11 minute read
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY
GABRIEL BATISTUTA.”
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of course has angered the fans at the Franchi. Arguably, the transfer of Vlahovic to Juve was a shrewd piece of business by President Rocco Commisso as the attacker’s contract with I Gigliati was due to come to an end in 2023 and they could have lost him for free. Sporting director Daniele Prade was reluctant to o er the salary that Vlahovic wanted last season, so contract extension talks broke down and the door was left open for the striker to walk out in January. La Viola fans will certainly miss the striker that was compared to their former legendary Argentine hitman, Gabriel Batistuta. For this writer, the comparisons with Batigol were not so much for his style of play but for the way he thundered the ball into the net; some of his goals were certainly reminiscent of the ones smacked in by the long-haired number nine. The Belgrade native made a reasonably good start for Juve as he adjusts to being at a club of their size and stature during a period of relative transition, marking his debut with a goal against Hellas Verona in a 2-0 win before a match-winning brace away to Empoli a few weeks later. He also scored in his Champions League debut, a 1-1 draw at Villarreal in February, however his new side crashed out of the competition after a 3-0 defeat at home in the second leg. It will be up to Max Allegri now to develop a game plan that can get the very best out of the forward who admittedly seemed isolated and cut adrift in their Derby d’Italia loss at home to Inter at the start of April. Allegri’s style has been called too negative in the past, so Vlahovic will hope that caution is thrown to the wind, and he gets to lead
ABOVE: The young Serb burst onto the scene with Fiorentina
BELOW: Allegri hopes to build a team around Vlahovic
RIGHT: Juventus' forward Dusan Vlahovic celebrates after scoring the 1-2 lead during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Empoli FC vs Juvent us FC
A FAMILIAR Journey
Ciro Di Brita looks at five players who have moved along the well-trodden path from Florence to Turin
ROBERTO BAGGIO There were riots on the streets with up to 50 people injured after the “Divine Ponytail” left Florence for Juventus in 1990 for a then worldrecord transfer fee of £8m. The rivalry between the clubs was born that day with La Viola fans despairing of the departure of their favourite son, who had spent five years with the club.
FEDERICO BERNARDESCHI Bernardeschi joined Juventus for €40m on a five-year deal in the summer of 2017 after starring for La Viola in the three previous seasons. The golden boy of Italian football has never really fulfilled his early promise and could be set to leave the Allianz Stadium this summer as his contract is set to expire.
FEDERICO CHIESA The young winger joined the Old Lady in 2020 in a deal that could be worth around €60m after all variables are included. The son of former Parma striker Enrico starred for Italy during their European Championship win and spent four successful seasons at the Stadio Artemio Franchi scoring 34 times in 153 appearances. The 24-year-old is currently on the sidelines after sustaining a cruciate ligament injury that has impacted both Juve and the Azzurri.
FELIPE MELO The Brazilian midfielder spent the 2008-2009 season with La Viola before heading to Turin for a €25m fee after putting in some good performances for the Selecao in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. Back then I Gigliati were a Champions League team under Coach Cesare Prandelli, however Fiorentina fans would not have been too upset by the news of his transfer to the Bianconeri.
GIORGIO CHIELLINI The old veteran began his Serie A career with La Viola in 2004-05 season, playing 37 times and scoring three goals as a left-back. Chiellini was signed by Juventus in the summer of 2004 for €6.5m from Livorno but was sold in a co-ownership deal to Fiorentina for €3.5m. The defender probably wasn’t in Florence long enough for fans to have become too attached.
the line of a side that plays attractive attacking football. On the other hand, it seems unlikely the Juventus Coach will change his pragmatic approach, but moving forward he will hope that Vlahovic’s goals can lead the club to ultimately regaining their former dominance in Italy. That may also require more consistency in the selection of those around him, as Vlahovic has already started in attack alongside Moise Kean, Alvaro Morata, and the soon to be departed Paulo Dybala since arriving at the club. Vlahovic is set to appear in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar later this year as Serbia take on Brazil, Switzerland, and Cameroon in the group stage. The Eagles finished unbeaten at the top of their qualifying group ahead of the likes of Portugal and the Republic of Ireland. The Juventus forward has scored seven times in 14 internationals to date, three of which came in qualification. Serbia’s strike force will pose problems for their World Cup rivals as Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic also scored eight goals in qualifying and could be deployed alongside his younger teammate to form a devastating attack. Before the main event in the winter will be a raft of Nations League Group B games for Vlahovic and Serbia to warm up with against Norway, Sweden, and Slovenia. Back on the peninsula, however, the Bianconeri will be hoping he can score the goals that will keep his side in the top four and the Champions League qualification places as that Derby d’Italia loss seemingly ended their outside chances of lifting the Scudetto. The Coppa Italia is their only remaining chance of silverware this season, so Juventus will hope that winning that competition could be the launchpad for further progress next term when they will undoubtedly have to rebuild a side around their newly acquired talented striker.
ABOVE: Roberto Baggio’s move from Fiorentina to Juventus was the beginning of a trend
BELOW: Federico Chiesa also moved from Fiorentina to Juventus
TOP RIGHT: Juventus’ Federico Bernardeschi jubilates after scoring the 2-0 lead during the Italian Serie A soccer match Juventus FC vs Cagliari Calcio
BOTTOM RIGHT: Chiellini for Italy during the Euro 2020 tournament.
