[FM10] Juve got to be kidding me!

[Mike7077]

Before I start, I feel I should point out that I've been influenced by Elrithral's thread and intend to borrow quite heavily from his layout. When I say "borrow quite heavily", I mean "steal almost exactly". I have his permission to do this, though. I just think it's an excellent way doing things. Better than anything I could come up with! I hope it's okay to take this approach.

History

Juventus Football Club commonly referred to as Juventus and familiarly as Juve, is an Italian professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont. The club was founded in 1897 and has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 2006–07 season, in the top flight First Division (called Serie A since 1929).

Juventus is historically the most successful team of Italian football and one of the most successful and recognized in the world. According to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, an international organization recognized by FIFA, Juventus were Italy's best club of the 20th century and the second most successful European club in the same period.

Overall, the club has won 51 official competitions, more than any other team in the country; 40 in the national First Division, which is also a record, and 11 in UEFA and world competitions. It is the third most successful club in Europe and the sixth in the world, with the most international titles officially recognized by one of the six continental football confederations and FIFA.

The club was the first Italian and Southern European side to win the UEFA Cup. In 1985, Juventus, the only team in the world to have won all official international cups and championships, became the first club in the history of European football to have won all three major UEFA club competitions.

Juventus has the largest fan base of any Italian club, and at 170 million also has one of the highest numbers of supporters world-wide (the tifosi). The club is a founding member of the European Club Association, which was formed after the dissolution of the G-14, a collection of Europe's most elite clubs. The Torinese side is also recognized for its contribution to the Italian national team.

The club plays its home games at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino, while its new stadium is under construction and is expected to be completed in 2011

The Aim

In recent seasons, Juve have been going through what is, by their own standards, a lean period. In 2005 and 2006, the club won consecutive Serie A titles under Fabio Capello, but were subsequently stripped of the honours and relegated to Serie B. Although immediate promotion was achieved, the hangover continues. Internazionale have run away with the title ever since Juve's relegation and the club have not been able to mount a serious title challenge. In Europe, Juventus have faired no better. So the aim is simple. Restore the Old Lady to her former glory. Take the title from Inter as soon as possible and eventually win a Champions League.

Wikipedia is the source of my information and club crest.

[MeLikeFM]

When I say "borrow quite heavily", I mean "steal almost exactly".

Brilliant

[Mike7077]

Hopefully I'll be able to stamp my own style on it in some way!

[Mike7077]

Season 2009/2010

August/September

The Juventus squad looked, on paper, to be good enough for a title push. If anything, it was overburdened. But at the same time, I wasn't feeling desperate to let anyone go. Too soon, I felt. So the summer transfer window saw nobody of note leaving the club. I did however, want to bring in a couple of players here and there incase any of the current crop let me down. Every manager likes to stamp his own identity on the team as quickly as he can.

August 2009 Transfers

As you can see, I focused very much on getting players in rather than selling them! David Suazo and Mohamed Zidan have been brought in mainly to provide cover for the likes of Del Piero, Amauri and Diego. However, I expect both of them to contribute when called on. Fernando Gago's career had stalled at Real Madrid and I think I might actually have a bargain on my hands if he can make the most of his potential with us.

Pre-season was straightforward. Five wins out of six against inferior opposition taught me little about what we would genuinely be capable of, but they helped get the players' morale up which is really all I was looking for. Happy enough with my pre-season efforts, it was time to get things going.

August 23: Juventus 2-2 Inter

Cruising. We were cruising. And then Fabio Grosso gets himself sent-off with a wild challenge and, despite my best efforts, we can't prevent Inter from forcing the draw. In truth, prior to the red card, Inter offered little. We were creating all the chances and their big players were quiet. Disappointing, then, to have let things slip, but I'd have taken a draw before the match.

August 30: Siena 0-4 Juventus

In the searing Siena heat, it was our slow, patient passing game that won the day. We were completely and utterly dominant and Siena had no answer. Easiest win we'll likely have all season.

September 12: Juventus 3-2 Bari

After the international break, we set about doing our utmost to give newly-promoted Bari every chance of walking away with something. Our extra quality ultimately told, but two sendings-off did nothing to aid our cause. It was frustrating me that we were getting so many red cards despite not being set up to play a physical game. A win's a win, though.

September 15: Juventus 1-1 Sevilla

First round of the Champions League group stages and a tough start against a flamboyant Sevilla whose strikers looked much livelier than our own. Both Frederic Kanoute and Luis Fabiano tormented us when they attacked, but to be fair, we looked the more composed in possession. A draw was a fair result. Who knows what we might have done if we hadn't had yet another player sent off, though?

September 19: Atalanta 2-2 Juventus

We were the better side, but lacklustre defending let Atalanta in and they took full advantage. It's always gauling to concede a late goal and I was annoyed that we threw a win away when we looked so in control. I'd be looking for some much improved defending from now on.

September 23: Juventus 3-0 Napoli

This was a fantastic performance. Napoli barely got near our goal and I was delighted to see us keep a clean sheet after the Atalanta debacle. Going forward, the only mystery was how we didn't score six or seven. Alessandro Del Piero was particularly instrumental in this win. Brilliant.

September 27: Catania 0-2 Juventus

Both the Sicilians and ourselves were unbeaten going into this match and Catania were surprisingly second. Indeed, a win would have send them top, Inter having played a day earlier. However, we had other ideas. Catania threatened occasionally but we were well on top for much of the match and deserved the win.

