La Vecchia Signora & Y Fonesig Gyntaf

[gavrenwick]

Palazzo Madama, Turin, April 2018

The birds flocked upwards as the sun beat down on Turin. The Palazzo Madama was awash with activity. Tour groups were making themselves known as they sporadically lost members of the tour, while families and tourists were idling around waiting for various events to begin.

She couldn’t help but feel like she would fit right in with a Dan Brown novel, judging by the way the scene was setting itself.

“Nice to see you again,” said Guiseppe Marotta. His voice was easily distinguishable in the noise, one that she had dealt with regularly over the phone.

“I found my way,” she replied, smiling and offering her hand, “It’s far easier the second time around.”

Guiseppe motioned and she followed, two minutes later finding themselves sat at a small café, ordering a drink. “Everything is set for us to make the announcement. Allegri is leaving at the end of the season to join Paris St Germain, and all transfers are already pre-set so we cannot budge on those now. You know that Cristiano Ronaldo has agreed pre-terms with us over a huge move from Real. You’ll have the best quality to work with.”

“Whoever may be there when I take over is the hand I'm dealt,” she replied. “It isn’t like I’ll take on some major issues. Getting this chance in itself is a major thing. Although that reminds me, how is the news going to go down relating to me being appointed?”

Guiseppe shrugged, “The world is changing, and when one of the best clubs in the world has the chance to hire one of the most talented coaches around, who are we to question whether they are male, female, Italian or from anywhere else in the world?”

“Football is a male institution, it has taken years to even get women to be paid fair amounts for wages, let alone for one to become a head coach of a superior male club. I know I have been rather lucky in my roles, but they haven’t been in top leagues where the criticism could come in for too much.”

“The opinions of the time you have spent in charge have varied, yes, but there is the consensus that you have ample talent for tactical coaching. We work hard on developing youth, it was even part of our name originally. So why shouldn’t we also encourage talented managers in the same way?”

She shrugged and smiled, with no real response forming in her head. “The world isn’t as progressive as we think it is. No-one is asking for women to be everywhere, only for them to be accepted for where they might end up.”

Guiseppe knocked back his coffee and ordered another, “Either way, it is what it is, and if we evolve now, then at least others may too. We will handle all of the media affairs of the club, as usual. The best way you, or anyone else can answer the critics, is by letting the talking occur on the pitch. That is where you will silence them. Win us the Champions League, that'll certainly shut them up.”

There was no denying his logic, she knew that. It was just nice to hear it from time to time, to re-assure. She hadn’t exactly enjoyed any major success at the clubs she had managed, but he was right in that, she had shown immense tactical promise at times. And while her media skills also weren’t the best, the chance to work with a media powerhouse behind a club like this would be immense for her.

As Guiseppe finished his drink, he settled the bill with the waiter and smiled. “You know how we feel, you know that we will do everything in our power to protect you from the criticism you, and even we, may face. You are our choice,” he said, before finishing, “Should we expect to see you in June?”

A sly grin spread across her face, “Yes you will. I’ll be there.”

“When Allegri leaves, the only other member of staff he is taking is his assistant Marco Landucci. All the other members of staff at the club are staying. You’ll only need to bring in your own number two, but you can make minor adjustments too. We shall see you in June,” he said, standing up and shaking her hand.

She shook back, “I’ll see you shortly.”

[Rien102]

Interesting read.  Have a short fuse for these, as you can guess... :)

[tenthreeleader]

Gav, great to see you back too. Old home week, eh?

[gavrenwick]

Thank you gentlemen.


Football Italia, April 2018

Juventus today confirmed that Massimiliano Allegri would be leaving the club at the end of the season, with Marco Landucci also reportedly leaving to work with him again at Paris St Germain.

There had been rumours for months that Allegri was being lined up to move to the French capital, but they really caught fire in the previous two weeks with PSG struggling to exert dominance in their fight to win the title despite the swathes of cash having been spent in the summer market.

“Juventus would like to go on record to thank Massimiliano for the efforts and success he has brought our club. He has made the players work for the shirt, secured titles in the process, and continued our run as the Italian powerhouse. He will always be welcome back to the club. We will in turn announce our new head coach in the coming months but rest assured, the person we appoint going forward will most certainly be the right person for the job, and one who understands our mentality, our ethos and our brand.”

