[FM10] Juve got to be kidding me!

[Elrithral]

Lovely stuff Mike, unlucky with the Cagliari result, but it doesn't seem to matter because you're running away with it. If you win the double can I have a kiss?

[Mike7077]

If I win the double you can have several kisses and possibly a cuddle.

[Mike7077]

I'm still really annoyed about Sevilla spending £36m on Berbatov. I mean, who pays that for a 30 year old? Chelsea paid £30m for Shevchenko but he was 29 and in any case it was Abramovich that wanted him.

[Mike7077]

November

November 2: IFK Gothenburg 2-4 Juventus

I suppose it was great entertainment and I also suppose we played pretty well, but I was fuming when we threw away our two-goal lead. Gothenburg stepped it up a little bit and we couldn't handle it. We only won the match when I went two at the back and four up front. Gothenburg couldn't handle that. I did weaken the team ever so slightly for this one and I'm pleased with the win. And given results elsewhere, a win over Real Madrid in our next Champions League match would send us through and send them into the Europa League!

November 6: Genoa 1-1 Juventus

Genoa away is a tricky fixture and I suppose a draw is a decent result. But we left it late to get our goal! As with the Gothenburg game, it took a change to an outrageously attacking formation to get the goal we needed. Two at the back, two in the middle, two in the attacking midfield position, four up front! Worked, though.

November 19: Juventus 3-0 Torino

This was my first taste of the Turin derby since taking over at Juve and I was glad we got back to form. This was the most convincing performance we've given in a while. It was also a spicy affair. Bookings to my defenders are going to mean suspensions.

November 22: Juventus 1-0 Real Madrid

We've done it! We've qualified with a game to spare and condemned Real Madrid, who've won the last two Champions Leagues, to the Europa League! Real tried really hard to break us down, but we managed to eek out the win. We've played them four times in the last two seasons and our record reads two wins and two draws, with no defeats. They haven't even scored past us. I'm really proud of that because they're an excellent side with so much attacking talent.

November 26: Roma 1-2 Juventus

With defenders Paolo De Ceglie, Giorgio Chiellini and Zdenek Grygera all ruled out, I was nervous about our trip to Rome. Since I took over at Juventus, Roma have been an upper midtable side so I always feel we can beat them, but it's still a difficult place to go. De Rossi's sending off helped us out, though. I was really pleased to come away from here with a win. And with Inter losing at Genoa, I feel like we have no challengers for the title this season.

Serie A - Latest Standings

Champions League Group G - Latest Standings

Monthly Reflection

My god, Serie A is full of mediocrity this season. It's too easy so far. Inter and Milan have fallen apart, Fiorentina can't step up and Roma are atrocious. If we don't win this league I should probably resign. I'm actually getting itchy feet because of how much of a stroll it is. But I haven't achieved what I want to achieve yet, which is to make Juventus the team to fear in Europe. Speaking of Europe, we've cruised that so far too. I don't actually think we will win it this season, though. But it's pleasing to be through and to have helped knock Real Madrid out. All we need is a draw in Germany against Leverkusen and we'll be through as winners. I'll probably weaken the team but I'll still pick a team that I think can get a result.

Player of the Month

Claudio Marchisio: The midfielder won his first Italy cap back in August and has been in great form all season. He has the ability to dominate games and has pushed Mohamed Sissoko, another player I like, to the bench.

[Mike7077]

Slight problem. I forgot to do... certain things... after the 10.2.0 patch. Only just realised. I'm referring to those certain things we all do that we're not allowed to talk about.

Now I don't know if I want to carry on...

[Elrithral]

I don't know what you mean. Is it to do with the Krauts?

[Mike7077]

It's a German issue, yes.

[Mike7077]

December

December 3: Juventus 3-1 AC Milan

After a desperately dull first half, Amauri and Macheda came to life in the second and helped see us to a comfortable win against a MIlan side that's on an alarming slide this season. It's hard to see how they can offer any kind of a title challenge now. As for ourselves, I'm just glad we were able to step it up after such a poor first half.

NEWSFLASH

Well this is interesting! We've been drawn at home against Torino in the Coppa Italia. A Turin derby! We won the last one with ease and I'll be looking for us to do the same.

December 7: Bayer Leverkusen 0-2 Juventus

For the second season in a row we ended our Champions League Group Stage campaign on my birthday. This time, though, there was still something to play for. Ourselves and Leverkusen had already qualified at the expense of Real Madrid and IFK Gothenburg, but there was still the chance to go through as group winners to play for. Nevertheless, I weakened my team quite significantly, notably handing a start to 18 year-old left-back Carsten Wagner, who impressed mightily. Federico Macheda also bagged another goal and his stock must be rising all the time now. So pleased at the performance I got here and we go through as comfortable group winners.

NEWSFLASH

The First Knockout Round draw has been made, and we will face Valencia. This is a tough draw, but it could have been worse. I'm especially pleased to have avoided Manchester United. They'll face Barcelona in a fantastic tie. Valencia will test us but I'm convinced we're better than them and I do believe we'll be in the quarters.

December 11: Udinese 1-1 Juventus

Udinese away is never an easy fixture. Something that makes me absolutely certain we'll win the title is that we're getting through tough games like this with at least a point. The likes of Inter, Fiorentina and Milan aren't doing that. I wouldn't say we deserved to win here today, although we did rattle the woodwork a few times. Negredo was rubbish again. He needs to step up soon because I can't keep leaving Macheda out with the form he's showing.

NEWSFLASH

Mohamed Sissoko will miss up to two months after sustaining a hip injury against Udinese. He's an important player for us and it's a shame to lose him, but in truth, he's slipped behind Felipe Melo, Claudio Marchisio and Stephane Sessegnon in the competition for a place in my three-man central midfield. Nevertheless I rate him highly and want him fit again as soon as possible.

December 17: Juventus 2-1 Parma

Our last game before the winter break and you might look at the scoreline and think it must have been a close game. For that reason, it may well come as a surprise when I say that this could well be the single best performance we've given since I took over. When Parma got their equaliser, we should have been about five goals in front anyway. Unfortunately we came up against a defence and a goalkeeper having an absolute blinder and their goal was a stunner. We managed to get the win in the end, but we had to go 1-1-2-1-5 to get it! Now that's an attacking formation!