September 30: VfL Wolfsburg 1-1 Juventus

Two draws from our first two Champions League games, then. In truth, this is the only real sour note on quite a positive start to the season. Wolfsburg have dangerous forwards and we found Obafemi Martins in particular hard to cope with. Still, we pushed for the equaliser at the end and I'm happy we got it. I'll be targeting two wins from two in the double header with Besiktas that comes next.

Monthly Reflection

Unbeaten in all competitions and just two points of the top of the league, I'm certainly happy with the way we've started domestically. After some shaky defensive performances and way too many red cards, we looked more stable at the back as September moved on.

In the Champions League, two draws is disappointing. Hopefully we'll kick on against Besiktas JK.

Player of the Month (and a bit)

Alessandro Del Piero: The veteran was at the heart of all that was good about us. Five goals in five Serie A games and plenty of assists. He may be nearly 35, but Del Piero is playing like a man possessed.

[Elrithral]

Really looking forward to this, I love Juve, Cracking punnage. Good start to the league, but poor showing in the CL. Kutgw.

Edit: Just noticed that you got my name right btw, not many people do. Kudos.

[crouchaldinho]

Nice one Mike. Decent start in the league there.

I'll be following with interest. Good luck.

[Mike7077]

Thank you, chaps. Nice to have someone on board. As you both know, I have another save on the go as well as this one and that one will take priority but I'll be sure to keep this one going.

[higgins]

I'm a huge Juventus fan, so I will follow this, good luck!

[Mike7077]

October

October 4: Lazio 1-1 Juventus

A dull affair was lit up by a moment of brilliance from Diego, who gave us the lead with a gorgeous lob over the Lazio keeper. Other than that, neither side played particularly well and a draw was a fair result. I have to be honest, I would not have settled for a draw before the match and was disappointed after.

October 18: Juventus 3-1 Sampdoria

Boy, did Sampdoria play well! In the lower reaches of midtable, but with a dangerous player in Antonio Cassano, they took the game to us for the first hour. In the end, the genius of Diego and Alessandro Del Piero was the difference between the two sides.

NEWSFLASH

Mohamed Zidan is off back to Egypt for a break after becoming unsettled. Worrying that one of my signings is so unhappy. Might have to boot him out the door in January.

October 21: Besiktas 2-1 Juventus

Disaster.. Utter disaster.. This result leaves us bottom of our Champions League group with just two points. In truth, we played okay. Not great, but okay. Besiktas took full advantage of the injury and suspension that claimed my first choice full-backs - Grygera and Grosso. I was forced to play my first choice centre-backs in the full-back positions which left an unfamiliar central defensive partner ship of Fabio Cannavaro (36) and Nicola Legrottaglie exposed. Very worried about making the next stage, but if we beat Besiktas at our place we will still be in with a real chance.

October 24: Juventus 3-1 Parma

Struggling Parma took a surprise lead and looked decent when in possession, but we dominated for the most part and deserved our win. Diego continues to impress.

October 28: AC Milan 2-0 Juventus

Lots of possession but little penetration coupled with a wobbly defence and we pretty much handed Milan the win. We were rarely in it and couldn't handle the flair of Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato. Fair play to Milan, they were better. As for us, we're now four points off the top.

Monthly Reflection

Not a good month really. Terrible defeat at Besiktas in the Champions League has left our chances of reaching the next stage firmly in the balance. Meanwhile, a generally decent run of league results was spoiled by our first defeat - away to tital rivals Milan. Then there was the whole Mohamed Zidan saga and the fact that we didn't keep a single clean sheet. Still, there's a long way to go...

Player of the Month

Diego: The Brazilian midfielder's goals have been crucial and his all-round flair and skill have bedazzled opposition defences. Clearly he will be key to any success we might have.

[crouchaldinho]

What is going on with your European form Mike7077?

Nice updating style by the way.

[Mike7077]

What is going on with your European form Mike7077?

Nice updating style by the way.

No idea. I actually have a sneaking feeling we'll do enough in our last three games to make it. But we'll see.

Thanks for the compliment, but it's really Elrithral's updating style. I've just added my own little thing here and there.

[AcidBurn]

League form is good but what's happening in the champions league? I always fancy playing as Juventus but never do so I will be keeping up with this thread. Good luck.

[Elrithral]

Great results agaisnt Samp and Parma, a draw away to Lazi isn't half bad and you have to expect to lose to Milan at San Siro, regardless of how good you are. The Besiktas result was poor, fingers crossed you can turn it around, but otherwise I don't think that was too bad a month.

[CAFCIan75]

I like the way you have set this up Mike. I found Serie A a bit strange (results wise) at times. Good luck for the remainder of the season.

PS: Can you tell me how Palermo are doing in your save? they were pretty average in my save first season but then turned into world beaters second season!?

[Mike7077]

Palermo are currently being put in the shade by bitter Sicilian rivals Catania who are on the margins of the title race. However, they're not too far behind. Both Sicilian sides are currently doing well.

[Mike7077]

November

November 3:Juventus 2-0 Besiktas

We simply had to win this match, and we did. The result put us into second in the group and suddenly things looked a little better. Furthermore, the result meant that if we finished level on points with the Turkish side, we'd finish above them as we now had the better head-to-head. In truth, the performance was nothing special. Besiktas had a few chances and it's surprising just how well they've played so far in the group.

November 7: Udinese 2-2 Juventus

Draws are making us fall of the pace in the league and this was very frustrating. To concede such a late goal is majorly frustrating. What's even more frustrating is the difference between the first and second halves. We blew them away in the first and then fell apart in the second.

November 11: Juventus 4-0 Bologna

Nothing to rave about here. The sending-off didn't help Bologna and we simply did a professional job.