Under Allegri’s three years at the helm, Juventus won three straight titles and three straight Coppa Italia’s, and continued their dominance over the Italian league. Times are getting harder now with teams beginning to close the gap, notably Roma, Inter, AC Milan and Napoli. All of the sides boast the quality needed to become the anti-Juve and break the stranglehold. But it seems Allegri had his head turned with the riches on offer from the club in the French capital, the club a spending force when necessary.

This summer a fair amount of players are expected to leave who have been with the club awhile, prompting calls for a new age of players to come in and take over. With Buffon and Marchisio already known to be leaving, it’ll be interesting to see which players become the next Juventus era. Marchisio has suffered as late in trying to return to top form after sustaining another knee injury and confirmed he would be leaving before the start of next season.

 

[efcfan]

Interesting idea for a story, and I like the format of your story. Best of luck with Juventus.

[gavrenwick]

Thank you sir.

 

“The Twins”, Swansea, May 2018

“Chris,” he yelled, “We have a visitor!”

Chris popped his head up from above the engine and listened for the response, “So?” he heard his brother yell back. “I’m busy you idiot, you know that.”

Ronnie smiled, “You’ll have to forgive Chris, some things haven’t changed in all the years you’ve known us.”

She smiled in response, “Still hiding out in the wilderness I see?”

Ronnie shrugged and wiped some oil off his hands onto his oil-stained jeans. “You know how it goes. Last I heard you were managing in Scotland?”

She nodded, “Yep. I have something new lined up and was wondering…” but before she could finish, Chris had appeared.

“Look who it is! Ronnie why didn’t you tell me who was here!”

Ronnie frowned, “Chris, I literally told you we have a visitor?”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, you replied? Do you not remember that?”

Chris stood thoughtfully for a second, and shrugged, “I don’t remember that to be honest.” He then returned to his engine work.

Ronnie wrapped his arm in hers and began to walk her down to the river edge, “What brings you to see us anyway?”

“Do you like Italy, Ronnie?”

“I like pizza, not fond on pasta as it gives me indigestion, and love Pavarotti. I’d say two out of three isn’t bad. Why?”

“Did someone say pizza?” asked Chris, who had somehow re-emerged from nowhere.

“Chris, go away, before I slap you.”

As Chris skulked away, he turned back to the river edge, “You were saying about Italy?"

“I have a new job. A big job. I can’t make too many alterations to the staff, but I am bringing in my own assistant manager. And I want you both as well.”

Ronnie grinned, “We haven’t worked together since Livingston! I’m sure there are better people than us for the job you’re getting.”

She shrugged, “There is nobody better than you and Chris. You have an uncanny ability to spot talent, and let’s be honest, no-one even knows you’re scouting most of the time. They just think you are both fans with the way you behave. But you are damn amazing scouts.”

“Are you going to tell me the club?” pried Ronnie.

She smiled but looked around to make sure no-one was listening. Telling these guys meant nothing - they had no social media presence and fewer friends, “Juventus.”

Ronnie almost choked, “Err, come again? I didn’t even know they were hiring.”

“They are. Trust me Ronnie, I need you both. You’re second to none for judging young players. Juventus are going through a change of the guard, I need the best scouts going.”

Ronnie nodded, “You’re going to need to convince Chris. But I’m in.”

“He can meet Cristiano Ronaldo.”

Chris piped up again out of nowhere, “Did you just say Ronaldo?”

 

[gavrenwick]

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, May 2018

The final pieces were now merging in to place. With the Twins on board, there was just one position left to fill. And she had the right person in mind for it, and even more so, someone who her Dad had known.

Osian Roberts morphed into view as she rounded the corner inside the stadium. She had scheduled this meeting, but he was so excited to see her. “It’s been so long!” he yelled as she hugged him.

“Osian, how many years has it actually been?”

“Too many, way too many. But I definitely feel like this isn’t a social visit?”

She nodded, “I have an opportunity for you.”

Osian Roberts, the man often described as the most influential man in Welsh football, is currently the assistant manager for the Welsh national side. When Chris Coleman left in 2017, Osian was interested, but didn’t get the position. He’s still in his position alongside Albert Stuivenberg, under current head coach Ryan Giggs. "Straight to business, just like your Dad."

“I’ve got a new job coming up. It’s a big one. But it’s in Italy. I want you as my number two, Osian.”

Osian smiled, “Your dad asked me the same thing years ago.”

She smiled back, “I remember him telling me the story of how you turned him down. He always said you were the best person he had never worked with.”

