Juventus Down Palermo In Conte Return

Antonio Conte returned from his ban to manage Juve on Sunday (AP/LaPresse)

Juventus got their manager Antonio Conte back for Sunday's match at Palermo after he had served a four month ban for looking the other way involving match fixing that took place before his managerial term at Juve.  They were able to welcome him back with a fairly convincing win, especially being that Sicily can be a tough place for opponents to come and play.  Of course, they did alright while he was gone as well, staying top of the table in the Serie A while advancing to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.

Palermo came out the better side in this one though and controlled the first 20 minutes of play while Juventus looked vulnerable.  In the 11th minute Jasmin Kurtic sent a screaming drive in on the Juventus goal that forced a quality save from Gigi Buffon, and in the 14th minute a defender just managed to step in the way of a shot from Josip Illicic that was seemingly destined for the back of the net.  On 17 minutes Frabizio Miccoli found the back of the net for Palermo, but the goal was correctly ruled out for offside.

That seemed to be a bit of a wake up call for Juve as they gradually started to find their feet and push into Palermo's defensive third.  In the 30th minute Claudio Marchisio had a nice look from the center of the area, but just floated his shot over the bar.  In the 36th Marchisio had a shot blocked from close range and the rebound fell kindly to Mirko Vucinic, who just couldn't quite find his mark as his return shot clanged off the near post and rolled away for the Palermo 'keeper to collect.

Juventus would continue to look dangerous throughout the rest of the half, and nearly took the lead once again in the 44th minute.  This time it was Alessandro Matri that tested the Palermo 'keeper, firing a shot at him from point blank range.  Samir Ujkani's instincts did not fail him though, and he was able to corral it, preserving the scoreless draw going into halftime.

Juve announced their intentions right away in half number 2 though.  In the 46th minute Vucinic again went close, but found himself drawing woodwork for the the second time in the match.  However he totally redeemed himself in the 50th minute, sliding one of the niftiest backheel passes that you're ever likely to see to Stephan Lichtsteiner, who promptly slotted home the match's lone goal from close range to make it 0-1 to Juventus.

Both sides would put up one more quality chance in the match.  For Juve, Andrea Pirlo nearly handed Vucinic another assist in the 62nd, volleying his cross toward goal, but again Ujkani was up to it.  Palermo had their best chance for an equalizer in the 82nd minute when they managed to get the ball to the feet of Miccoli on a quick counter attack.  However the Italian international couldn't find the target, knocking the shot just high and sealing Palermo's 0-1 defeat to the Old Lady at home.

Italian Scandal: Juventus Manager Has Plea Bargain Denied

Juventus Manager Antonio Conte faces a 15 month ban from Italian Football.

Many fans of Italian football, such as myself, have been nervously watching the scandal that's unfolded this summer over match fixing in the Italian professional leagues.  At one point it was even suggested that the entire Serie A season might be canceled.  It also nearly forced the Italians to withdraw from Euro 2012 after members of the side were implicated prior to the tournament.

Today some more big news came down the pipe, and it effects the manager of the defending Serie A champs.  Last year Antonio Conte led Juventus to an unbeaten season en route to what they count as their 30th scudetto.  Now he faces possibly being banned from Italian football for up to 15 months.

At issue are two matches that took place in 2010-2011 when Conte managed then Serie B side Siena.  Match fixing was found to have taken place in these matches, and Conte is accused of not reporting it to the Italian football authorities. 

For their part, Siena had submitted various plea bargains to the Italian FIGC, and one has finally been accepted.  They will be docked 6 points to start the new Serie A campaign this season.  Conte has been cleared of direct involvement in the match fixing, but has been seeking a compromise on these other charges.  Today the FIGC rejected a plea bargain that would have seen Conte serve a three month ban and pay a fine of 200,000 Euros.  Now he must submit a new offer to the FIGC or he'll face a tribunal.  Either of those options will most certianly result in a longer ban, perhaps up to 15 months as being mentioned by the Associated Press.