Serie A - Latest Standings

Champions League Group G - Final Standings

Monthly Reflection

Just the four games this month, one in the Champions League and three in Serie A, and we continued our relentless march. It helps that the big Italian teams have all fallen away a little. Inter are still good but they've gone backwards from where they were when I came in at Juve. Milan are clearly in either a transition or a decline and Roma and Fiorentina have never looked up to a title challenge. So that leaves us and we kept it up in December. We were breathtaking against Parma and efficient against Milan and Udinese. In Europe, a team made up mostly of second stringers and a couple of first teamers made short work of Bayer Leverkusen and helped us to a straightforward group win.

Player of the Month

Federico Macheda: Picking a player of the month on the basis of four games is difficult. But I've gone for Macheda. The guy is just 20 but he looks like an experienced striker of about 28. Clearly knows where the goal is and I'll have to fork out if I want to sign this guy permanently. United won't let him go cheaply.

[MeLikeFM]

Really enjoyed catching up on this. KUTGW.

[Elrithral]

Glad you continued with it Mike, still enjoying it.

[Mike7077]

Yeah, I'm enjoying the game so I've just got to suck up my oversight on the German issue and keep at it. It hasn't affected the game so far so I don't see why I can't enjoy it. I just won't be signing any established Germans.

MeLikeFM - Didn't know you were on board! Glad you're enjoying.

[Elrithral]

I made the same mistake in my 08 save, it was irritating, but didn;t really affect the game and at least there was no chance of them getting injured on international duty.

[Mike7077]

My plan is to keep this save going until the new patch comes out. Then I'll decide how big an issue it is for me. If I genuinely find it too irritating to continue, I'll start a new save. And it'll be every bit as worth following as this one.

[Fabregas18]

I've been reading this thread today, and I really hope you will continue with the game .

Congratulations with your league win, and for knocking Madrid out of the CL too .

PS. PM me about the german issue. Don't know what it is .

[Mike7077]

January

The transfer window in January is not something I really look to use. It's not the right time to be looking to bring in the kind of players I'd want, given that they're usually cup-tied for European games. I did, however, bring in a couple of youngsters. 16 year-old German Marc Schindler arrived from Kaiserlslautern. I also signed 20 year-old Rangers defender Danny Wilson. The youngster had been getting caps for his country and turning in impressive performances for his club, and I thought he might have some potential. Nobody left the club, but defender Domenico Criscito signed a pre-contract with Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, talented Croatian forward Andrej Kramaric went out on loan to Malaga.

January would be a testing month with lots of matches and the African Cup of Nations. Stephane Sessegnon and Mahamadou Diarra headed off to the tournament while Mohamed Sissoko remained injured. David Beckham just three months shy of his 37th birthday, was going to have to come in and do a job. Several players were also facing the possibility of suspensions in the league and the cup should they get another booking. I guess I was about to find out just how good my squad depth was.

January 8: Catania 1-0 Juventus

Somehow, Catania are firmly in the title race. I guess it's not so hard to understand when you see how well they played against us here. I knew it would be tough and I suppose Catania wanted it more. I wasn't impressed by us, though. Not the way I wanted 2012 to start at all.

Incidentally, I went to Sicily last September and saw the whole island, including the cities of Catania and Palermo. Catania was the first place I saw and at first glance, it's not very attractive. Although Palermo is the capital, Catania is the business hub of the island and it seems as if lacks character because of this. It's not architecturally or aesthetically pleasing, but I came away loving the place far more than Palermo, which is more pleasing on the eye. Palermo feels more Sicilian and traditional, but nowhere near as cosmopolitan and friendly. Despite the fact nobody speaks English, people in Catania reached out to me and were incredibly warm and welcoming. For this reason, I now have an affection for their football team. Just a little aside there.

January 11: Juventus 3-0 Torino

The Coppa Italia is not a priority, but beating the neighbours is always a priority. For that reason, I named a strong line-up. In the past two seasons we'd made little impression on this competition and I do want to change that, so I pleased to reach the quarter-finals with this very straightforward victory. And of course, the black and white half of Turin went home happy.

NEWSFLASH

After eliminating Torino, we would face a trip to Napoli in the quarter-finals of the cup. Napoli are struggling against relegation this season, but I anticipated a tough match nevertheless.

January 15: Reggina 1-2 Juventus

Another tricky away tie saw us travel to the far southwestern region of Calabria to face high-flying Reggina. The side from Reggio di Calabria had done well since coming up two seasons ago and I expected a testing time. We performed reasonably well, never getting above about 70%, and the job was done. I was annoyed at the goal we conceded, though. Just when we looked home and dry, we left a man completely unmarked from a free kick and he had the simplest of tasks to head it home. Very annoying indeed.

January 18: Napoli 1-1 Juventus (aet) (Juventus win 8-7 on penalties)

Well this was a cracker. Both sides went hell for leather in trying to win it. It's surprising that neither side scored more than one. Napoli were good, but so were we. Penalties were epic, and I'm chuffed that none of my players missed. Everyone who took one scored a peach. And into the semis we go...

NEWSFLASH

With that win over Napoli, we would face... Palermo! Yes folks, for the third season in a row, we would come up against Palermo in the cup. The first leg would be in Turin.

January 22: Sampdoria 0-2 Juventus

This was our first league game without our African contingent and I was a little nervous. Sampdoria don't roll over at their place, but this was our best performance of January. We dominated and got a fully deserved victory. Eidur Gudjohnsen's goal was a beauty, a mesmeric passing movement that began with Buffon and ended with the Icelandic forward driving home a thunderous effort into the top corner from at least 30 yards. Yeah, not bad..

January 25: Juventus 1-0 Palermo

The semi-finals of the Coppa Italia are two-legged, so no, we're not there yet. Instead we will be taking a slender lead to the Sicilian capital next week. And we'll have to do it without several key players. Sissoko will still be injured, Sessegnon and Diarra will be at the ACN and Felipe Melo and Nicolas Burdisso will be suspended. As for the match itself, Palermo were the better side. How they didn't score I'll never know. I left feeling really cross with my players, and with myself for not being able to come up with something that would put Palermo under more pressure.