“Your father was an insanely talented manager and he always said if we worked together we would be like Clough and Taylor were. His work with the Welsh national side will always live on for us, and took us a few years to match until Euro 2016.”

“I was still finishing my PhD in physiotherapy when he told me about the offer he made you. He never gave the reason why you said no.”

Osian furrowed his brow slightly, “It just wasn’t the right time for me to move like that. I’ll always regret not having the chance, but it was the right one for me.”

“This offer I have, it’s big time, Osian. I’ve even managed to convince the Twins to come and work with me.”

“Wow, last I heard they were working for Swansea a year ago. Didn’t they both retire?”

“I think they were just spending their time procrastinating. I will email you the offer I’ve got for you, Osian. Take a little time to think it over.”

“Where is it you are off to? You know you’re destined for bigger and better things than St Mirren, don’t you?”

She frowned, “I hope so. This is the biggest opportunity anyone has ever been given when they’re at my level and have the experience I do. Brian Clough comes close, I reckon. I’m off to Turin.”

The look on Osian’s face was bordering on incredulous, “Torino or… Juventus? Don’t tell me it’s Juventus.”

She grinned, “It is. It hasn’t been announced yet so please keep it to yourself. Think the offer over.”

“I will,” he said, “But for now, let’s go get a coffee and reminisce.”

 

[gavrenwick]

Palazzo Madama, Turin, July 16^th 2018

She stood there, eagerly awaiting their arrival. This had become her place now, the one place with which she was comfortable in a country she hardly knew yet. The waiter at the café she and Guiseppe had attended now remember her, and she ordered the same thing every time. She slowly sipped the latte, tapping her foot in anticipation. Tomorrow was her first day on the job. She had been in regular contact with Guiseppe and had informed him of the three people she was wanting to bring in.

Sadly, she already knew that she would be the second person in her own family that Osian Roberts had turned down for an assistant manager role. He had contacted her a couple of weeks after they had met, and simply explained that he didn’t want to uproot his family, and travelling to and from Italy was not at all something he found viable. She was extremely disappointed, but he had offered her a lifeline.

He had been in touch with someone who was undergoing training to become an assistant manager, and Osian was adamant that he showed all the qualities he needed to make the grade, especially in Osian’s eyes. She had agreed with Osian that he possessed the necessary qualities after meeting with him.

It was a gamble, but to her, a worthy one. Her appointment was already a gamble, so she might as well have staff she felt comfortable enough with to make this be successful.

The Twins could be heard before she could see them. Chris rounded into view first, holding a coffee and some kind of cake, before Ronnie then appeared. They broke into grins as they came and hugged her. “Nice to see you again sweetheart. How did it go with Osian?” he asked, not aware of the final outcome of her quest.

She shook her head, “He couldn’t make the move, family reasons, stuff like that. Hopefully someone else will be joining us today.”

Ronnie smiled. Both he and Chris only had a luggage carry on and that was all. “We travel light,” he said, catching her gaze currently aimed at his baggage. “We have no belongings anyway.”

Ronnie took a seat next to her while Chris wandered off to browse the local shops. “I can’t believe this is for real. To work at one of the biggest clubs in the world…”

She smiled and nodded, “This for me is my last chance to prove to anyone that my story is worth it. That my story is worth reading, worth listening to. That my story is one to hear, that someone isn't writing it for me, that I'm writing it myself. That I’m capable of something.”

“That you’re worth the gamble?”

She nodded, “That I’m worth the gamble.”

Landon Donovan strode into view, spotting her and brushing his way across. “Hi there,” he said.

“Nice to see you again. Ready for tomorrow? The first day in the biggest moment of our careers.”

Landon smiled and took a seat. “I thought you said there would be four of us?”

Both she and Ronnie motioned over to Chris, who had somehow contrived to end up purchasing a small antique globe. “He’s the fourth.”

[gavrenwick]

Allianz Stadium, Turin, July 18^th 2018

Tina grinned.

The office was far bigger than anything she had ever imagined. She had grown attached to the one in Paisley, but this just had a grandiose feeling to it that she felt couldn’t be matched. She opened her messenger bag and pulled her laptop out. She already knew that there was one thing that needed sorting.

The club currently had no chief scout in place, and there was interest from within the club from current scouts who wanted to make that step up. Emilio Doveri, 62, was the first one who had left Tina an email, outlining his plans and structure thoughts. The former Milan scout had been with Juventus since 2014, but he was outdone by the other internal applicant. Vittorio Quagliarella, 67, was a veteran of the game, but superior to Emilio in every aspect of scouting and judging of players, both ability and future potential spotting. She would have private chats with both, but Vittorio was the one she wanted to take that mantle.