The scandal has hit other clubs as well.  Torino, which was promoted back to Serie A,  will start with a 1 point penalty and pay a 30,000 Euro fine.  Lower in the Italian leagues Novara, Varese, Albinoeffe, and Grossetto also will have various point penalties and pay various fines.

Congratlualtions to Juventus, 2011-2012 Serie A Champions

Congratulations are in order for Juventus, the Old Lady of Italian football, for capturing the 2011-2012 Serie A Championship this last weekend.  Juve beat Cagliari 2-0, and second place A.C. Milan lost to Inter Milan 2-4 to seal things up for the club from Turin.

It's been a year of amazing things for Juve.  Not only did they clinch their 28th Serie A Title and their first in 9 years, but they opened a brand new stadium, and have assured their return to the UEFA Champions League.  To top it all off, with one match remaining in the Serie A season, they remain unbeaten in league play.  That's quite an accomplishment in any league, let alone a league with the likes of AC Milan, Inter Milan, Napoli, and Lazio, just to name a few.

Next year Juve will wear the "Scudetto" or "little shield" shaped Italian Flag on their jerseys that marks the Serie A Champions.  More controversially, Juve will add a third star to their crest.  In Italy, general practice to put a star on your crest for every ten scudettos won.  Juve claim 30, but the Italian courts stripped them of two titles after finding the club guilty of match fixing.  In the end, the Lega Calcio does not officially award stars, and the kit and crest design is totally up to the team, so likely it will happen but remain controversial.

At any rate, that should not detract at all from what this current crop of Juve players have accomplished in this wonderful campaign. 

Italian Match Thoughts: Juventus vs. Chievo Verona

Cheivo Verona's Michael Bradley (Goal.com)

It could be that more Americans were tuning in to watch Serie A and Chievo Verona this weekend after Michael Bradley's standout performance for the national team against the Azzurri this week. What they would have seen was in my mind pretty much a classic Italian away side performance from the Flying Donkeys.

Juventus took some sharp criticism for perhaps looking tired against AC Milan in their last match, particularly since Milan has been playing in Champions League and Juve isn't playing European football. Antonio Conte seems to have addressed that, because Juve came out with a hot hand in this one.

They nearly got on the board in the second minute. Paolo De Ceglie nearly got the job done as he squeezed a shot off on the Chievo goal, but got a little too fancy with it. This gave Chievo 'keeper Stefano Sorrentino a chance to size it up and turn it away.

De Ceglie got it right in the 18th minute though. Andrea Pirlo sent in one of his patent gorgeous free kicks. It was headed off the post and fell to De Ceglie, who put it in to give Juve the 1-0 lead. It was not without controversy though as replays showed he was offside. Still, the goal stood.

Juve would get one more good chance in the first half. Simone Padoin got a shot on goal in minute 40 that was saved, and the half ended with Juve holding the 1-0 lead.

Late in the second half the Flying Donkeys would make Juve pay for not adding that second goal. They hung in there all match long and just waited for their chance, which came in the 76th minute. Boukary Drame took a shot on goal for Chievo. Leonardo Bonucci tried to clear the ball off the line, but ended up actually helping it into the net to make it 1-1. The goal was awarded to Drame, and is his first Serie A goal. Chievo managed to hold on for the final 14 plus minutes and take a point off of Juve at home.

This could be critical as the result leaves Juve three points behind Milan for the top spot with a game in hand, they'll now have to win that game as the season continues to click towards it's climax. For their part, Milan thrashed Palermo 0-4.

Italian Match Thoughts: Atalanta vs. Juventus

Juventus has looked pretty much unstoppable this year, and Atalanta did nothing to dispell that in this match. Not that you'd really expect them to. They were hit with a 6 point deduction at the beginning of the season in regards to match fixing scandal, and they've been behind the eight-ball ever since. Odds that they would take anything off Juventus were pretty slim.

Right off the bat Juve had chances. In the 3rd minute Alessandro Matri had a good chance at goal courtesy of a cross from Simone Pepe. However he was disappointed to watch his volley go over the bar. It was the first of what would prove to be several disappointing misses for Matri on the night.