January 29: Juventus 1-0 Bari

With the return leg against Palermo coming up, I took the chance to rest Diego, Chiellini and Caceres, although Diego was eventually called upon. In truth, this was just like our previous match. We won, but were largely second-best. I'll take the win, but the performance was very disappointing.

Serie A - Latest Standings

Monthly Reflection

It was a decent month, really. Yes we lost a match, but overall we won more points than Inter and our lead at the top is currently ten points. That's very healthy indeed at this stage of the season. I still believe I've now got easily the best squad in this league and I think we'll be champions. I'm pleased that, at the end of January, I can finally talk about us still being in the cup. In previous seasons we've not performed in this competition so it's great to be close to a place in the final.

I've also just checked and.. yes... so far we've won every single home match this season. In all competitions.

Player of the Month

Gianluigi Buffon: He turned 34 this month, but that's fine for a goalkeeper. Buffon was our most consistent performer in January. He's a big part of what makes us so good and why we lose so few games. The team fluctuated between assured and ragged in our displays this month, but Buffon was as solid as ever.

[CAFCIan75]

A nice healthy lead you hold over Inter there Mike.

What's Macheda's stats like have they improved much from the highly inaccurate ones (in my opinion) at the beginning of the game?

[Mike7077]

I've no idea what his attributes were like at the start but here's what he looks like at this stage - http://i797.photobucket.com/albums/yy259/MichaelSevenOhSevenSeven/16FedericoMacheda.png

I think he's going to be a fantastic striker. I'd like to sign him but he's going to cost a hell of a lot now.

[MeLikeFM]

Yeah, I'm enjoying the game so I've just got to suck up my oversight on the German issue and keep at it. It hasn't affected the game so far so I don't see why I can't enjoy it. I just won't be signing any established Germans.

MeLikeFM - Didn't know you were on board! Glad you're enjoying.

I had forgotten about this one but enjoyed catching up

Forum Curse to strike in an upcoming home game I bet

[medo24]

I have read through the whole thread and just wanted to say what a good read it was. Keep up the good work:thup:

10 points is a very nice lead to have at this stage in the season and I would expect you to have too much for Valencia unless they have strengthened their squad quite a bit. Have you noticed any regens creeping their way into the first team squads of any of the big teams yet?

[CaptainPlanet]

KUTGW

Subbed.

[Mike7077]

Nice to have you guys on board.

I haven't noticed regens creeping through yet, but to be fair I'm not really looking for it.

February is an interesting month. First leg of the Valenica tie and a trip to the San Siro to face Inter...

[Elrithral]

I'm still following, dude and still enjoying. You're going well, I liked the little aside and Catania are in the CL in my game iirc.

[Mike7077]

February

February had the potential to be very interesting. We weren't in our best form and injuries to key players - including Buffon - would test the squad. I might struggle to remmeber exactly who gets injured and when so I'll just say here that Buffon and Negredo, among others, missed games this month due to injury, which is why you won't see them in some line-ups. In other news, we face a trip to Inter. A win would make our position, if not unassailable, then definitely very strong. Defeat would open the door to the Nerazzurri. Here goes...

February 1: Palermo 0-0 Juventus (agg: 0-1)

We're through to the final. It does feel like an achievement, even the board don't value the competition. It's great to finally get somewhere in the cup because we've underperformed in my two previous seasons. As for the match itself, I was surprised that Palermo, who came to Turin and outplayed us, made it such a comfortable ride here. I thought they'd go all out for it, but they didn't and we should have won the match. But I'm happy to get through and we'll face Inter in the final.

February 5: Juventus 3-2 Lazio

The simple fact is that we don't defend as well as we used to. I think I put this down to a slight tactical change I made a few weeks back. I'd like to go back to my old one but I didn't save it. As such, Lazio were always in the game, but we saw it out in the end.

February 8: Inter 2-0 Juventus

The title race is back on, folks. Inter are in scintillating form and scoring tonnes of goals. I don't begrudge them their win at all. Also, this wasn't the worst performance we would put in this month. Sometimes it's just impossible to respond to a side playing better football than you are. We still have a decent lead at the top, but Inter have gotten themselves right back in it.

February 14: Valencia 1-1 Juventus

I left the Mestalla with a feeling of great frustration. 1-1 away in a knockout round first leg is not a bad result. We have an away goal, but that's only of use if we draw 0-0 at home. We weren't clinical enough and ended up letting them in at the end. The better side was us, but without the advantage our play should have earned, we face a tough test in the second leg. Buffon played with an injection here and would end up missing the following domestic games. Indeed, it would be touch-and-go as to whether he could play in the return leg.

February 19: Juventus 2-0 Lecce

Okay, some key players were injured and others rested. But still, this was quite possibly the worst performance we've given since I took over. I remember losing 4-0 at Napoli in my first season, but we played worse here. Lecce just weren't good enough to take advantage. They had 54% of possession to our 46%. They created three clear-cut chances to our zero. Usually I'll just shrug a poor performance off if we get the win, but this was so bad, against a side in the bottom three, that I couldn't help but feel annoyed and a tad concerned about whether we'd be able to close the title out.

February 25: Juventus 3-1 Atalanta

And again! We won, but why did we have to give Atalanta every opportunity to get a result?! I know we're winning games but we won't do against better opposition if things stay like this. I've spent all season saying that we'd cruise to the title. I now think otherwise. We could throw it away. Just watch..

February 29: Napoli 1-1 Juventus

Okay, I don't get this. We go to Napoli, which is never the easiest place, turn in a really good performance, and end up drawing! Suddenly I'd happily take a crappy performance that comes with win. Napoli got out of jail, but we let them. You have to take your chances. I also made a late tactical change which I think invited pressure, so I take some of the blame. Inter carried on their good run. The title race is hotting up...