With that almost sorted instantly, she was happy to not bother with the idea of putting an advert out. Vittorio was the best man for the job and a highly sought-after scout. There was no point in pushing the issue any more.

Sorting out the coaching requirements was something she felt she needed to do soon rather than later also. There were two positions available on the coaching team also, but she had been provided a list already. Former England coach and Tottenham director of football Franco Baldini was top of the coaching list, closely followed by goalkeeping coach extraordinaire Alfredo Magni. Tina hadn’t met either, so that decision would need to be made at a later date.

Landon Donovan was announced earlier in the day, along with Chris and Ronnie, but the appointment of Landon actually caught the imagination of the Juventus fans. The 36-year-old former Los Angeles icon brings a whole wealth of international experience, to go alongside David Trezeguet in the backroom with the experience, but also a youth that the side never really gets to experience in the back room.

His lack of Italian language capability will be an issue for the moment, Tina knew that from the beginning. But he would learn, and he would certainly have to, considering the club agreed to send him on an intensive language learning course, at £500 a week for the next 23 weeks. Tina had started the exact same course, but ten weeks ago, meaning she was half way through now. She enjoyed it in all fairness, and it might become a welcome distraction from the constant media presence she was about to encounter.

Landon knocked on the door and came straight in, taking a seat across from her. “How are you settling? First day in the big office and all that,” he said, the American accent taking away any seriousness as he smiled at her.

Tina smiled back. She wasn’t quite sure on it herself. “It might take a while.”

It was a Wednesday, in the middle of July, in the early evening and It was warm. And today was the only day in the week currently when an extra training session would take place. The team had worked earlier on physical before hitting tactical afterwards. The coaches had taken charge of that while Tina settled in. Landon looked raring to go. But she was hesitant. They were replacing this one extra session today with a meet and greet type event.

“I’m nervous, Landon,” she said, inadvertently biting her nails. “There are some serious egos and reputations down in those changing rooms.”

Landon shrugged, “Regardless of that, they should respect you as their new head coach. You’re in that position because people believe in you.”

She nodded and stood up, “Still, Cristiano scares me,” she said, leading Landon out of the office and down to the dressing rooms.

 

 

 

[gavrenwick]

Allianz Stadium, Turin, July 19^th 2018

The second day on the job saw far more occur than her first did, and at one-point Tina was overrun with requests and information. Initial scout reports were coming in, but Tina had to concentrate on sorting out the squad that would be present for the upcoming training camp. It would be her first time together for bonding with the players, something she was looking forward to. The training camp would be taking place from 26^th July to the 5^th of August, with fixtures against Cittadella and Cuneo in that time frame.

This in itself gave Tina the perfect opportunity during the morning and afternoon training session to get to grips with the players at her disposal. It was a long process, but with Landon assisting her, they worked through the day to get a full list of the first team.

They started with the position that had a massive void to fill with the departure of Gianluigi Buffon. The veteran goalkeeper left in the summer to join Paris St Germain to see out the twilight of his career. Wojciech Szczesny (GK, 28, POL) was the current favourite at the club, the former Arsenal stopper spent two seasons with Roma before his switch to Turin, and made seventeen appearances last season despite Buffon still being with the club. The next choice was Mattia Perin (GK, 25, ITA), a new acquisition with a decent track record in the Serie A with Cagliari before his £10.75m transfer.  He has the quality to succeed, but Tina couldn’t figure out who between him and Wojciech was the more viable option. Was sharing the sticks even an option? The third choice and back-up keeper is Carlo Pinsoglio (GK, 28, ITA), who himself had been in and out of the stadium doors for years since breaking through the academy here.

When moving on to the right backs, there was yet another sense of a new position with potential new favourites. In the summer the club forked out £33m for full back and winger Joao Cancelo (D/WB/M/AMR, 24, POR) with the expectation that he steps up and stakes a major claim for the position. Joao enjoyed a decent loan season with Inter just last year, so big things are expected of him. With Tina intending to be progressive, she knew she would need to improve her tactical approach in Italy, and that included the introduction of attacking wing backs. And thankfully, her option for right back included one of the best. Juan Cuadrado (D/WB/M/AMR, 30, COL) almost certainly had the chance to be the permanent full back if he went in to the season guns blazing. The two of them had back-up in the form of recently acquired Lorenzo Del Prete (D/WBR, 32, ITA), the full back having gone through ten clubs since leaving the Juventus academy in 2006. How much he features is unknown, but either way, he’s a fairly solid substitute option who can potentially cover centre back too.