TITLE ASPIRATIONS
‘FIKAYO TOMORI HAS BEEN A REVELATION FOR MILAN
THE GOOD
Milan’s greatest domestic and European achievements were built on impregnable backlines with Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Nesta unequivocally considered greats of the modern game. Fiyako Tomori and Pierre Kalulu may never join such exalted company but the unlikely central defensive partnership has been integral to the Rossoneri’s quest for an elusive Serie A title. The trophy-laden halcyon days of Milan success in the late 1990s and early 2000s are distant memories yet Tomori and Kalulu resemble something of a throwback to a past era. England international Tomori, 24, has been a revelation; a combination of old-fashioned toughness, ready to sacrifi ce his body in the tackle and a tactfully astute distributor with an athletic turn of pace. Kalulu, 21, began the season on the substitute’s bench as a versatile full-back capable of fi lling in on either fl ank but way down the club’s pecking order. But then, a season ending anterior cruciate ligament knee injury sustained by infl uential team leader Simon Kjær in December 2021 changed everything. Kalulu was handed a rare opportunity out of position, at fi rst playing alongside former Italy international Alessio Romagnoli and then Milan youth product Matteo Gabbia before becoming a regular fi rst-team starter. The young Frenchman, who joined Milan in the summer of 2020 from Lyon, has fl ourished alongside Tomori; his controlled aggression, timely interceptions and passing range all becoming dependable attributes. The glaring lack of a prolifi c forward has not held Milan back as they aim to clinch a fi rst title since the 2010-11 campaign with Kalulu even netting a brilliant curler from distance as the Rossoneri defeated Empoli at San Siro in March. Alongside French international goalkeeper Mike Maignan and left-back Theo Hernandez, the continued good form of the rock solid Tomori-Kalulu combination will be essential to Milan’s title aspirations.
STORY LINES
Inter Milan cult hero Adriano was on the stands for Copa Italia’s semifi nal Derby Della Madonnina between Inter and Milan. The Brazilian was invited by Inter as their guest of honor. Adriano won four Serie A titles with Inter between 2004 and 2009. He was tipped to be one of the best center-forwards of all time, but his career was derailed by depression following the death of his father. Lautaro Martínez has been involved in each of the last three goals scored during the fi rst fi ve minutes of play in the Milan derbies (two goals and one assist). Ian Wright was impressed by Tammy Abraham’s assist against Napoli and the Roma striker thanked the Arsenal legend on social media. The Giallorossi stretched their unbeaten run to 12 Serie A games following a one-all draw against Napoli at the Stadio Maradona. A late goal from Stephan El Shaarawy allowed the Giallorossi to pick up a point in Naples. The Italy international was inspired by a brilliant assist by Abraham, who was praised on social media by Wright.
The early Champions League exits of Juventus and Inter added weight to the tired narrative that Italian football is still in a period of decline. No club from Italy advanced beyond the round of 16 in Europe’s most prestigious and lucrative competition for the second year in succession. The same old clichéd arguments about fi nancial disparity, ground ownership issues and historic match fi xing scandals were again copied and pasted by those with scant knowledge of the Italian game. While the money chasm is an undoubted element in trying to attract the best players to Serie A, as sovereign wealth funds and billionaires spend recklessly in the English Premier League and at Paris Saint Germain, there was little to separate Inter and Liverpool. Squad depth aside, an Inter team packed full of seasoned internationals pushed the Anfi eld club all the way in a fi rst leg settled by a sublime Roberto Firmino header and Mohamed Salah defl ection at San Siro. Lautaro Martinez struck a brilliant winner as the Italian champions had Alexis Sánchez sent o in the second leg, losing out 2-1 on aggregate in a fi ercely competitive tie. Juventus remain the only Italian club able to match the continent’s big spenders, but despite shelling out a total of €80 million to sign star striker Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina in January, they could not fi nd a way past modest Spaniards Villarreal. It took Vlahovic just 33 seconds to score as Juve drew 1-1 in Spain. The return fi xture in Turin was an unmitigated disaster as the Bianconeri dominated before falling apart late on, conceding two penalties and three goals in a humiliating home defeat. Although signifi cant improvements must be made there was enough evidence to show the gap between the best of Serie A and the European elite is far from unassailable.
FAR LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Milan’s Fikayo Tomori jubilates after the 1-1 goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between AC Milan and FC Inter
RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): AC Milan’s Pierre Kalulu (L) challenges for the ball against Torino’s Wilfried Stephane Singo
ABOVE: Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez jubilates after scoring during the Italian serie A soccer match
RIGHT: Trent Alexander-Arnold (R) of Liverpool in action against Lautaro Martinez (L) of Inter during the UEFA Champions League round of 16
FAR RIGHT: Jordan Henderson
Juventus legend Marco Tardelli has joined calls for Alessandro Del Piero to become Juventus president. The legendary number 10 left the club in 2012 when he was not o ered a new contract, continuing his playing career at Sydney FC and Delhi Dynamos until retirement in 2015. He had not been back to Allianz Juventus Stadium since that wave goodbye in 2012, until Juve’s recent 1-1 draw with Bologna, given a standing ovation by the crowd. Juventus full-back Mattia de Sciglio says he believes more Italian youngsters should move abroad and play in foreign leagues to enrich their experience. The Italy defender returned to Turin in the summer after a oneyear loan spell at Lyon, where he made 33 appearances last term.