November 21: Juventus 1-0 Fiorentina

Something to rave about here, though! Like Bologna before them, Fiorentina gave themselves a tough task with a red card. Riccardo Montolivo was a player I was worried about but his elbow earned him a sending-off on just eight minutes. From then on, we dominated. That was until David Suazo gave us the lead. After that, the Viola poured forward and we had legendary keeper Gianluigi Buffon to thank for keeping them at bay.

November 25: Sevilla 2-1 Juventus

Just like the Udinese game, we dominate the first half and then throw it away with a terrible second half showing. The stats suggested we were the better side, but stats don't win matches and we failed to perform after the break. Sevilla are top of La Liga and there's no shame in losing here, but we couldn't afford to lose. We now have to beat already-qualified Wolfsburg in Turin to have any hope of getting into the next stage. Even a win won't be enough if Sevilla beat Besiktas in Istanbul. Yep, it's in the balance..

November 29: Chievo 0-0 Juventus

Sure enough, we're in a slump now. Chievo have won just once all season and, again, the stats suggested we should have won. Indeed, the performance resembled the 4-0 win at Siena back in September. But our strikers misfired. Just one of those games where it wouldn't go in. The only bright spot was Mohamed Sissoko who came in for the suspended Felipe Melo and did well.

Monthly Reflection

Not a good month. We kept our hopes of progressing in the Champions League alive but then made our job harder again by losing in Seville. In the league, no away win since the Catania game back in September has seen us drop well off the pace. We're third, but we're eight points behind Inter. I'm just starting to wonder if my job is under threat...

Player of the Month

Felipe Melo: Few players were outstanding this month, but the Brazilian turned in some consistent performances and drove things on from the midfield.

[AcidBurn]

Hope things improve Mike, Inter are always hard to catch on any FM. It annoys me when teams begin to pull away as you start to feel extra pressure that you have to beat them when you go up against them yourself. Good to see Melo playing well I want him for my Sevilla side. Good luck dude.

[Mike7077]

Managing Juventus is turning into a bigger challenge than I expected. I'm enjoying it, though. I just hope I do enough to keep my job. If I do get sacked, I intend to keep the career going.

[Mike7077]

December

December 8: Juventus 1-0 VfL Wolfsburg

Well, we got the result we needed. Perfomance was nothing special, though. We don't look right at all. Sadly, Sevilla won 1-0 in Turkey which left us in third place in the group. Europa League it is.

NEWSFLASH

In the First Knockout Round of the Europa League, Juventus will face Sparta Prague. Away in the first leg. This is a kind draw compared to some of the teams we could've drawn. Get past Sparta and we face either Benfica or a spicy encounter with Lazio.

Meanwhile, in the Coppa Italia, we'll face Palermo in Turin. I was hoping for an easier draw than that!

December 13: Cagliari 1-0 Juventus

Another blow to our title hopes, this time in Sardinia. Not that they weren't feint anyway. I can't really complain about the performance. We controlled the play and created several gilt-edged chances. But, despite being the league's top scorers, we didn't bring our shooting boots and Cagliari capitalised. Fair play to them. On a side note, I've now decided that I may have to stop playing Zidan. He's clearly not happy and is set only on being disruptive. Shame, really. I think he's good enough to play for us.

December 16: Juventus 2-1 Palermo

This was a return to something like the way I expect us to play. Narrow scoreline but that doesn't tell the story. The better side won. I'm happy.

December 20: Livorno 4-6 Juventus

I thought relegation-threatened Livorno would be the place to go and get our first away win in three months, and I was right. But clearly that doesn't tell the whole story! Three times we had two-goal leads and twice we threw them away! I suppose our superior attacking ability told in the end. Livorno had one clear-cut chance but managed to score four times. That tells you something about the quality of their goals. We defended far too high up the pitch and paid for it. We also lost Fabio Grosso to injury and with Zdenek Grygera already out, it's a good job we now go into a winter break!

Monthly Reflection

Going out of the Champions League was a huge blow, but at least we bowed out with a win. In the three league games we played, we showed huge weaknesses but the results were okay. Positives and negatives aplenty in December.

Player of the Month

Fernando Gago: Nobody stood out as a star performer this month so I opted for Gago's consistency. He's settled right into the team and I'm pleased with what I consider to be a bargain signing. Special mention for David Suazo, though. Three goals in his last two games and he's looked more threatening over the course of the season than any other of my strikers, barring Del Piero.

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

End of the year seems an appropriate time to post a couple of league tables. So here we go...

Serie A - 20/12/09

Champions League Group B

Roll on 2010, and brighter fortunes ahead?

[Elrithral]

You're scoring for fun, but your defence is letting you down. Inter are unrealistically good in FM, always have been, so don't be too disheartened, eventually they fall away. Good luck, i'm really enjoying this.

[Mike7077]

We're blessed with attacking talent. Diego and Del Piero in particular, but Suazo looks good too. Del Piero is playing like he's 25, not 35.

I actually think my defensive issues are tactical. I can't find the right line. Sometimes we're too deep and get swamped, sometimes we're too high and get exposed. The players themselves are good. Caceres and Chiellini are really strong at centre-back. The problem is when Grygera or Grosso get one of their regular injuries or suspensions and one form Caceres or Chiellini has to go to full-back.

[Mike7077]

January

Transfer Update: Not an active window for Juve. I let Mauro Camoranesi leave for Real Madrid for £3.5m. He'd been playing well for us but I couldn't turn down that much money for a 33 year old. A few youngsters went out on loan or left entirely, and I agreed a contract with Manchester City goalkeeper Stuart Taylor, who will arrive in July. I believe I'll need cover for Buffon next season and Alex Manninger will probably leave. Taylor seems like decent back-up for free.