Tina and Landon moved on to left back, which provided two options and a first team cover option. Alex Sandro (D/WB/ML, 27, BRA) was by large and far the player who made this position his own, and would be entering his fourth season with the club in Tina’s first. He possesses absolutely super quality and is consistently courted by European clubs, something that if the right offer comes in, surely a deal would be in the question, at least in Tina’s eyes that’s how it looks. He is still valued currently at over £60m. She was curious to see how that one played out. His rival for the position is Leonardo Spinazzola (D/WB/ML, 25, ITA), who has never left Juventus but has spent the last six seasons out on loan, and is determined to try and break the first team. With five Italian caps to his name, some feel this is his last chance to prove himself to the club.  Both the left back and right back position had a dual-cover player, Mattia De Sciglio (D/WBR/L, 25, ITA) having joined just over a year ago from Milan, but is currently ruled out with injury for around seven weeks.

So that in turn left only the centre backs to cover. Italy is a nation proud for the defenders it produces, and this Juventus team possesses three centre backs of insane quality and experience. It would be wrong for Tina to have looked at anyone other than Giorgio Chiellini (DL/C, 33, ITA) first, the Juventus stalwart entering what would be his fourteenth year at the club. Alongside him this year is the recently returned Leonardo Bonucci (DC, 31, ITA), who re-joined the club in what was effectively a swap-deal that saw Mattia Caldara go the other way. Bonucci is still the professional defender, and one of his only two goals for Milan was against Juventus. The third Italian out of four was the now aged but vastly experienced Andrea Barzagli (DR/C, 37, ITA) who despite his age, still possesses great quality. And as Tina and the whole world knows, defenders age like a fine wine in Italy, and its worth noting that for the just under ten years of service Juventus have received from Barzagli, he only cost a measly £250k originally. Rounding out the Italian defence is Daniele Rugani (DC, 23, ITA). Rugani hasn’t been ever present but at 23, he still has plenty of time to cement a place in the Juventus side, and he has the quality to do so. The final consistent centre back option is Mehdi Benatia (DC, 31, MAR), but Landon wasn’t sure about how much Benatia would feature. With the centre backs likely to come in a formation of three, Tina may need one more, but there isn’t the overwhelming sense that Benatia is the man for that job, nor how much he would be happy being the odd man out in the situation. Nothing was cemented, he had more than enough time to make her see why. His value seems to be higher than when he joined for £12.25m so maybe cashing in is better now than later, or never.

 

[gavrenwick]

Allianz Stadium, Turin, July 19^th 2018

As they moved on to midfielders, Tina felt a pang of sadness that she wouldn’t get to work with Andrea Pirlo. The former Juventus midfielder is now retired from the game completely, but to have only just missed out on being his manager sucked slightly. First on the list of central midfielders was Emre Can (DC/DM/MC, 24, GER), a free signing in the summer from Liverpool. Can has great quality and performed very well in the Premiership before his move. His ability to fill in at centre back may also come in handy, Tina noted. Completing the German contingent was Sami Khedira (DM/MC, 31, GER) who has continued to perform well since his free move from Real Madrid in 2015. His goal scoring ratio in the league last season was fairly decent for his position and style of play, though Tina was genuinely not expecting the same kind of return this season. Next on the list was playmaker extraordinaire Miralem Pjanic (DM/M/AMC, 28, BIH), who has made the position all his own in his first two season with the club. It is widely expected that Ronaldo would take over freekick duties, but Pjanic is superb also and deserves a fair shot at keeping them in his attacking war chest. Landon seemed very excited to be working with a player of Pjanic’s quality and style. Up next was relative newbie and youngster Rodrigo Bentancur (DM/MC, 21, URU). The youngster signed from Boca last season and made a tentative start to his Juventus career, but still managed to rack up twenty league appearances. Blaise Matuidi (DM/MC, 31, FRA) handled his first season in Italy really well since his £17.5m move from Paris St Germain. The work rate on this guy was an important feature of his game and he will be important again this year. “That is a solid set of five central midfielders,” Tina said to Landon. He nodded in agreement.

