when trying to compete domestically and in Europe. Juventus certainly have a quality I wished arsenal displayed a bit more which is to win 'ugly' When things aren't going there way I have still seen them snatch a win. Hopefully they don't have a recurrence of the issues they had in a couple of the group stage games where they had shots and didn't convert.
Damiano
Guest
Although as a life long Juve supporter I'd like to think they have a shot at the Champions league, I wouldn't read too much into the Celtic match. I remember Director Pavel Nedved said before the draw they were hoping to get Celtic, and no disrespect to the Hoops, they are probably the weakest twam in the round of 16, despite their heroics against Barca. I actually expected Juve to have an easier time than they did against Celtic. Juve will get through to the next round comfortably, but I'd suggest our lack of depth in the squad might hurt us. Against Celtic we played our 3rd & 4th choices for LWB in Peluso & Padoin respectively, that might be fine against Celtic but shouldn't really be playing against Champions League opponents. Peluso looked good going forward, but seemed to be ball watching in defence. Padoin is just hopeless, all he did was get booked. We have 5 good striking options, but apart from Pogba, not much talent on the bench, and with injuries and suspensions this will hurt us. (Giaccherini blows hot & cold, Isla looks like an imposter compared to the player he was at Udinese last season, Pepe is injured, the remainder look like they belong in a mid table Italian side. There really isn't much beyond the starting XI).
Riddell
Roar Rookie
Cheers for the comments to. I don't catch nearly as many games of football as I would like so I generally hear most of it from a few different podcasts and the articles I read so I have a very narrow view on things due to a lack of infomation. So I appreciate the discussion.
Riddell
Roar Rookie
Good point about Manchester united. It would be interesting to see if Juventus defend deep because they are cautious about Van Persie getting in behind, or if they push forward and and press their advantage in midfield. I think Juventus would be a much stronger defensive side than Chelsea were. so they may not give up as many 1 v 1's. Remembering back to the second leg last year and how many chances Barcelona missed it did become a bit ridiculous. So the question has to be asked could a team do it against them over two legs again when they are in their current form. If I was a betting man I would say no but I don't think it would be impossible.
Riddell
Roar Rookie
Apologies, i thought i had added in that i haven't seen much of Juventus recently. I was basing plenty of assumptions in the Celtic game. If they have the ability to win the ball in dangerous areas and hold onto it. Then they are a lot stronger than I expected. They are defiantly efficient in front of goal from what I have seen. I'm excited to see what they can produce and if Arsenal go out I think I will be on the bandwagon.
Jules
Roar Rookie
Interesting article, Riddell, but I find it odd that you think Juventus would be counter-attacking in a potential match-up against Manchester Untied. As you yourself point out, United doesn't have the mid-field power to control a game so will always be playing on the counter against other big teams (the top 4 or so in England and all teams in the UCL QFs with the possible exception of Dortmund). For what it's worth, I also don't think Chelsea showed that parking the bus well will beat Barca. They only got through that tie because Barca missed countless 1 on 1 chances with the keeper and Messi even missed a penalty -- that's not something you should rely on as a tactic. Barca are much more vulnerable when attacked hard, particularly early in the match, as many La Liga teams have shown over the last couple of years. Piqué and Puyol are too slow to be tight at the back, Alves has mixed form and he and Alba get forward so much that holes are inevitably left. If Barca lose this year, it is much likely to be to a potent counter-attacking side than one which parks the bus and rides its luck.
o_fenomeno86
Guest
I have to say, this is incredibly lazily written. "Juve defend pretty deep and don’t often venture to far forward" is possibly the least accurate statement about Juventus this season. Juventus' WHOLE style under Antonio Conte has been dominating possession coupled with aggressive high pressure in the opponents' half to win the ball in dangerous areas and attack constantly. This match against Celtic was the least "Juventus" performance all year. While, as a Juventus supporter, I agree with you that the Bianconeri have an outside chance at the cup compared to Barça, Real, United, Bayern, et al, it would be worthwhile for you to watch more than one match before you do an analysis of a team's style of play.