January 10: Juventus 1-2 Roma

Back after the winter break, and what an awful start. It's the same old story - good first half, crap second. We threw it away by conceding two penalties. We also showed an alarming new inability to convert our own chances. Roma probably deserved their win. Gutted.

January 13: Juventus 0-3 Palermo

Out of the Coppa Italia straight away. And emphatically. I decided to mix it up and throw a good chunk of the second string in. They didn't perform. I really wanted to give the competition a go but Palermo were just too good on the day. Worrying start to 2010, though..

January 16: Genoa 1-3 Juventus

I was really worried about this trip to Genoa, given how awful we'd been in the previous two home games and given how good Genoa are. So it was a nice surprise when my players went out and played Genoa off the park. Of course they're never completely happy unless they concede at least one, but ah well. Only downer was losing Fernando Gago and Diego to injury, with Inter away to come next...

January 20: Inter 1-1 Juventus

I decided to go defensive and aggressive at Inter, and sure enough we did okay. They battered away at us as we sat back and eventually broke us down. But I'm proud of our response. We didn't panic and Amauri took the one chance that came our away. To go unbeaten against the league's runaway leaders is not bad. Really pleasing result this, especially without Gago, Diego and Chiellini.

January 24: Juventus 1-0 Siena

This game reminded me of our last one at Inter. Siena sat really deep and put their bodies on the line for the whole match while we toiled to break them down. We had 26 shots to their three. We managed to get the win, though. And I'll always take that.

January 31: Bari 1-3 Juventus

Diego came back into the side and turned on the style, and we won comfortably. Another daft penalty conceded, this time Legrottaglie felt the need to trip the Bari striker when he was running away from goal and we had plenty of players back. A minor blemish on a really strong performance.

Monthly Reflection

A month that started horribly got much better towards the end. We're now not a million miles off second, but Fiorentina, Genoa and - remarkably - Catania, are still in hot pursuit of us. The title is certainly looking unrealistic, but if I can qualify us for the Champions League, I'll be satisfied.

Player of the Month

Claudio Marchisio: In a month where players were in and out of the side for various reasons, it was hard to pick anyone who performed consistently. But Marchisio, who has never been a first team regular, stepped into the hole left by Camoranesi's move to Spain and looked like making it his own. So that's a positive.

[Elrithral]

Roma are extremely strong, in FM terms, because fo the technical ability of their players, so I wouldn't worry about that loss. Anyways, 10 out of a possible 12 in the remaining fixtures is an excellent return and the draw away to Inter is pretty impressive.

[crouchaldinho]

Enjoying the updates Mike7077. Looks to me as though you just need to be a bit more ruthless and keep more clean sheets in order to push on. Still doing very well though. Italy is tough.

[Mike7077]

February

February 7: Juventus 0-0 Atalanta

More frustration. We've had so many goals in us this season, but we rarely threatened Atalanta. Lots of pretty passing nothing approaching a cutting edge. Starting to worry about making the top four!

February 14: Juventus 2-0 Catania

A win is a win and another clean sheet is a positive, but we were largely lacklustre.

February 18: Sparta Prague 0-2 Juventus

With the disappointment of Champions League elimination behind us, we got off to a decent start in Prague with a much better performance. Sparta managed no shots despite being at home. A comfortable win and advantage to us in the tie.

February 21: Napoli 4-0 Juventus

Two things went wrong, both at the back. Firstly, I played too high a defensive line. Secondly, our defenders proceeded to defend like amateurs. We created chances, to be fair. But it was Napoli's day and we were down to fourth...

February 25: Juventus 1-0 Sparta Prague (agg: 3-0)

I decide to drop a few of the players who humiliated us at Napoli and got a decent response from those that came in. 1-0 is a slender victory but we battered them from start to finish. The Napoli result looks even more disppointing in the context of a general trend towards more clean sheets. Only Napoli have scored past us this month. Next up in the Europa League... Lazio!

February 28: Parma 0-2 Juventus

Parma, incredibly, haven't won a single game in Serie A this season. But they played quite well against us and I was rather relieved when Mohamed Sissoko finally put the game to bed for us. Back into third as Fiorentina lost, but the Viola have a game in hand on us.

Monthly Reflection

A strange month, really. Just the one defeat and a new-found taste for clean sheets, but we got a good tonking at Napoli. Third place is the best we can hope for in the league, but we'll need a bit of form to beat Fiorentina to it. In Europe, we had an easy ride through against Sparta, but Lazio will provide a much sterner test.

Player of the Month

Gianluigi Buffon: Napoli apart, the defence finally started perform. However, Buffon probably outshone any of them. You know what you're getting with Buffon and he was in impressive form throughout February.

[Elrithral]

Tough draw in the Europa League, but your defence is looking solid (except for the Napoli game) and that's vital in Europe. Fingers crossed dude, kutgw.

[Mike7077]

March

March 3: Juventus 4-0 Lazio

The first of three matches against Lazio this month was the Serie A encounter in Turin, and boy did we play well. 4-0 flattered Lazio, if anything. We were on top from start to finish and another clean sheet is pleasing too.

March 7: Sampdoria 1-0 Juventus

Goals against us had become something of a commodity in recent weeks, but I had no complaints about this result. Sampdoria were lively, physical and ambitious. We were the opposite. Antonio Cassano is class and I'd love to buy him in the summer transfer window.

