The final four of the Champions League is arguably the most star studded line-up to make up the semi-finals in a very long time.
Real Madrid vs. Juventus. FC Barcelona vs. Bayern Munich. 21 titles are shared between them. World class players on each team, fervent passionate supporters at each club. The finest stadiums in Europe. I could go on to list all the positive elements of each club. All I know is that I haven’t been as excited about the semi-final stage of this tournament for a very very long time. All the more so as Juventus, a club that I have followed since I was young are back in the semi-final stage for the first time in 12 years.
Like any young football fan growing up in the 90’s, there was a great interest in Italian football. The Serie A during that decade was arguably the biggest and best league in the world. And I don’t use that term lightly, like a certain broadcaster does with the Premier League. The best players, the best teams, the best hairstyles, the best lifestyles, the best displays of support and possibly the best half hour of football programming covering the league. Gazzetta Football Italia on Channel 4 has gone into folklore amongst football fans in the UK and Ireland. The intro itself is 30 seconds of brilliance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASM3jm-ocyA
My love for Italian football and Juventus didn’t come from their participation in that programme however. Until the turn of the century, I only had two television channels. Live football was scarce in my house, except for RTE’s coverage of the Champions League. The new format was still in its infancy but even as a child myself, I could see something special in these games opposed to your average International or League game. The grey backdrop of the branding, the clear definition of the Champions League stars, the Times New Roman font of the players and teams names. Nostalgia is heroin for old people but I simply love the original style of Champions League broadcasts. RTE broadcasts would focus, as they do nowadays, on English teams but as it is today, English teams were a rare occurrence in the latter rounds back then. Europe was Italian football’s playground during this decade and it was Juventus who dominated its premier club competition in the late 90’s. As a result, my early football watching largely consisted of those in black and white stripes, and Sony on their jerseys.
Under the management of Marcello Lippi, Juventus reached four Champions League finals, 3 in a row during the 1990’s and once again in 2003. And it still beggars belief that they only managed to win just one of those finals. A penalty shoot-out victory over reigning champions Ajax in 1996 is to date, the Blanconeri last triumph in the competition. The team that won that day consisted of names such as Ciro Ferrera, Angelo Di Livio, Paolo Sousa, Gianluca Pessotto, Antonio Conte, Didier Deschamps and Angelo Peruzzi, the hero in the shoot-out. The front three itself was immense. Fabrizio Ravanelli, Gianluca Vialli and a young Alessandro Del Piero led the line. While Ajax had star names of their own, the game itself wasn’t exactly a classic. It finished 1-1 after normal time, the goals coming from Ravanelli and Jari Litmanen, and extra time couldn’t separate the teams. In the shoot-out, Juventus scored all four of their penalties and Peruzzi would make the difference in saving from future team-mate Edgar Davids and Sonny Silooy. After the tragedy that surrounded their first triumph in Heysel in 1985, this was a victory the club could truly savour.
Del Piero would go on to become a club legend but Vialli and Ravanelli both left for the Premier League. Paolo Sousa would also move on. Undeterred by losing such names, Juventus went out and signed Christian Vieri to reinforce the forward line but it was the addition of Zinedine Zidane that really signalled their intentions. Zidane was not the first French superstar to play for the club after Michel Platini’s successful spell at the club in the 80’s but he could certainly lay claim to being one of the best players in the World at the time. Zidane made an immediate impact as the club won back the league title from AC Milan and won their 2nd Intercontinental Cup against River Plate in Tokyo. In the Champions League, they stormed their way back to the final undefeated, winning all but two of their games. However, they were surprised in the final by their unfancied opponents Borussia Dortmund. Zidane was nullified by the close marking of Paul Lambert and couldn’t influence the game. Despite Del Piero audaciously back flicking a goal to make it 2-1, it wasn’t enough as Dortmund added a third to finish the game. This was the first final I watched growing up. And despite the scoreline, it was Juventus and the classic alternate blue jersey that made an immediate impression on me that would only be enhanced as I grew older.
In 1998, despite retaining the league title, the red hot form of Del Piero in the competition and the addition of Filippo Inzaghi, Juventus would fail to win the decider for the second year running. The final in Amsterdam saw them come up against Real Madrid. This was a Real side before the era of the Galacticos really took precedent on playing personnel. And while they still had a number of well-known names, it was still expected that Juve would rout their opponents in the final. They had scored 23 times in 10 games leading to the final, including six over two legs against Monaco in the semi-final. However, the only goal in this game was scored by Predrag Mijatovic in the 68th minute, after Roberto Carlos’ initial shot from distance (wahey!) was deflected off the back of Paolo Montero and left Peruzzi stranded. It was another surprise result. Lippi surprisingly took over Inter Milan after the 1998 final. His replacement, Carlo Ancelotti, almost led the club to a fourth consecutive final but were denied by a Manchester United side led by Roy Keane. It was a major setback, as the clubs league form had faltered dramatically in the meantime. They failed to qualify for the Champions League for the following season, and when they returned in 2000–01, they failed to get out of their group stage. Ancelotti was dismissed at the end of that season.
