Serie A Season Preview 2007/08 - Juventus
27th Jun 2007, 17:25
In the forthcoming season the Italian league will look to put the turmoil created by the match-fixing scandal firmly behind it, and concentrate solely on the football. All twenty top fight clubs will start on an even footing, which include Napoli and Juventus who return from Serie B. www.PinnacleSports.com will be posting ante-post prices for the Scudetto and up to 60% better Asian Handicap bets from match day one through to the last kick off the season.
The Old Lady Is Back Where She Belongs
After spending their first season outside of the Italian top-flight in their 110 year history Juventus - the Old Lady - ended an Annus Horribilis on a positive note by earning promotion from Serie B, and leaving the likes of Rimini and Treviso behind them. For 2007/2008 the Old Lady returns to Serie A completing the first part in the club’s rehabilitation following the humiliation of the match-fixing scandal. That process will only be completed when the giant of Italian football returns to the financially crucial Champions League, and eventually regains the Scudetto.
Though Didier Deschamps succeeded in the difficult task of navigating the club out of Serie B, gaining promotion became the Frenchman’s legacy as he promptly resigned. Speculation suggested that Deschamps was at odds with the club’s management over strategic decisions, and the poisoned chalice has now been handed to Claudio Ranieri.
Ranieri may have appeared an unlikely successor having been sacked from both Chelsea and Valencia where he failed to bring despite large transfer budgets, and was dubbed the ‘Tinkerman’ for frequently changing tactics and formations. It was however, his success in turning around Parma’s fortunes that may have proved significant. Following his sacking by Valencia in February, Ranieri took Parma from bottom of Serie A to finish in 12th position. It remains to be seen whether he can finally succeed in managing a ‘big’ club as he has previously given the impression that he lacks the necessary authority to deal with soccer prima-donnas.
The Juventus board promised in March that a transfer budget of 100million euros would be made available to rebuild the squad. Several high profile players left prior to last season, and many of those that remained – such as Pavel Nedved (34) and Alessandro Del Piero (32) – are reaching the end of their careers. To date, Ranieri has made few significant signings other than striker, Vincenzo Iaquinta, who moves from Udinese. Iaquinta was part of the Italian World Cup winning squad, and scored a hat-trick on his Champions League debut in September, 2005.
Juventus have a packed pre-season including a tour of the UK but they will certainly have to move up several gears as they readjust to life back in Serie A. The side will have gained a strong sense of unity and siege mentality from battling in Serie B, which they should retain as they seek to continue on the road to redemption.