March 11: Juventus 3-0 Lazio

Another week, another match against Lazio. This time in the Europa League, and we gave ourselves a massive chance of progressing to the Quarter-finals. Indeed, we were better in this match than in the 4-0 win in the league last week. 28 shots to their two...

March 14: Juventus 2-0 AC Milan

Another excellent performance, Milan just had no answer. You wouldn't have guessed they were above us in the league. The win eeks us closer to them, but we're still five points behind them.

March 18: Lazio 0-0 Juventus (agg: 0-3)

You might have expected Lazio to fly at us, given that they were 3-0 down on aggregate, but we didn't let them. Instead, we got on the ball and played a patient passing game, attested to by our 60% possession stat. We also created a lot of chances, but failed to take a single one, which probably had Lazio clinging to hope until it got too late. Good job we did the hard work in Turin, though. Pleased to be through.

Newsflash

Juventus will face Olympique Marseille in the Europa League Quarter-finals. A tough draw, but one of the better ones available to us. A win will see us face AC Milan or Lyon in the semis. If we're going to win this trophy, we'll need to beat some good teams.

March 21: Bologna 0-0 Juventus

Perhaps being deep in a relegation battle inspired Bologna, but we couldn't break them down. Neither side looked like scoring in what was a very dull game of football. Another clean sheet, though.

March 28: Juventus 2-0 Udinese

Although we had home advantage, I was nervous about this game. I saw Udinese as a side that could come to our place, play football and possibly shock us. And to be fair, they played very well, creating chances and not letting us play our patient passing game. But we were more clinical.

Monthly Reflection

A decent month. Antonio Cassano's goal for Sampdoria was the only one we conceded and our new-found defensive meanness is a joy to behold. Indeed, only Napoli and Sampdoria have scored against us in the past two months! We haven't conceded a goal at home since Palermo beat us in Turin in the Coppa Italia on January 10th! We also eased through to the semis of the Europa League which was nice given that I expected a tough test against Lazio.

Player of the Month

Giorgio Chiellini: Easy choice this month. If February's defensive star was Buffon, this month's was undoubtedly rock solid centre-back Chiellini. A man-mountain at the back, I wouldn't be surprised if Real Madrid come in for him this summer. Frankly, £40 million wouldn't be enough.

[Mike7077]

April

April saw a couple of interesting transfer moves. Martin Caceres, our Uruguayan centre-back on loan from Barcelona, will join us in the summer for £4m. This represents a bargain for a player who has been excellent all season and, at 22, will only get better. A bit more of a gamble is David Beckham. Granted he's coming for free, but his wages are quite high so I'll want a decent level of performances from him.

April 1: Juventus 0-0 Olympique Marseille

April Fools Day, and evidently my players wanted to play up to it. The stats suggested we battered them, and it's true that we missed a good deal of chances. But really, we didn't perform well. Still, 0-0 at home in the first leg isn't terrible. A goal in France and we have a chance.

April 8: Olympique Marseille 1-0 Juventus (agg: 1-0)

Defensive injuries meant I had to bring in veteran Fabio Cannavaro and I knew beforehand we'd be up against it. However, Marseille were decimated by injuries and were halfway down Ligue 1. But Cannavaro struggled all game and gave away a stupid penalty, tripping their striker when there was really no need. Make no mistake, this result represents failure. We failed big time in Europe. This will need to be addressed for next season. I'm gutted right now...

April 14: Juventus 3-0 Livorno

No repeat of the incredible (some might say ridiculous) 6-4 result which happened at their place. Relegation-threatened Livorno were dispatched with consummate ease. Nothing spectacular, but the minimum response I wanted after exiting Europe.

April 18: Juventus 3-1 Chievo

Another straightforward home win. Chievo impressed me with their desire to press forward and with better strikers perhaps they might have gotten something. But we dealt with them and dispatched our own chances.

April 25: Palermo 2-3 Juventus

With Fiorentina dropping points, including in their game in hand, this was a real chance to consolidate third spot in the league. However, I wouldn't have picked Palermo as the place to go and attempt to do that. They may be a mid-table side, but their home record is among the best, so I was nervous. At half-time, I could see that something special would be needed. A few tactical tweaks and a bollocking seemed to do the trick. Really proud of our comeback. Really didn't need to concede that late goal, though.

April 28: Fiorentina 1-0 Juventus

A horrible way to lose a football match. You switch off thinking your work is done and it all falls apart. Fiorentina deserved their win, but I was still disappointed. Third place still looks more or less assured, but you want to get something from these games.

Monthly Reflection

Well we crashed out of the Europa League at the quarter-final stage against a Marseille team we should have been too good for. I can't look at our European campaigns this season as anything other than failure. In the league, we did enough to consolidate our place in the top three, although defeat in Florence was a blow.

Player of the Month

David Suazo: The Honduran is one of those players who has never made the most of his talent. I signed him on loan from Inter thinking it would be worth it if we could get something like the best out of him. Although I've no plans to make the deal permanent, he's actually on 12 goals in 13 starts. Not bad. This month, he really came good. He looked confident, lively, sharp, and he scored goals - including an impressive brace at Palermo that turned the match in our favour.

[Murrayzoster]

Loving this story mate, keep it up

[crouchaldinho]

Another good update Mike. One thing though, any chance you could post a screenshot of league table occasionally or maybe just mention your current league position and how far you are away from other teams etc.?

Bad luck on the Europe front and a painful blow against Fiorentina too.

I'm interested to see what you make of Beckham while he is with you!

[Mike7077]

Murrayzoster & Crouchy - Glad to see you're enjoying my updates. I see this game going on and on so no reason why it won't continue.