Atalanta just didn't see much of the ball throughout the match, particularly in the first half. They did get one little run of possession about the 19th minute that resulted in a shot for Giacomo Bonaventura. His shot was easily saved and it proved to be the best look they'd get in the half.

Juventus finally took the well deserved lead after halftime. In the 55th minute Andrea Pirlo sent in a cross to Lichsteiner who dove a header into the bottom corner to make it 0-1. That was all Juve would need but they did add one more as Giaccherini slotted home after a pass from Marrone that cemented our full time result at 0-2.

The end of the weekend saw Juventus back on top of the Serie A table. They're sitting 1 point ahead of Milan, 3 ahead of Udinese, and 6 ahead of surging Inter Milan. Atalanta sits 15th, 5 clear of the drop zone. If they had the six they were docked, they'd be in 8th. That might come into play at the end of the season.

Italian Match Thoughts: Lazio vs. Juventus

For some reason I've been on this kick for watching Juventus lately. It couldn't be because they're playing some of the best football in Italy, could it? Yes, it probably could.

This one was really fun to watch as well. The low scoreline is a bit deceptive. Both sides created quite a few quality chances. It really was an example of some of the best that Serie A has had to offer so far this season.

The first 20 minutes pretty much belonged to Juventus. Claudio Marchisio got things started with a bang in the 10th minute as just BARELY missed with a header over the Lazio crossbar. He really should have scored. Andrea Pirlo stood up to take the next chance on 13 minutes, but found his shot blocked. He tried again with an absolutely gorgeous free kick in the 16th, that was only kept out by an equally brilliant save from the Lazio 'keeper.

After weathering the opening storm from Juve, Lazio got their feet. In the 21st minute they were helped out by a Juve defensive blunder which Tommaso Rocchi turned into a shot that was neatly saved by Buffon. However, just seconds later, Cristian Ledesma sent in a wonder strike that looked bound for the back of the net but somehow crept wide.

Lazio's failure to convert some of their chances in the first half eventually came back to haunt them. In the 34th minute, Juve sparked a counter and Matri managed to find Pepe with a beautiful cross. Pepe promptly banged it into the back of the net to give Juve the 0-1 lead at the half.

The second half slowed just a little bit, but again both sides had chances. Lazio went on a great run of attack from about the 60th-70th minutes. It featured great chances from Hernanes, who hit the post, and Miroslav Klose, who forced a quality save from Buffon. However in the end, they couldn't convert and Juve held on to the 0-1 win.

Juventus takes the three points and continues their great top of the table run, Lazio played a great game however, and gave the Old Lady all they could handle. I expecy both of these teams to be in the mix for the Champions League spots, if not for the Scudetto itself. Great match.

Italian Match Thoughts: Juventus vs. AC Milan

While the traditional Derby d'italia is Juve vs Inter. The Juve vs. Milan matchup is always one of the biggest matches of the Serie A season as well. This one had special meaning as the grand Old Lady of Italian football was hosting the champs for the first time in their new stadium in Torino. Juventus wanted a win.

Unfortunately though, there wasn't a lot to talk about, especially in the first half. It was like AC Milan didn't even really show up. To be fair, they played a Champions League match mid week, and Juve only has Serie A to worry about, but still, Juve dominated. However, they couldn't hit the broadside of barn and Milan somehow stumbled into half time still tied at 0-0.

In the second half, it was clear AC Milan were playing for a point. Juve almost got on the board in the 47th minute though as Bonucci chested one at goal from close range that Abbiati just managed to save. At the other end of the pitch, Milan got their only real chance of the night in the 51st minute. Cassano took a ball in and got a close range shot on goal, but Buffon got out of his easy chair and saved it to preserve the 0-0 score.

It all came apart for Milan in the closing minutes. In the 87th minute, Marchisio managed to just dribble a shot past Abbiati to make it 1-0. Then two minutes later, Prince Boateng got sent off for picking up a second yellow. Juventus took advantage deep into stoppage time as Marchisio nutmegged a flabergasted Abbiati to make the final score 2-0.