Serie A - Latest Standings

Monthly Reflection

Well, I dunno what to think really. We came out of February with a decent set of results overall. Defeat at Inter is nothing to be ashamed of. But we defended poorly, struggled to score goals and generally played well within ourselves. Serie is definitely still open. It's pleasing to be in the cup final, though, and the Valencia result gives us every chance of making the Champions League Quarter-Finals.

Player of the Month

Giorgio Chiellini: We may not have defended well as a team this month, but Chiellini did his best to cover for everybody else! I can't believe how consistent he is. It's as if he never has a bad game. He even did pretty well in the 2-0 defeat at Inter. There can't be many better centre-backs in the world.

[Elrithral]

Ooooh starting to get interesting in the league. Lose your game in hand and it's wide open, win and the title is yours, imo.

[Mike7077]

I really ought to check who the game in hand is against.

I figure that we're playing poorly and still getting okay results. So when the inevitable happens and we improve, we'll be unstoppable again and the title will be ours.

Tell me that's what's going to happen...

[crouchaldinho]

Just catching up with this after my recent computer problems have kept me away.

It's got very interesting indeed all of a sudden. Last time I checked in, you were well clear in the league. Things are a little tighter now, although I agree with Elrithral that your game in hand is going to be key and could see you going clear again.

Liking the run in the Italian Cup and I fancy you to progress in Europe. No pressure, but I'm hoping for a treble Mike.

I liked your little anecdote about visiting Catania as well. So, it's not just me who forms footballing affections while visiting places abroad then?

[Mike7077]

I liked your little anecdote about visiting Catania as well. So, it's not just me who forms footballing affections while visiting places abroad then?

Hell, no! I always seem to end up rooting for teams whose city I've been too. Abroad, that is.

Catania's not really a place I'd tell someone they absolutely must see. There's not really a lot to see, sights-wise. It's just a business city. But I'll never forget the day I spent there, in the baking sun, just me, my backpack and a map, meeting lots of nice people and wandering the narrow streets and markets and eating the wonderful ice cream and pizza. I just liked the feel of the place, even if it isn't anything special from a touristy point of view.

New update should follow tonight, by the way.

[Mike7077]

March

March 3: Juventus 2-1 Cagliari

When Cagliari took the lead I was in despair. It was symptomatic of the way we've been playing and Cagliari gave themselves a chance to become the first team to do a double over us. Fortunately, the goal woke us up and we managed to turn it around quite quickly. But we never exactly turned the style on. I suppose I have to be happy that, even when we play badly, we seem to get results.

March 6: Juventus 3-2 Valencia (agg: 4-3)

Well we don't make things easy on ourselves! Valencia took their opportunities when they came but I do feel we deserved to go through. The last few moments were nervy, though. I suppose you could argue that key players like Felipe Melo and Alvaro Negredo weren't fit enough to start the match, but I still would have preferred us not to this the hard way!

NEWSFLASH

I will never ever dismiss any team that reaches the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but the draw has been very kind to us. Of all the teams we could have faced, this is the one I'd have chosen. Dynamo Kiev. Yep, to reach the semis, we have to get past Dynamo Kiev. That is eminently doable.

March 10: Palermo 0-2 Juventus

To be honest, I fancied us to lose this one. Our recent form has been so bad that I thought Palermo would do us. So it came as something of a surprise and a relief when my players went out and played really, really well. This was a comfortable win and, although Inter are matching our results, they will have been looking at this one as somewhere where we might drop points.

March 14: Juventus 1-0 Fiorentina

Don't let the scoreline fool you, we were comfortably the best side here. It's like we've hit form again because we dominated Fiorentina from start to finish. It was just my misfiring front three that stopped us from punishing them adequately. A win's a win, though. Stephane Sessegnon has proven to be an excellent acquisition from Paris Saint-Germain. £16m is not a bad fee at all for someone who goes on to become a key player. Especially when he gets the goal that edges you closer to the title.

March 18: Juventus 3-1 Genoa

At 26 minutes, I thought we were doomed. Sessegnon, such an important player, picked up an injury and went off, and we were already a goal down to a Genoa team that looked in control of the game. However, Sessegnon's replacement, Mohamed Sissoko, set about changing that. He played like a man possessed and seemed to inspire us to turn things around, even getting on the scoresheet himself. I can't overstate how impressive Sissoko was here. A massive performance and an excellent three points in the end. But Inter keep on winning... Also pleased to see Nicolas Burdisso come in for the injured Chiellini and play well, just as he always seems to do. I'm sure he could cut it as a first choice centre-back. It's just that I also have Chiellini and Caceres...

March 24: Torino 0-1 Juventus

This was a massive day in the race for the Serie A title. We looked to be heading for a 0-0 draw away to our local rivals, but Alvaro Negredo, who hasn't scored enough goals for my liking this season, popped up in the box in injury time to blast home a winner. Meanwhile, in Sicily, Inter were losing 5-1 to Palermo. Yes, 5-1! The advantage looks to have swung back to us. The match itself was a scrappy affair, but we were definitely the better side. Torino sat back and tried to hold out. Thankfully, we managed to break them down in the end.

March 27: Juventus 2-0 Dynamo Kiev

A decent win in what was actually an evenly-matched game. Dynamo can obviously play, but if we do a professional job in the Ukrainian capital I feel we can look forward to the semis, where we would face either Lille or Manchester City. It was a blow to lose Sissoko to injury, though. Three weeks without a player of his quality, and at this stage of the season, is a shame.

March 31: Juventus 2-0 Roma

With Inter not playing this weekend, this was our game in hand. It took a while in coming, but we eventually made it count against a Roma side that is nothing special. Unfortunately, Gianluigi Buffon picked up an injury and could miss four weeks. That is about as big a blow as we could have received right now. I'm hoping injections will see him through. It's a risk, but it's one I have to take. I was pleased with how well Felipe Melo played. Overall he's been underwhelming this season and I lost patience at one point, leaving him on the bench for the Genoa game. But since then he's come back and stepped it up a few gears. It looks like the title is staying in Turin...