Crouchy - I planned to post league tables at the end of December and and the end of the season. But I can see that perhaps it's hard to follow things without more regular league tables. So I'll bear that in mind. No point posting one now, though. I'm only three games from the end of the season.

[crouchaldinho]

No probs Mike.

[Mike7077]

Newsflash

With Inter having cruised to the title and our European exploits proving woeful, the board are considering sacking me. This save could be about to take a twist...

[Mike7077]

May

The big story this month is the threat of the sack hanging over me. Will it happen? I'll be sure to keep things updated...

May 2: Juventus 1-1 Cagliari

Cagliari's equaliser was only the million or so miles offside, but I can't complain because if you don't take your chances, you run the risk of this happening. Poor performance but good to see Del Piero still playing well at the end of a long hard season.

May 9: Roma 0-1 Juventus

We lost in similar fashion in Florence, and it felt awful. But when it goes in your favour it feels beautiful. We were magnificent really. Roma couldn't handle us. Special mention for David Suazo whose yellow card meant he would be suspended for the final game of the season, making this his last appearance for Juventus.

May 16: Juventus 3-0 Genoa

Nice way to round the season off. Genoa weren't really in the match. I toyed with the idea of playing a weakened team but then I figured a defeat might trigger the sack so I figured I'd play it safe. Nice, controlled, professional performance from a team that I think could do better things in the future.

Monthly Reflection

Three games played, just the one goal against. Our defensive toughness continues. A nice couple of games to round the season off, although the draw with Cagliari was disappointing and means we've failed to beat them this season.

Player of the Month

Alessandro Del Piero: The legend book-ends the season with Player of the Month. 35 and half, but still capable of magic, Del Piero was in great form across the three games in May. Well deserved.

So that's the season over. I'll shortly be posting a full season round up. And who knows? After that you may find I've moved on if the board decides to act. We shall see...

[CAFCIan75]

Good first season Mike, I'm guessing you finished around 3rd so all in all you did well. Sauzo looked like an inspired signing. Good luck for next season unless of course you get the sack!

[Mike7077]

2009/2010 Screenshots

Serie A 2009/2010 - Final Table

Home Record

Away Record

Team of the Year

Coppa Italia

Champions League

Europa League (Top Half)

Europa League (Bottom Half)

[Mike7077]

Good first season Mike, I'm guessing you finished around 3rd so all in all you did well. Sauzo looked like an inspired signing. Good luck for next season unless of course you get the sack!

I thought I did quite well, but the board obviously disagree! We did poo in Europe, though.

Suazo did quite well, but he's off back to Inter. Hope he keeps his form going there.

[Elrithral]

The board are rubbish, you basically finished second because Inter were so good. Look at the state of Roma! Goals scored is impressive, sort out your defence and you'll push them, don't lose heart.

[Mike7077]

2009/2010 - Season Review

Player of the Season

Giorgio Chiellini: Diego scored a heap of goals from midfield, but I feel that Chiellini was the star of the season. Rock solid at centre-back, his partnership with Caceres flourished in the second half of the season and made us one of the hardest teams to score against. His versatility also meant he could fill in in other defensive positions. And when he did, his performances were of the same high standard.

Europe

We may as well not have bothered trying. Admittedly, we could have been given an easier group. Some will say Sevilla were the easiest of the top seeds, and maybe they were. But they're a quality side and we could have done without drawing Wolfsburg from the bottom seeds. That was the one bottom seed worth avoiding. As for Besiktas, they are clearly better than I anticipated. Nevertheless, I believe we had the squad to get through and failing to do remains unacceptable. We MUST do better next season, regardless of whether I'm in charge or not!

In the Europa League, we flattered to deceive. Sparta Prague offered little resistance and we eased past them. Lazio got no change from us as we produced an excellent couple of displays to see them off. But then we came up against a highly beatable Marseille side and we blew it. Too many missed chances and Marseille took the one that came their way. If the board were to sack me on the basis of our European efforts, I wouldn't blame them.

Domestically

In the league, we did as well as could be expected. We don't have the squad that the Milan sides have so it was important just to make sure we qualified for the Champions League, which we did. Still, I'd have preferred a few more away wins. If we'd have turned three or four of the matches away from home that we didn't win, we'd have run Inter a lot closer.

In the Coppa Italia, Palermo pasted us as our own place and our cup hopes were over before we'd even got started. Not a massive fan of the cups, but I'd like to have gone further than that.

Thoughts for next season

Well we've got to be better. I have absolutely no idea what sort of a budget I'm going to get, but I have a few players in mind who I'd like to try and bring in. The squad will be bolstered by the arrival of Tomas Rosicky and David Beckham for free, but they won't make our season. The permanent signing of Martin Caceres is a biggie, though. He's only 22 and destined for the very top. Hopefully with Juventus.

I also learned that Mohamed Sissoko is an excellent midfielder, much improved from the wild and reckless youngster of his Liverpool days. Still only 23, Sissoko forced himself into my plans with several excellent displays. The same goes for young left-back Paolo De Ceglie, who began to oust Fabio Grosso toward the end of the season and was consistently excellent. One for the future, definitely.

So that's 2009/2010 over with. Some positives, but next season needs to be better...

[Mike7077]

The board are rubbish, you basically finished second because Inter were so good. Look at the state of Roma! Goals scored is impressive, sort out your defence and you'll push them, don't lose heart.

I actually think that I did sort the defence. If you look at the second half of the season and take the Napoli game out, we were mostly solid at the back. I hope that continues!

Oh, and I've certainly not lost heart. I'm having a great time!