When it came to attacking midfielders that could double up as wingers and strikers also, there was a rather rag tag list. They didn’t really classify as any of those positions specifically but could play most of them. First up was Douglas Costa (AMR/L, 27, BRA) who became a permanent Juventus player after a £32.5m move following a successful season-long loan with the club from Bayern. The former Shakhtar man definitely needs to step his game up as at 27 he hasn’t really cemented himself as the player he could be. Tina knew she would need to try and pull that out of him. Federico Bernardeschi (AMR/L/C, 24, ITA) was one who could play across all of the attacking midfield positions, and enjoyed a good introduction to life with Juventus last season, and now needs to push everyone here for a constant starting position. He definitely has the talent and the technical ability to do so, evidenced by his Italian caps. Last on this list is the eponymous Cristiano Ronaldo (AMR/L/ST, 33, POR). There wasn’t much that needed to be said about him. Mr Global himself made his move, at a paltry sum of £94m after nine years in Madrid. Last but not least is Paulo Dybala (AMC/ST, 24, ARG). Having featured only miserly for Argentina in the World Cup, Landon is certain that Paulo is coming back with a point to prove.

As the pair came to a close with the strikers, they enjoyed one further coffee, taking their tally to five for the afternoon. “I cannot believe how much talent there is here. You see it on the television and read about it, but to work with players you know have cost insane amounts is mad,” said Tina.

Landon laughed, “I don’t think it’ll ever sink in for me, let alone you. I’ve had the privilege of playing against some top players.”

Mario Mandzukic (AML/ST, 32, CRO) was the man responsible for breaking English hearts in the World Cup, but the striker hasn’t exactly been prolific for Juventus. With only 22 goals in 93 league games, he doesn’t exactly bust the net with goals, but he still does boast evident quality. His link up play will be the key. And with that, the experience up front ends. Moise Kean (AML/ST, 18, ITA) is a prodigious young talent who enjoyed time out on loan at Verona last season. And backing him up are the even less experienced Nikolai Frederiksen (ST, 18, DEN) who signed this summer from FC Nordsjaelland, and Stephy Mavididi (ST, 20 ENG) who signed from Arsenal to be part of the U23 squad, but may feature for both depending on the squad situation.

There were a few first team players out on-loan elsewhere, Gonzalo Higuain (ST, 30, ARG, Milan), Stefano Sturaro (DM/MC, 25, ITA, Sporting), Mark Pjaca (AMR/L/C/ST, 23, CRO, Fiorentina) and Andrea Favilli (ST, 21, ITA, Genoa).

After a lot of deliberation, and with some help from the youth coaches and Landon, the final group was settled on. Not every one was fit enough to go, so they would be involved in rehabilitation during that time.

Goalkeepers; Wojciech Szczesny, Mattia Perin, Carlo Pinsoglio
Defenders; Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Alex Sandro, Mehdi Benatia, Daniele Rugani, Joao Cancelo, Andrea Barzagli, Lorenzo Del Prete, Claudio Zappa, Koni De Winter, Paolo Gozzi and Matteo Anzolin
Midfielders; Paolo Dybala, Douglas Costa, Miralem Pjanic, Juan Cuadrado, Blaise Matuidi, Sami Khedira, Federico Bernardeschi, Emre Can, Rodrigo Bentancur, Christian Makoun, Luca Zanimacchia, Alessandro Di Pardo, Cendrim Kameraj and Simone Muratore
Forwards; Cristiano Ronaldo, Moise Kean, Nikolai Frederiksen, Luka Markovic, Cosimo Marco Da Grace and Mirco Lipari

 

 

Tina couldn’t find much to fault at all with the squad. But maybe a back-up striker wouldn’t go a miss. She had £17.95m in the budget, and a little bit in spare wages, so bringing one in wouldn’t be out of the question. Time to have a look, she thought.

[gavrenwick]

Allianz Stadium, Turin, July 20^th 2018

The morning training session had gone well. Tina had gotten to spend time with Chiellini, Barzagli and the injured Mattia De Sciglio. She had enjoyed the time chatting with them in broken Italian and English, Chiellini especially making her feel welcome. She did get the sense that he was nearing the end of his time as a Juventus player, the defender turning 34 next month.

Rugani had been giving it some talk about the improvement he had made as a player, clearly a ploy to try and step up as the next big Juventus defender. When he overheard Chiellini, he stepped it up further. Tina laughed looking back it later in the day, God sure does love a tryer. De Sciglio instead had gone on about how annoying his injury is, the pulled calf muscle preventing him from contributing much, even in his home life.