Serie A - Latest Standings

Champions League First Knockout Round - Aggregate Results

Monthly Reflection

March was great. Really great. Inter blinked and we took full advantage. Thank you to Palermo for a wonderful 5-1 win over them. And I'm so pleased with my own players. They came through a sticky patch and got their best form back. They really are very good and even though a good number of them were here when I took over, it definitely feels like my team. I've moulded them to play a certain way and I've cleared out the underperformers and brought in real quality. March 2012 was brilliant for us.

Player of the Month

Everyone who played: I don't care what any of you think, that's how I feel right now. They all deserve it, firstly for having the resilience to grind results out when we weren't at our best and Inter were, and then for finding their form again. So this month, they all get the award.

[Elrithral]

Wow, that CL is very winnable! Do it for me Mike, do it for me.

[Mike7077]

If I get past Dynamo Kiev, it's Lille or City. City would be a tough draw, I reckon. They're good now.

I actually know what happens already but you'll just have to wait for my next update. One thing I will say is this: injury crisis.

[Mike7077]

April

April 4: Dynamo Kiev 1-0 Juventus (agg: 1-2)

Well we got through, but we were lucky. I blame myself more than the players. I decided to sit back and sent us out with a really defensive formation and a defensive tactical approach. I think I was right to be mindful of trying to preserve what we had, but I don't think I did it the right way and Dynamo bombarded us for 90 minutes. But who cares? We're through to the semis for the second season in a row. Note the injuries, though. They would be a theme during April.

April 7: Parma 1-3 Juventus

Almost there now. There was only going to be one winner here. Parma threatened occasionally and did get on the scoresheet, but we were the better side by far and I do like these nice comfortable wins.

April 11: Chievo 0-1 Juventus

Another game, another injury. Having lost Gianluigi Buffon in training, now we have to face the rest of the season without Martin Caceres. The match was most notable for the first of what would prove to be several crucial goals by Federico Macheda this month. The youngster is now considered a wonderkid and it was he popped up here to secure another three points. The title is almost ours.

April 14: AC Milan 0-1 Juventus

This was the game that worried me. This looked like the fly in the ointment, the banana skin on the path to Serie A glory. But not when you've got Federico Macheda. The 20 year-old stepped off the bench to smash home the winner and further his case for a permanent transfer. The team as whole played well, though. Milan were poor and I don't know if we'll ever have a comfortable time in the San Siro.

April 17: Manchester City 1-1 Juventus

Given that we lost two defenders during the match - Grosso to injury and Burdisso to a red card - I think we've done awfully well to grab an away goal and come away with a draw. It was an evenly matched game. Perhaps City edged it but I'm just pleased we've got a slight advantage for the home leg.

April 21: Juventus 1-0 Udinese

With one eye on the return leg against City, I weakened a team already missing players through injury, safe in the knowledge that a single point would win us the title for the second season in a row. I was really pleased with the performance of 19 year-old full-back Petar Kostandinovic and with "wonderkid" Danny Wilson at centre-back. Also in inspired form was Macheda, whose goal made absolutely sure that Bianconeri everywhere would be celebrating tonight. CHAMPIONS!!!

April 25: Juventus 3-3 Manchester City (agg: 4-4) (Manchester City win on the away goals rule)

I don't... know where to start. Firstly, what a match! Injuries forced me to play Zdenek Grygera at centre-back. He can play there but never has since I took over and perhaps that explains why we couldn't defend. Perhaps. I don't think so, though. I think we just couldn't handle City's attacking talent. We were the better side tonight. We created more chances, hit the woodwork four times and by the end we had them camped practically on their goalline. But sometimes it just doesn't happen and for the second season in a row, we crash out in the semis thanks to a poor defensive showing at home. We've also lost our 100% home record in all competitions. There's always next season...

April 29: Juventus 2-0 Reggina

The team was weakened just a little for the visit of Reggina, what with the title being won and the Coppa Italia final not far away. We laboured in the first half but turned it up a gear or two in the second and secured a relatively straightforward win. Danny Wilson was great at the back again, although Macheda inevitably took the plaudits.

Serie A - Latest Standings

Champions League Quarter Finals - Aggregate Results

Champions League Semi Finals - Aggregate Results

Monthly Reflection

I think the football we played throughout April was pretty good. We were more solid at the back than we've been in a while, Manchester City at home apart. The City game ultimately defines how I feel about this month, though. We gave it everything but we've come up short again. It was nice to wrap things up domestically, though. We've actually run away with it and by the end of the month are fourteen points clear. Not bad.

Player of the Month

Federico Macheda: If March was about the whole squad, April was all about one man's brilliance. Macheda came of age during April, setting up team mates for goals and scoring some vital ones of his own. A genuinely brilliant month for the lad and I've no doubt he's going to the very top. It's just a case of finding out where...

[Mike7077]

May

Never many games to play in May, and we'd seen to it that we wouldn't play the full quota by failing to reach the Champions League final. Nevertheless, I'd want us to try and finish the league season with a flurry and there was also the small matter of the Coppa Italia final with Inter.

May 2: Inter 2-2 Juventus (aet) (Juventus win 4-1 on penalties)

What a cup final this was. It had such an ebb and flow about it. At times we dominated, at times Inter were in control. One thing I didn't expect was the impact of Eidur Gudjohnsen. The Icelandic forward had had a solid but unspectacular season as back-up squad member, but he was in inspired form today and pretty much saved our bacon. Danny Wilson may only be 20 but he had to play thanks to injuries to Caceres and Burdisso, and although he scored an extra time own goal, his overall performance was excellent. He looks to be a star of the future. I'm just really happy that we've managed to win the cup. It's Juve's first Coppa Italia success since 1995.

May 6: Fiorentina 1-1 Juventus

The title may be well won by now, but I felt I had to name a strong side for the trip to Florence. I'm happy enough with the result and pleased that Gudjohnsen played well again. Either side could have won but I feel a draw is a fair result here.

May 13: Juventus 1-0 Catania

Last game of the season and I decided to play a vastly weakened team. Several youngsters got their first ever Juventus starts and it was one such player, Luca Arena, who bagged the winner. At first glance he looked offside but replays showed otherwise and it's always pleasing to see a young lad step up and show a bit of quality. This game was also notable for being David Beckham's last in a Juve shirt. I won't be renewing his contract, which expires in the summer. Federico Macheda may also have played his last game for us unless I can sign him from Manchester Utd, which I may or may not attempt to do.