When Lippi returned in the summer of 2001, he had to contend with losing Zidane to Real Madrid for a fee in the region of €75 million. While he would go on to greater things with Madrid, Lippi set about rebuilding the team by signing Lillian Thuram, Pavel Nedved, and Gianluigi Buffon for a world record fee for a goalkeeper. Added to previous signings made in recent seasons of Gianluca Zambrotta and David Trezeguet, who struck up a potent understanding up front with Del Piero, Juventus were enroute to the pinnacle of Europe once more. They made up for a disappointing Champions League in 01-02 by winning the title for the first time since 98. The following season saw them retain the League and enjoy an amazing run to the Champions League final again.
Despite scraping through the second group phase on goal difference ahead of both FC Basel and Deportivo La Coruna, they overcame the challenge of Barcelona with a decisive golden goal scored by Marcelo Zalayeta. In the semi-final stage, they would come up against familiar foes in the form of Real Madrid. The reigning champions not only boasted the talent of Zidane but Luis Figo, Claude Makelele and Ronaldo, who had torn apart Man United in the quarter final 2nd leg with a hat-trick. Madrid were the most expert’s favourites to reach the final again and would follow the script by winning the first leg 2-1. However the return leg in Turin has gone down into folklore in Juventus history, with the home side and their fans producing a comprehensive performance to overwhelm their opponents. First half goals from Trezeguet and a delightful Del Piero finish were complemented by a 2nd half penalty save by Buffon from Zidane and a glorious 20 yard volley from Nedved. Not even a late consolation goal for Madrid could spoil the brilliance from this victory.
Unfortunately for Juventus, Nedved would miss the final through suspension and his influence would prove to be a big loss in the final against Italian rivals AC Milan. The 2003 decider was a tactical defensive style of match that didn’t produce a goal over 120 minutes. There would be no repeat of the 1996 heroics in the shoot-out as despite Buffon making two saves, his opposite number Dida would save three of Juventus’ penalties to win the title for AC Milan. After the euphoria of the semi-final victory, this was another bitter blow for Juventus to take. The following season would be a disappointing one for the club as they finished 3rd in the league and only reach the last 16 of the Champions League. Lippi resigned to take over the national team in 2004 and while his replacement, Fabio Capello, ensured domestic dominance, he would exit the Champions League at the quarter final to English opposition in consecutive seasons. Despite the presence of new players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Patrick Vieira and Fabio Cannavaro, the club struggled to assert a presence and dominance in Europe they had enjoyed under Lippi. As disappointing these setbacks, much darker days loomed on the horizon for the club.
Juventus were at the centre of the Calciopoli scandal which rocked Italian football. Italian authorities uncovered a number of telephone calls establishing a network of relations between team managers and referee organizations. This scandal not only had severe consequences for Juventus, but for Italian football in general, with the Serie A suffering serious damage to its reputation. A number of clubs were accused of rigging games by selecting favourable referees. Juventus were deemed to be the most offending perpetrators and received the most severe punishment handed out. They were stripped of their two previous league titles, demoted to Serie B with a point’s deduction and found themselves expelled from the following season’s edition of the Champions League. As a result, there was a large exodus of star players and personnel with Capello, Cannavaro, Thuram, Vieira and Ibrahimovic all leaving. A number of players decided to stay such as Del Piero, Buffon, Trezeguet and Nedved, endearing themselves to the clubs support. However, it would be a long time before the club would be making a significant impact on the European stage again as the club entered a transition period on and off the field.
In 2006, the club decided to leave the Stadio Delle Alpi, the clubs home ground since 1990 and seek a new home. Delle Alpi had a large 67’000 capacity but was less accessible and had poor sightlines due to the athletics track, which impacted upon the atmosphere. Despite their status as the best supported team in Italy, the stadium rarely sold out. In November 2008, the club unveiled plans for a new stadium on the site of the Stadio Delle Alpi. The planned capacity of 41,000 was significantly lower but would greatly improve the experience for the supporter. More importantly however, Juventus would be the only club in Italy to own their own stadium and therefore recoup all the profits. This gave them a significant advantage over other clubs in Italy moving forward. By the time the stadium was opened in 2011, the club was in the best position in a number of years to make a return to the elite of Italian and European football. They made an immediate return to the Serie A in 2007 and under Claudio Ranieri, finished 2nd in the League and reached the last 16 of the Champions League in 2008-09. Despite this, Ranieri wasn’t popular with the board or the fans and was replaced by Ciro Ferrera, an ever present in the glory days of the late 90’s. However, the change was a massive failure as Juventus faltered in the League, eventually finishing 7th. They also exited the group stages of the Champions League. Luigi Del Neri took over full time in 2010-11 but he too failed to improve Juventus position in the League.