Tina had worked hard in the afternoon to work with the finance department to tie up a new deal for young defender Koni De Winter. He officially put pen to paper on the new deal this afternoon with his agent and father present. The deal will see De Winter sign a three-year professional contract when he turns 17 in June next year. The Juventus supporters were quick to praise the news and were reportedly delighted that one of the best young prospects at the club had committed his immediate future to the team, and that they could look forward to seeing him develop.

Koni was delighted too, expressing admiration for the players he was with and happy to know he would be able to continue his career alongside them.

Tina received her end of week training report with it being Friday, and with no training scheduled for the evening session, she was more than happy to go over it with Landon before they both went home for the evening. The general view of the training performance was that it had been a good week overall in training with most players responding well to the sessions, and players enjoying their first few sessions under their new head coach. There was a slight increase in concentration and focus on the attacking movement side of things, Sandro and Barzagli not reacting superbly to that.

“The best trainer the whole week was Carlo Pinsoglio,” said Landon.

“He’s making a push for a starting berth in goal,” replied Tina, “And I honestly can’t blame him. He might aswell give it a shot considering the uncertainty in the air.”

Landon nodded, “Did you think anymore on the two targets you were planning on bringing in as back-up?”

She nodded, “Yeah, and I think for the low cost of wages and one year-deals only, they’d provide good back up options. Plus, Patrice played for the club before. He will blend seamlessly. They will only be stop gaps for the season. I still want a striker on loan too.”

“Have you put the feelers out?”

“Yeah, I’ve sent Ronnie and Chris across to Scandinavia to check the talent pool there, but I’ve been given a top recommendation for a one-season loan deal for a Liverpool striker.”

“And he’s interested too?” Landon enquired, racking his brain trying to figure out who she was potentially referring to.

“I believe so. We will see where it goes, but I have no intention to spend any of the money anyway, the side doesn’t need it. We just need back-up players for this coming season.”

“I’ll get to work on these two then,” said Landon, snatching up the paper. “I’ll get them in for medicals and to sit down with the accounting team after contracts have been agreed.”

Tina smiled, “I’m going to get in touch with Jurgen.”

[gavrenwick]

Allianz Stadium, Turin, July 22^nd 2018

It had been a busy weekend as news broke of the club’s interest in both Patrice Evra and Robert Huth. They weren’t exactly world beaters, but Evra was a former Juventus player anyway, and Huth was a winner of the Premiership with Leicester in their superlative 2015/16 season.

There was now interest both coming from multiple sides. Three French clubs, notably Montpellier, were looking to take Evra back home to France after his sojourn to London with West Ham last season. Fellow Serie A side SPAL were trying to hijack the Huth deal, while there was major interest also from Sheffield United and Valladolid. SPAL went one further yesterday and submitted a formal offer.

In amongst all that, Tina was still awaiting news on whether Alfredo Magni and Franco Baldini would be joining the club’s backroom staff. There had been no word at all.

So, after a rather busy Saturday, Tina found herself finally enjoying her first day off.

“No, Grandma, I haven’t made any friends or boyfriends since getting here,” she said, holding the phone in one hand while trying to stir the contents of what was shaping up to be a pretty awful looking stir fry.

“Well you need to get a move on and get married. Your parents would be turning in their graves if they knew you still weren’t married and childless. You know I love you Katrina, but you’re getting older and time is running out.”

Tina sighed, knowing full well her Grandparents were aware she dated women. They had this conversation every week. “Is this all you rang me for? Because this seems pretty close to a haranguing rather than a catch up. How is Pops?”

“Don’t talk to me about that man. He is still buying parts for that car he bought from that guy in the pub.”

She laughed, “Is it still not working?”

“It’s never worked Katrina. He’s waving at me to put him on, hold on a sec,” her Grandma said before a slight kerfuffle on the other end intimated that the phone was changing hands.

“Hello sweetheart!” boomed her Grandfather.

“Hi Pops,” she said back, pouring stir fry onto her plate with absolutely zero finesse. “How is the car?”

“Well, your Grandmother hates it, so I must be doing something right. Is she still calling you Katrina?”

“Yeah she is. I don’t think she will ever stop.”

“It’s her thing, let her have it. I’m going now sweetheart. Will speak to you next week. I love you very much,” he said before some shouting at the back made him repeat, “We both love you very much.”

