I didn't watched the game against Atalanta (was it?), but I did read some great news - Nedved scored his first goal of the season!! and it was a match winner, Nedved scored it with one of his trademark long range efforts. I hope Nedved starts showing more glimpses of his old-self, he's a great player still.
Juventus haves a good manager in Ranieri, but their team is just not good enough - they need a good creative player in the midfield, someone who can organise and distribute Juventus's play. If Juventus manages to find a player with such abilities (very unlikely) than I think Juve will be back at full strenght, or at least improve their football.
If I were Ranieri - I would make Diego (Werder Bremen) a priority, the main target. Juventus does not needs an overrated player like Frank Lampard - that mistake could cost Ranieri his job - and I'm 100% sure that Frank Lampard would be a huge flop in Italian Serie A Football. I'd say, give it a go with the younger and far more creative Diego.
Of course, creative players or playmakers that actually play as playmakers instead of second strikers - are few and counted. Some of them include;
Juan Roman Riquelme - unquestionably the world's best playmakers, very consistent, and true to his style of play. Unfortunately for Juventus, he's back in Boca Juniors.
Rafael Van der Vaart - good player, more of a second striker, Diego outclassed him in their last metting, and he's injured most of time.. not worth the money.
Nasri - haven't seen much from him.. but he looks like a great player. Nevertheless, he's a very unlikely target for Juventus.
Diego - Great playmaker on his day, kind of inconsistent, and with huge flaws to his game; lack of pace, inability to dictate a team's play, etc, etc.. Positive aspects include; great defence-splitting long balls (kind of like Beckham's long passes) or from time to time fantastic ground passes, moments of brilliance, skillfulness, etc, etc.. Just like most of the best playmakers, Diego haves his flaws - But I think it's worth taking a chance with this player, and that's without mentioning that there aren't many world class creative players around.
Other creative players worth mentioning include - Xavi (Barcelona), Cesc Fabregas (untouchable), Guti (underrated), Recoba, Luis Figo (a natural winger, but in actuality a world class creative midfielder.. key player for Inter), and some others I'm forgetting.
Is there any possibility at all, that Juventus might be able to sign Diego by January??
Luckily for Juventus, it shouldn't matter if they fail to sign a promising player such as Diego, or if they failed to sign a playmaker such as Juan Roman Riquelme. The reason for this is - Sebastian Giovinco - I had not seen this guy playing, but after watching him dominate Juventus this past week I'm convinced he is Juventus's future. People talk about him as Alessandro Del Piero's replacement, I see him as Roberto Baggio's succesor - a goal-scorer and a playmaker, neither a second striker or a playmaker (or, in other words - a second striker with a playmaker's vision), Giovinco is more similar to Baggio than to Del Piero.
Alex Del Piero was also compared to Roberto Baggio when he used to be Del Piero, but Del Piero always was and always will be a second striker - he haves great playmaking abilities, but not the same vision Roby Baggio possesed - I'm convinced that Sebastian Giovinco haves everything to become the next great Italian, and I think Giovinco haves the potential to surpass both Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti (two players who fall short from Roberto Baggio's legacy) - of course such a statement is very far out, and Giovinco remains an unproved youngster - but he does haves huge potential.
¿what do you guys think of Sebastian Giovinco??
Johan Cruijff; "Simple football is the most beautiful. But playing simple football is the hardest thing".