[Elrithral]

I love Chiellini, he's a cracking player, great left foot, confident coming out of defence and I saw him score a brilliant volley last season I hope you get time, within 2-3 years Inter will start to fall away, and you'll be favourites.

[Mike7077]

Real Madrid are circling around Chiellini. He really is fantastic, though. Exactly as you describe.

I wouldn't want to sell him for less than £40m.

[crouchaldinho]

You sound a little disappointed with that season Mike. Plenty of work to do over the summer.

Do you think you'll be busy in the transfer market? Any thoughts on what you need in order to push on?

[Elrithral]

You could use the money to replace Delp Piero though and there are some good defenders out there, but it's difficult to let someone like Chiellini go.

[Mike7077]

You sound a little disappointed with that season Mike. Plenty of work to do over the summer.

Do you think you'll be busy in the transfer market? Any thoughts on what you need in order to push on?

I'm disappointed with our European campaigns. Very disappointed. I also wish we didn't get knocked of the First Round of the cup. The league was satisfactory. I'd have been happy with second. Third is satisfactory and nothing more.

How busy I'll be in the transfer market depends on how much I get to spend. If I get enough money, I'll want to bring in two new strikers. I know we scored plenty of goals, but we relied too much on Diego (a midfielder), Del Piero (a pensioner) and Suazo (an Inter player) to get those goals. Amauri and Iaquinta are rubbish and may not even be with us next season. I know two strikers I'd love to sign but I'm certain I won't get the funds to buy them both.

We also need defensive reinforcements. We struggle when players get injured or suspended because the cover just isn't there. If we lose a full-back, the next best options are Caceres and Chiellini, which means I have to find someone to play at centre-back. Cannavaro is too old and Legrottaglie is decent enough but nothing special.

[Mike7077]

You could use the money to replace Delp Piero though and there are some good defenders out there, but it's difficult to let someone like Chiellini go.

Those are the areas I'm looking at. Defensive cover and someone to take a bit of the burden off Del Piero. Look how good he was, though...

[Mike7077]

I've been what you might call "very active" in the transfer window...

Update to follow.

[Mike7077]

2010/2011 - Pre-Season

So here's the picture regarding my transfer window activities. You might say I was a little busy...

Summer 2010 Transfers

Summer 2010 Transfers (2) (I had to scroll down)

The first thing to notice is that I've gone back on my word and brough David Suazo in again. I didn't plan to, but I realised that I was leaving myself light up front, having let Iaquinta go out on loan and selling Trezeguet.

I've spent way over the odds for Alvaro Negredo from Sevilla, but he impressed me massively when we played them in the Champions League last season and I said then and there that I'd do whatever it took to get him in. £24m is too much, but Sevilla wouldn't sell!

Beckham, Rosicky and Burdisso should be decent for free. Burdisso means I finally have some proper defensive cover.

Mahamadou Diarra was an itch I had to scratch. He was cheap, so it's okay. I have too many midfielders now but they'll all get games as the season goes on.

Here's the squad I'm going into the season with...

Juventus Squad - 2010/2011

I'm not sure I have enough options in midfield.... Ha!

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

Friendlies

July 17: Juventus 4-0 Al-Nassr

July 21: Marsala 0-5 Juventus

July 25: Juventus 13-0 Namur

July 31: AC Milan 1-1 Juventus

August 2: New England Revolution 1-1 Juventus

[Mike7077]

Season 2010/2011

August/September

With a stronger-looking squad than last season, I thought we could give the title a better go and at least get through our Champions League group. To be honest, the mimimum aim had to be to push Inter a lot harder and improve on last season's dismal European showing.

There wasn't good news when the Champions League Group Stage draw was made, though. We were handed a really tough looking draw. From Pot One we got the defending champions Real Madrid. Then from Pot Three came Manchester City. The two richest clubs in the world in our group. Pot Four threw up Polish side Lech Poznan who would likely be the whipping boys of the group.

August 22: Palermo 1-0 Juventus

Not the start we had in mind! It was always going to be difficult going to Palermo and I didn't really want this as our opening fixture. We did create chances and things would almost certainly have been different if he were more clinical, but Palermo took the spoils.

August 29: Juventus 3-0 Bologna

Anything other than a win would have been completely unacceptable following our opening day defeat and the fact that Bologna lost their first match of the season 7-1 at home to Napoli. I wouldn't say we were particularly good here but we kept the ball away from Bologna and took our opportunities to score. Happy enough.

September 11: Udinese 1-0 Juventus

To be honest, I wouldn't have picked Palermo followed by Udinese for our first two away games, but this was still worrying and frustrating. On another day, we'd have won by four or five but instead we looked incapable of putting the ball in the net. I find it really frustrating how often teams come out for the second half and score against us immediately. Two defeats already and Inter were looking imperious.

September 14: Juventus 2-0 Lech Poznan

It was nice to get our European campaign off and running with a win this time round. But at the same time, nothing else would be acceptable against the Polish minnows. The truth is that we displayed a lot of what we displayed against Udinese, missing chance after chance. Better opposition might have come away with a goalless draw.

September 18: Juventus 1-0 Brescia

Newly-promoted Brescia's goal led a charmed life as we pummelled them throughout, but once again spurned a succession of chances. We created a whopping eleven clear-cut chances, which tells you something. Thankfully, Tomas Rosicky popped up near the end to slide home his first for the club and earn us a deserved three points. Fair play to Brescia's keeper, though. He really was excellent.