I think it's safe to say that after this weekend, both Milan teams need to wake up, or it's going to be a long season.

Serie A: Lazio vs. Juventus

So here we have another match between teams in Serie A that are trying to sort out the European spots for next year. Lazio just clinging above Udinese and Roma, Juventus just behind them.

Despite the stakes, it turned out to be a little bit of a pedestrian affair. The first half was very tactical and you got the sense the teams were feeling each other out. More chances arose in the second half, but only one was taken.

Lazio looked the stronger of the teams right off. They took the pressure to Juve, but they just sat and soaked it up really. Hernanes had a good look in the second minute, but hit the shot just wide. Brocchi had a rather nice look off of a corner in the 26th, but headed it right at the keeper. Then in the 33rd, Floccari looked likely to score, but again the shot was saved. Bending, not breaking, for Juve.

Things started to open just a little as we approached the half. Matri finally had an attempt on goal for Juventus in the 36th, only have it saved. Felipe Melo had a gorgeous look in the 41st, but his poor finish went way over the bar and we went to the half at 0-0.

The 2nd half looked a lot better. Juventus came out and attacked a little. In the 49th, Del Piero put a great shot just high, and it looked like we had a match on our hands. Lazio almost took the lead in the 53rd, when Brocchi put a shot JUST high over the bar. A great chance.

The teams traded half chances until we got to the 81st minute, when Juve got what looked like a really promising break. However, Ledesma brought Melo down around midfield and earned his second yellow card and put Lazio down to ten men. At this point, Juve cranked up the heat. It paid off in the 87th minute when Pepe slotted one home to give Juventus the 0-1 win.

The biggest effect from this game is on Lazio failing to really cement 4th spot. That could be a really big deal with Udinese coming up for them. For Juve, Europa league football is still in their sights after they picked up a crucial three points in the Capital.

Serie A: Juventus vs. Catania

I love me some Italian footy, and I love watching Juve play, even though I'm an Inter supporter. I had seen the result prior to watching the match on my DVR, and I was really keen to see how we arrived at it.

Things got off to a weird start as Motta was handed a yellow for Juventus just 40 seconds in. That's right, in the first minute. Talk about your early yellows. It really didn't slow Juve down, as they had a lot of great possession throughout this match. In the 7th minute, Marchisio sent a hard shot into goal but it was saved by Andujar, the Catania keeper.

The great possession continued for Juve, and in the 15th minute Juve Captain Del Piero got a gorgeous free kick on goal, but Andujar made another save. However, in the 18th minute, the ref awarded a PK to Juve, and even the announcer wasn't really sure why. Del Piero knocked home the ensuing kick to give Juventus a 1-0 lead.

Juventus continued to move the ball at will through the rest of the first half. They were in total control. In the 38th minute they charged up the pitch after a rare Catania attack, and Del Piero chested a rebounded cross into the net to send Juve into half time with a 2-0 lead

Things didn't look anymore promising for Catania in the second half. Juve had chance after chance. In the 52nd, they had a nice break but a poor cross from Grosso was gobbled up by Andujar. In the 55th minute Matri had a glowing chance in the box, but couldn't get the ball off his feet for a shot. Juventus was not taking advantage of their chances, and you got the sense that they weren't throwing the knock out punch.

Still in it, Catania began to come to life in about the 75th minute. Gomez had been their best player all day, and he began to lead the charge. In the 81st minute he finally netted a goal to cut the lead to 2-1. Things were starting to look a little nervy for Juve, but they still had their chances. In fact they missed a breakaway chance in the 83rd, and Krasic missed a shot to seal it in the 89th.

Cue the dramatics.

As we entered the 5th minute of stoppage time, Lodi lined up over a free kick for Catania. You could feel the tension through the tv. Juve tried to perfect their wall, but in the end, Lodi knocked it home to finalize a 2-2 draw and cap a great end to a match that Juve had taken far too lightly. Now it remains to be seen if this slip up costs them a chance at the Europa League. For Catania, it's a precious point to use in their relegation battle.