Monthly Reflection

Winning the cup felt great and our two league games went well enough. It was nice to give some youngsters their chance and even better to see them all play pretty well. But the cup win obviously stands out. We may have needed penalties but I don't care. May was a good month.

Player of the Month

Eidur Gudjohnsen: He turns 34 in the not-too-distant future but he rolled back the years in May with a couple of excellent performances against Fiorentina and Inter. Realistically I can't see him being with us after next season, but he's done enough to convince me not to sell him this summer.

end of season update due shortly

[Mike7077]

2011/2012 Screenshots

Serie A 2011/2012 - Final Standings

Home Record

Away Record

Team of the Year

Coppa Italia

Champions League

[Mike7077]

2011/2012 - Season Review

Player of the Season

Giorgio Chiellini: He won it in my first season and now he's won it in my third. Nobody is more consistently excellent than Chiellini. All my defenders are pretty good and I'd rely on any one of them, but Chiellini is possibly the most important player in my entire squad. He had a brilliant season and, at 27, he should have many more seasons at the top with us. Just awesome.

Europe

Very similar to last season. We coasted through our group and I was especially pleased with how we dealth with Real Madrid. Just like last season, we made the semi-finals and just like last season, we blew it with a sloppy home performance. That being said, the board insisted only on a quarter-final appearance so I feel relatively happy to have gotten as far as we did. But it was a great chance to go further because despite making the final, I'm not convinced by either Manchester City or Barcelona. I give seven out of ten.

Domestically

Magnificent. We dominated Serie A from the 4-0 win against Sampdoria on the opening day right to the end of the season. Inter got to within four points of us in February but threw it away with a run of poor form that mirrored what they did in the previous season. We didn't score as many as last season and we conceded more, but I'm pleased with our fantastic points haul.

Winning the cup is obviously pleasing, too. We needed penalties to get past Napoli and again to beat Inter in the final, but we didn't miss a single one and I feel we deserved this.

It would seem I've got a side here capable of dominating Italian football.

Thoughts for next season

The task is fairly simple. Stay ahead of the pack at home and go one step further and make the Champions League final. Sounds so simple! No doubt it won't be, but it will be my aim. I don't intend to spend vast sums trying to do it because I don't believe I need to. I intend to try and bring a new right-back in because Grygera won't be getting a new contract and Grosso, though still very good, is probably more of a back-up. With a defence of Chiellini, Caceres and De Ceglie, all we're missing is a world-class right-back to join them. Any other signings will be designed to bolster the squad rather than take it by storm. I truly believe that my squad is more or less right where it needs to be. Let's see if that assumption blows up in my face...

[Mike7077]

2012/2013 - Pre-Season

Just like the start of last season, I was given £50m to spend, but I had no intention of spending it all.

Summer 2012 Transfers

Transfers again (slightly scrolled down)

I was more or less happy with my squad at the end of last season, with two exceptions. Firstly, I didn't want to lose Federico Macheda and I decided I would spend whatever Manchester Utd asked to bring him in. £15m isn't too bad for a 20 year-old who has already proven his quality and should go on to be among the world's best strikers.

The bigger problem was right-back. Last season, Zdenek Grygera and Fabio Grosso vied for the slot together. Grygera is a couple of years younger than Grosso, but Grosso probably played better, so I decided to allow Grygera's contract to expire and offer Grosso a new one. However, Grosso was to be a back-up squad member because I wanted younger and, if I'm honest, better option. My first choice was Vedran Corluka who I'm sure would have been a brilliant signing, but Tottenham rejected bids of up to £28m and I wasn't going to pay over the for a right-back. In the end, I managed to sign Argentinian player Cristian Ansaldi from Shakhtar Donetsk. He's a talented player and £10m could prove to be a snip.

The only other player to come in was teenager Alberto Baccarin, recently released by Fiorentina.

Two players have returned to the club from loans this summer. One is Carsten Wagner, 18, my German left-back who I plan to try and give game time to this season as back-up to Paolo De Ceglie. The other is Andrej Kramaric, 21, who I signed last summer and who impressed me in a handful of games before being loaned out to Malaga. He did well at Malaga and I'm hoping he will come in and do a job for us this season.

Mohammed Zidan has returned from yet another loan and promptly return to PSV... on loan. I would have sold him but he wants us to keep paying his wages, whereas I can get PSV to pay his wages in full if I loan him out. He's a pain, though.

So this what Juve's first team looks like for the forthcoming season, which will be season number four...

Juventus Squad - 2012/2013

-------------------------

Friendlies

July 19: Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Juventus

July 22: Cruzeiro 1-1 Juventus

July 25: Sport Recife 0-4 Juventus

July 27: Santos 1-2 Juventus

July 30: Messina 0-4 Juventus

Super Cup

August 11: Juventus 1-2 Inter

Well, what a frustrating curtain-raiser to the season this was. We dominated the first half, making Inter look decidedly ordinary. We could have been out of sight by half-time and we should have been. Then Inter come out for the second half and it's a different story. They didn't dominate us the way we did them in the first half, but they did ask more questions of us and we came up wanting. I like winning trophies so I can't just shrug this off as unimportant. I'll now be looking for - no, insisting on - a confident start the our Serie A campaign.

[Fabregas18]

Congratulations on yet another league win, mike ! And on your Coppa Italia triumph.

May I please see a screenshot of MAcheda, Marchisio and Kramaric too? Would like to see how they have developed .

[Mike7077]

No problem. I'll leave it till after my next update. Otherwise a few things might be given away prior to it.

[Elrithral]

Awh man! I'm absolutely gutted about your CL exit, but you kinda made up for it with the Coppa Italia win. However, 97 points in the league, a league and cup double, but only one player in the team of the year?!?! :confused:

[Mike7077]

Strange, isn't it?

I think we ground out too many points despite average performances last season rather than blowing teams away. Although who ever heard of grinding your way to 97 points?

[Elrithral]

Yeah, but neither Juve or Inter seemed to set the league on fire, less than 2 goals scored per game in the league.