September 22: Reggina 0-1 Juventus

Deep into stoppage time, with the score between ourselves and newly-promoted Reggina locked at 0-0, with a succession of gilt-edged chances missed by the away side, I was groaning in frustration. Three minutes past the 90 and we won a corner, swung in, clawed away by the keeper for another corner. Surely, surely, it was too late. But no. With three seconds af added time left, Alessandro Del Piero's corner reached the near post, where Martin Caceres arrived to glance the ball home. Yet another desperately poor attacking display, but three points in the bag. Reggina must have been crushed.

September 26: Juventus 6-0 Cagliari

With all the chances we've been creating, it had to happen sooner or later. Cagliari took four points from our two games last season, but the Sardinian club is in crisis, teetering on the brink of administration. We took full advantage in a devastating display. Amauri bagged a hattrick and Chiellini popped up with two goals from two Beckham corners. The veteran English midfielder finished the game with five assists in a display of genuine quality.

September 29: Manchester City 1-2 Juventus

What a contrast to last season! This was always going to be a tough fixture but we blew City away in the first half. They couldn't get the ball off us as we passed it around with pace and accuracy. The only frustration was conceding a goal one minute beyond the two that the referee had supposedly allowed. In the second half City turned it up a gear but Carlos Tevez was woefully off form. We deserved this. A double-header with Real Madrid is next...

Serie A - Latest Standings

Champions League Group C - Latest Standings

Monthly Reflection

Defeats away at Palermo and Udinese are not necessarily anything to be ashamed of, but as title contenders, you need to be taking points in such matches and we didn't. Other than those games, however, we probably did okay. We had to grind a few results out but as September went on, our performances definitely improved. In Europe, we got off to perfect start and if we can take points from the two games against Real, we'll be virtually assured of getting through.

Player of the Month (and a bit)

Amauri: The Brazilian striker was really disappointing last season and I mulled over the idea of selling him in the summer. In the end, I figured I might end up with too few strikers if I sold him and couldn't get replacements in so I decided to keep him and he rewarded me with several great performances and a heap of goals in the first month of the season. David Beckham and Giorgio Chiellini also turned in some good displays, but Amauri was probably the star.

[Mike7077]

October

October looked like being an important month. In the space of six matches, we would travel to Lazio, Real Madrid, Inter and Fiorentina. And we would have to face at least one match without Gianluigi Buffon due to injury. We would also go into matches without crucial midfielder Felipe Melo, also injured. Here's how things transpired...

October 2: Lazio 0-3 Juventus

We continued our good run of results over Lazio with a comfortable win in Rome's Olimpico. Lazio were physical but offered little in footballing terms. I was pleased at just how well we performed, though. Chiellini getting sent-off was a downside, though. This meant we were losing him to suspension as well as Felipe Melo and Buffon to injury with vital games to come.

October 16: Juventus 2-0 Genoa

Genoa are a good team and it's not beyond possibility that I might bid for a couple of their players next summer. They do play some nice stuff. Home advantage and our superior quality told, though. We're so, so good at the back these days.

October 20: Real Madrid 0-1 Juventus

What can you say? What a result! I'm not going to try and make out that we controlled the game, but sometimes you can have less of the match and still deserve the win. Real had £200m+ worth of attacking talent on the pitch, but our defence was equal to what they had. For all the possession, Real created surprisingly little. Kaka was marginal, Benzema predictable, Ronaldo hardworking but ineffective. I took a slightly different tactical approach to normal, dropping an anchorman in front of the defence and playing with one less attacking player. It seemed to work because Sissoko swept so much up in front of Caceres and Chiellini.

October 24: Inter 1-1 Juventus

Yeeeesss! That's what you pay £24m for! With time ticking away, Alessandro Del Piero lifts a wonderful ball over Inter's defence and Alvaro Negredo latches onto it before lifting the ball over Julio Cesar in a beautiful arc. Anyone who has played a big club on FM will know how incredibly good Inter are so I'm proud to say we've not lost to them in the three games we've played. Although granted, we haven't beaten them either! This result keeps us on their coat tails in the league.

October 27: Juventus 2-0 Catania

We looked a little rusty in the first half after such a busy run of fixtures, but we got the job done. Catania made a few chances and they do look like a dark horse for European qualification, but we were good enough in the end.

October 30: Fiorentina 0-1 Juventus

Fiorentina have been nothing short of woeful so far this season and rarely will I take us to the Artemio Franchi feeling so confident. The scoreline doesn't do justice to how much we dominated. Cesare Prandelli was sacked after this match with Fiorentina teetering above the relegation zone. Inter drew at Siena which made this win all the more satisfying.

Serie A - Latest Standings

Champions League Group C - Latest Standings

Monthly Reflection

October 2010 is the best month I've had so far. We conceded just one goal and kept ourselves firmly in the title race. Not bad for a month that included trips away to Lazio, Inter and Fiorentina. Alvaro Negredo showed signs of justifying his price tag while my defensive unit of Grygera, De Ceglie, Caceres and Chiellini continued to impress.

In the Champions League we are in a completely different position to last season - top of the group with a 100% record and wins at both Man City and Real Madrid.

Player of the Month

Paolo De Ceglie: When I arrived at Juventus in July 2009, Fabio Grosso was also just arriving. Knowing far more about Grosso than I did about De Ceglie, I discounted the youngster as an option at left-back and prompted for Grosso. Grosso had a strong season but towards the end of it I got fed up and started playing De Ceglie. He did well enough to convince me that we was a better option than Grosso, and what a start to 2010/11 he's made! Brilliant going forward, little gets past him either. Top class and destined for big things.

As I wrote this, Alvaro Negredo scored a goal for Sevilla in real life that was a carbon copy of the one he scored for me against Inter this month!