Archives for: September 2010, 29
Team and Tactics v Juventus
September 29th, 2010I have to say, I'm looking forward to the game with Juve.
It remains a fixture that has glamour, although the Turin side are not quite as successful as in days gone by. A quick look at their still impressive squad reveals a mix of young up-and-comers, a few distinguished veterans and some solid reliable types - there are certainly too many quality players to second guess the manager's selection for this tie, but expect them to line-up something like this -
Storari
Legrottaglie - Bonucci - Chiellini - Grygera
Krasic - Marchisio - Melo - Pepe
Del Piero - Iaquinta
Players to look out for include top defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, quality midfielders like Felipe Melo and United target Claudio Marchisio and the likes of Milos Krasic, Alessandro Del Piero and Iaquinta up front. My favourite Juve player, and someone I'd like to see at City, is Fabio Quagliarella, although he is cup-tied. The manager, Luigi Del Neri, is not having the best of times at the moment, and although he has the reputation of being a defensive expert, Juve appear to be quite porous at the back - what this means for City remains to be seen. Hopefully, we can grab a couple of goals and consolidate our lead in the group, but City's own issues in front of goal although understandable and temporary, may make this another low-scoring affair.
City go into the game with their confidence high after the Chelsea result, but I doubt they will take Juve for granted - Mancini should underline the depth of quality in the Italian team's squad. Slowly, some of the casualties of war and drinks trolleys are returning, although I'm not confident that Boateng will start the game - perhaps 20/30 minutes will be plenty. Other injury concerns include Silva, and at the time of writing, Bridge and Micah are doubtful. Adebayor should be fit and ready, and it would be nice to give Tevez a rest, but only Mancini can know what Ade's frame of mind is.
~BLOOVIC~