[CAFCIan75]

Congrats on another League title Mike, £15million for Macheda should be a good bit of business, good luck for next season

[Mike7077]

August/September

August 26: Catania 2-2 Juventus

This result means that I have seen my team win an opening day fixture just once in four attempts. Catania qualified for the Champions League for a reason and they have good strikers. The scorer of their first goal, Kevin Gameiro, is a full France international who I considered trying to buy in the summer before plumping for Macheda. He's a quality player and I imagine they'll have another good season. Still, it's frustrating to concede such a late goal when you're almost home and dry. I'm not too disappointed though because we genuinely played some good stuff.

NEWSFLASH

For the first time during my tenure, we were placed in the top seeds for the Champions League Group Stage. Theoretically, at least, I anticipated a kinder draw than those of previous seasons. And so it proved to be. From the second seeds came Lyon, who will no doubt test us but who I know we are better than. Third seeds were Rangers who have never made much impression in the competition and who would surely not be able to do us any damage. The minnows of the group would be Austrian side Rapid Vienna, who again look very beatable.

September 2: Salernitana 0-2 Juventus

Salernitana are newly-promoted, but they're a small club and I think they're going to find it very difficult. That being said, we didn't play anywhere near as well here as we did in the draw at Catania. We were sloppy, unimaginative and found Salernitana very diffcult to break down at times. I'm also concerned that we already seem to be relying too heavily on Federico Macheda, who is still only 21. Incidentally, Macheda was to win his first full Italy caps this month.

September 5: Juventus 2-0 Reggina

Oh for crying out loud! I know we won but all of a sudden it's like watching Stoke. No disrespect to Stoke but they're not known for the beauty of their football and evidently neither should we be. Reggina parked the bus and did it well. We laboured and it worries me that we seem incapable of scoring more than two in a match.

September 15: Juventus 1-1 Roma

I could lose my temper, I really could. I thought maybe a change of formation could help us, but it didn't. What's worse, Burdisso got stupidly sent off but is now in a huff because I fined him for and we face at least two games without Macheda who picked up an injury. Roma outplayed us. What worries me is how easy we are to play through. I'm starting to wonder if it's because I replaced my assistant manager with Alessandro Del Piero who can't ever give me any opposition instructions. But it's probably something I'm doing...

September 18: Rangers 0-2 Juventus

I think Rangers could have asked a lot more questions of us, given our form. But they didn't. It was nice to watch us dominate a match for once. Still, we couldn't get a third goal and I think we might come up short this season if we don't start finding the net a bit more often.

September 23: Sampdoria 2-2 Juventus

And so it continues. Last season I pointed out that we were avoiding defeat during our poor run of form, and perhaps I can take some solace from that. We're not losing, but we're drawing games when we scarcely deserve to. I'd love to know what's happened to my defenders. They've always been so reliable and Ansaldi has come in and played really well so I don't know what's going on. Caceres in particular looks a shadow if the player of recent seasons.

September 30: Juventus 2-0 AC Milan

Well we got our stock couple of goals and thankfully we kept them out at the other end. In truth, we were better today than in recent games. But we still allowed Milan too much time on the ball and we could have conceded. This goes down as an important win, though. AC Milan are among the early pacesetters. Macheda returned from injury to grab another goal. I think he's going to be a special player.

Serie A - Latest Standings

Champions League Group B - Latest Standings

Monthly Reflection

There's a lot to reflect on this month. I actually feel a little short on ideas at the moment. We're not playing like a side that's going to win a third successive title and I'm worried by our overreliance on Macheda for goals. Amauri has been short of fitness so I can just about forgive him, but Negredo has been poor for a while. He cost me a lot of money and I can't give up on him yet but if he doesn't start to contribute soon I'll have to think about what other options I have. I never like seeing us as low as fifth in the league but that's where we find ourselves. It's going to be a tough season and the opening month was not impressive, Macheda, Ansaldi and Sessegnon apart.

Player of the Month

Federico Macheda: Some of the squad could do with following this kid's example. Too many of them look demotivated and uninterested. Macheda has been brilliant, popping up with goals and linking up with others.

[Mike7077]

Congratulations on yet another league win, mike ! And on your Coppa Italia triumph.

May I please see a screenshot of MAcheda, Marchisio and Kramaric too? Would like to see how they have developed .

Here ya' go, buddy...

Andrej Kramaric

Federico Macheda

Claudio Marchisio

[Fabregas18]

Thanks, mike . They all look to have improved a lot, and especially Marchisio looks great !

[Mike7077]

October

With our indifferent September behind us, we needed a good run in October. Although we hadn't yet lost, dropped points meant we'd given the Milan clubs a slight headstart. I was clinging to the hope that my players would rediscover what made us so good over the past two seasons.

October 3: Juventus 3-0 Rapid Vienna

Well we finally managed to bag ourselves more than two goals, but to be fair, three was the minimum I expected against a team vastly inferior to our own. Rapid worked hard but they lack quality and this was a stroll in the park really.

October 7: Juventus 1-0 Fiorentina

Interesting day for Stephane Sessegnon! Score the winner, get yourself sent off and then get Man of the Match! Not bad. He was class, though. Indeed, this was our best performance of the season. We battered Fiorentina and it was only the heroics of their defenders and goalkeeper Sebastien Frey that stopped us winning by a bigger margin.

October 21: Udinese 2-4 Juventus

Err... where did that come from? Yeah, I know we got two penalties but I'm thrilled we scored four. I am, however, equally angry about our second half defending, which was pathetic. I'm a bit of a perfectionist at times. I think, overall, a win at Udinese is a decent result and it's nice to see us bang a few goals in.

October 24: Lyon 0-0 Juventus

As goalless draws go, this was quite entertaining. I was certainly on edge as I watched both sides create chances. There was quality in both line-ups and either side could have won it. We created more chances but I'm viewing this as a positive result. I believe we'll beat them in Turin.