Antonio Conte was appointed manager as Juventus moved into their new stadium. Unlike his former team-mate Ferrera, Conte had suitable experience as a manager in Italy before taking over Juventus. While the job at Juventus would be his biggest challenge to date, his winning mentality and man management made an immediate impression on the club. The signings of Stephan Lichtsteiner and Arturo Vidal would prove crucial as they became mainstays of a new successful Juventus side but their cause was greatly helped by the signing of Andrea Pirlo on a free transfer from AC Milan. Pirlo would be the centre piece of a team and player reborn as the club went undefeated in what was Del Piero’s final season at the club. They won their first League title in 6 years and secured their return to the Champions League. It would be the first of three straight League titles for Conte at Juventus as their assured their dominance on the domestic game once more. He built a team with solid defensive foundations and arguably a central midfield selection of Pirlo, Vidal, Claudio Marchisio, and later Paul Pogba, that would rival the one he played in himself. What stopped Juventus truly becoming a force in Europe again under Conte was the presence of a world class striker.
In his first season in the Champions League, Conte led Juventus to the quarter finals where they faced Bayern Munich. I was quietly confident that Juventus would upset a lot of people and reach the 2013 final. However, they were completely outplayed by a superb Bayern side over two legs. The following season was a disappointment as the club failed to build on their 2012-13 campaign. Boosting their strike force with Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente, Juventus were placed in a group with Real Madrid and Galatasary. They exited the group stages controversially in the last game against their Turkish opponents. The game was abandoned after 30 minutes due to poor conditions. They played the remaining hour the next day. Needing only a draw to progress, Wesley Sneijder scored a late goal to knock Juventus out. In the Europa League, they would reach the semi-finals only to be beaten by Benfica, denying them the opportunity to play the final at their home ground. Conte surprisingly resigned at the end of the season and took over the Italian national team, leaving Juventus squad and their experienced leaders with an uncertain future.
Massimiliano Allegri was a controversial selection to replace the much celebrated Conte. Allegri had won the Serie A in 2011 with AC Milan but by the time he left in January 2014, the club was left languishing in 11th. They never built upon their initial domestic success and failed to make an impact in Europe. Taking this into account, many Juventus supporters protested the decision and the pressure for Allegri to succeed was increased without even kicking a ball. However, rather than take apart the team Conte built and fail, Allegri has arguably created a better team, one capable of both attacking fluidly with a disciplined defence. It is clear that the problems he experienced at Milan stemmed mostly from a club in disarray. At Juventus, things are running smoothly on and off the field.
Allegri has shown a tactical versatility that has allowed Juventus the freedom to play attacking football and allow the talents of Tevez and summer signing Alvaro Morata to flourish. That being said, they still retain the solid defensive foundations laid down in Conte’s time in charge. Buffon, the last remaining member of Juventus last Champions League semi-final in 2003, captains the team and is still one of the bet goalkeepers in the world. In front of him, he can rely on the central defensive partnership of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. Lichtsteiner remains a key presence in the defence and Patrice Evra has done well since his arrival from Man United in the summer. The midfield still remains the focal point of this Juventus side and how they play. They are fortunate that if one of Pirlo, Marchisio, Vidal or Pogba are injured, they can get by. That remains the case this evening as Pogba has not yet recovered from the hamstring injury he suffered against Borussia Dortmund, a game which Juventus signalled their intentions & potential by winning 3-0 in the 2nd leg of their last 16 encounter at the Signal Iduna Park. It is expected he will return for the second leg, which would be a huge boost for Juve.
I saw countless memes on the internet that portrayed Juventus as the team to play in the semi-finals. This perceived weakness is laughable as it is insulting to any follower of the club. A number of these players know what it’s like to be written off. AC Milan thought Pirlo had lost it, Man City had enough of Tevez. Pogba wasn’t wanted at Man United and Real Madrid didn’t have time to allow Morata to develop into the player they wanted. How sweet it would be if Morata were to demonstrate to his former employers what exactly they let go last summer. He has been growing in confidence lately and forming a decent partnership with Tevez, who has scored 28 goals this season.
The 1998 final between Juventus and Real Madrid saw the Italian side as the strong favourites with star studded names throughout. 17 years later and the roles are reversed.
Write off the Italians at your peril, the leading lady has returned!