October 28: Juventus 5-0 Vicenza

Mmm... Delicious creamy goals... We're firing now. For the visit of newly-promoted Vicenza, I decided to rest the likes of Caceres, Macheda and Marchisio and Felipe Melo, bringing Burdisso, Amauri and Diarra. But it didn't matter. We simply blew Vicenza apart. They rarely got out of their own half and all of a sudden I feel a sense of calm satisfaction washing over me. With this result, we went top of the league. And to think, just a few games back I thought we were handing the title to our rivals. Also worth noting the upturn in form recently of Alvaro Negredo. I'm still a big fan of the Spaniard and desperately want him to do well so it's pleasing to see him doing so.

October 31: Juventus 3-0 Cagliari

Cagliari could be forgiven for feeling a little scared as they arrived at Delle Alpi, and not necessarily because today's game was taking place on Halloween. We were finding our true identity again and looked far more confident, and we were banging the goals in. What followed was a standard victory. We did a professional job and I was really happy to see Amauri scoring again since finding full fitness. Negredo's goal was brilliant too. A lovely finish after latching onto an incredible pass from Cristian Ansaldi, who incidentally has fitted in as if he has been with us for years.

Serie A - Latest Standings

Champions League Group B - Latest Standings

Monthly Reflection

That was exactly what we needed! A month of good, solid results and a few goals to boot. We also some clean sheets under our belts and suddenly we look like the main contender again. I didn't think we'd be top of the league by the end of October but we are and I'm delighted and also slightly relieved. Several players have begun to step up and make themselves count, which is frankly a big relief.

Player of the Month

Alvaro Negredo: The Spanish striker cost me £24m back in the summer of 2010 and after a good first season, he struggled last time round. He then started this season poorly but his October was excellent. He scored some goals and generally looked much livelier. Vicenza and Cagliari in particular struggled to contain him and I hope this is a sign of things to come because I don't want young Federico Macheda carrying the goalscoring burden alone.

[Elrithral]

I was worried, only for a minute, that you might struggle this season, but a cracking month sees you jump back to the top. I can't believe the state of Inter, after that first season.

[Mike7077]

To be fair you did say that Inter would drop away and you've been proven right.

I think this season is going to be tighter, though. I feel more vulnerable than last season.

[Mike7077]

November

November 3: Palermo 2-2 Juventus

The month got off to a very frustrating start in Sicily. We played some breathtaking stuff in the first half, pinging some beautiful passes about and pulling Palermo apart. Sadly, it didn't carry over into the second half. The players seemed to slack off completely and Palermo came at us. We probably would have ended up losing if Buffon hadn't been at his brilliant best. I'm pleased that Amauri and Negredo both look like they have goals in them, but it's frustrating to throw a two-goal lead away so limply.

November 6: Juventus 2-0 Lyon

A nice, solid win and a decent performance to go with it. The perfectionist in me would have preferred us to go for the jugular and trounce Lyon, but it didn't happen. Instead, we simply made sure that we saw them off with the minimum of fuss. Negredo is in fabulous goalscoring form.

November 10: Napoli 0-1 Juventus

The early sending-off of Macheda had me worried because Napoli is not the easiest place to go with eleven men on the pitch, let alone ten. But it didn't affect us. In fact, we probably improved after Macheda got his marching orders for a horrible lunging tackle. Napoli were pegged back for long periods and it's a shame that a fluky own-goal is all we have to show for this performance because it gives the totally wrong idea of how things actually happened. Crazy own-goal, though. Diego scuffed a close-range shot and it appeared to be heading harmlessly wide, but one of Napoli's defenders had positioned himself just to the right of the far post and the ball thwacked in off his leg.

November 17: Juventus 1-0 Lazio

Lazio should have won. We were clear favourites and perhaps the players took it for granted because they were second-best throughout. We may not have lost a match in for a very, very long time, but our inconsistent level of performance is starting to bother me. We were magnificent at Napoli and then we bring an average Lazio side to Turin and they outplay is. I'm almost ashamed that it's us who get the three points...

November 25: Genoa 3-3 Juventus

This was an incredible match. Neither side could defend but going forward there was real quality on show. We end the month the way we started it - throwing away a two-goal lead. Gutted. When Mohamed Sissoko's brilliant long-range strike put us 3-1 up with 14 minutes left, I was feeling really proud of how we had turned things around. But I didn't reckon with Genoa's Andre-Pierre Gignac, whose brace in the last ten minutes earned them a point. I was not best pleased and I really need to think about how we close games out.

November 28: Juventus 2-0 Rangers

2-0 up after 13 minutes and I have to admit I thought we might embarrass Rangers here. But the Scottish champions improved after our second goal and it became a more even contest. They were definitely better than when we played at Ibrox. Ultimately we had too much quality for them but they deserve praise for testing us. And so we progress to the next stage as group winners with a game to spare and without conceding a goal. From season two onwards, we've found the group stages very straightforward.

Serie A - Latest Standings

Champions League Group B - Latest Standings

Monthly Review

I found November quite frustrating. On the one hand, we're still unbeaten, but on the other we're mixing good performances in with shoddy ones and we're conceding goals. In the league, we threw away a two-goal lead twice and in doing so have surrendered the leadership of Serie A to Inter, who look ominously good this season. Our very next fixture is a showdown with the Nerazzuri at Delle Alpi. In Europe, things continued on in serene fashion. Group B has been plain sailing so I can't pretend I'm not happy with that.

Player of the Month

Gianluigi Buffon: Buffon wins this quite often, but he thoroughly deserves it. He'll be very hard indeed to replace, but he recently signed a three-year contract extension so I don't have to worry about that yet. He was excellent during November and at times seemed to be keeping teams at bay entirely on his own. We'd have lost by now without him

[Elrithral]

A couple of days without an update, I was worried that you had gone through with your threat! Good to see it back and good to see you struggling, the challenge might be just what you need to push on and find the form to take Europe by storm.

[Mike7077]

Nah, I've made my peace with the German issue. As long as I don't look at the German national team or at any German players who aren't regens, it's fine.

I'm glad you're enjoying my struggle. I sincerely hope your game goes tits up too.

I don't think we're doing too badly. We're undefeated and right on Inter's tails and we've cruised through our group in Europe. It's just a lack of consistency in terms of performance level that's bothering me. One week we're great and then the next we're poop.