Tina picked up her food and made her way across to the sofa. The apartment was still fairly spartan at the moment. She kept telling herself she would get out and spruce it up. For now, she just wanted this stir fry. She flicked her laptop open and remembered that the Italian Cup draw would be happening in a few minutes. Italy was different to other places in that many rounds of the cup would be drawn at once. Juventus would enter at the First Round, and there was a whole host of games to take place before then. But the toughest team that her side could face would likely be Genoa, and if they progressed from there, they could meet Milan in the quarter final. Fiorentina were likely the toughest team they could meet in the semi-final. It looked like a pretty safe route in all truth, though they would more than likely meet Milan in the quarters.

Tina had also spoken to Jurgen Klopp earlier in the morning, enquiring as to the loan availability of Divock Origi, and while he had been receptive of the idea, he wanted Alex Sandro. Tina refused to be drawn in on the idea. But then Sandro had caught wind of it, admitting interest in moving to the Premiership. Within hours the story had broken, and from there Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United had all made formal offers.

It was literally like they were waiting in the wings.

Marotta had called up to discuss the potentials of a deal, and Tina expressed her acceptance that a deal would be worthwhile, something she had previously explained to Landon.

But for now, nothing more was happening for her, and she settled in to watch re-runs of Downton Abbey.

[gavrenwick]

JVillage, Turin, July 23^rd 2018

Tina sat and looked at what was a finalised first team sheet, of course excluding any potential transfers, who would be added in afterwards. It was a super strong side on paper, and she still couldn’t believe she had found herself here, right now, with these players.

 

	| Inf     | Position         | Name                  | Age     | Nat     | Height  | Weight  | Expires   | Value   | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	| Wnt     | GK               | Wojciech Szczesny     | 28      | POL     | 196 cm  | 84 kg   | 30/6/2021 | £41M    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | GK               | Carlo Pinsoglio       | 28      | ITA     | 188 cm  | 85 kg   | 30/6/2020 | £1.2M   | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | GK               | Mattia Perin          | 25      | ITA     | 188 cm  | 74 kg   | 30/6/2022 | £15.75M | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | D (C)            | Leonardo Bonucci      | 31      | ITA     | 190 cm  | 82 kg   | 30/6/2022 | £48.5M  | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | D (RC)           | Andrea Barzagli       | 37      | ITA     | 187 cm  | 87 kg   | 30/6/2019 | £1.7M   | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | D (C)            | Medhi Benatia         | 31      | MAR     | 189 cm  | 94 kg   | 30/6/2020 | £35.5M  | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | D (C)            | Daniele Rugani        | 23      | ITA     | 190 cm  | 84 kg   | 30/6/2021 | £29.5M  | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | D (LC)           | Giorgio Chiellini     | 33      | ITA     | 187 cm  | 85 kg   | 30/6/2020 | £24M    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | D/WB/M/AM (R)    | João Cancelo          | 24      | POR     | 182 cm  | 74 kg   | 30/6/2022 | £29M    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	| Hol     | D/WB/M/AM (R)    | Juan Cuadrado         | 30      | COL     | 179 cm  | 72 kg   | 30/6/2020 | £53M    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | D (RC), WB (R)   | Lorenzo Del Prete     | 32      | ITA     | 180 cm  | 77 kg   | 30/6/2020 | £525K   | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | D (C), DM, M (C) | Emre Can              | 24      | GER     | 184 cm  | 82 kg   | 30/6/2022 | £36.5M  | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	| nEU     | D/WB/M (L)       | Alex Sandro           | 27      | BRA     | 180 cm  | 80 kg   | 30/6/2020 | £51M    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	| Inj     | D/WB/M (L)       | Leonardo Spinazzola   | 25      | ITA     | 186 cm  | 75 kg   | 30/6/2022 | £13.75M | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	| Inj     | D/WB (RL)        | Mattia De Sciglio     | 25      | ITA     | 182 cm  | 78 kg   | 30/6/2022 | £15.75M | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | DM, M/AM (C)     | Miralem Pjanic        | 28      | BIH     | 178 cm  | 72 kg   | 30/6/2023 | £60M    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | DM, M (C)        | Sami Khedira          | 31      | GER     | 189 cm  | 90 kg   | 30/6/2021 | £42M    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	| Hol     | DM, M (C)        | Rodrigo Bentancur     | 21      | URU     | 187 cm  | 72 kg   | 30/6/2022 | £20M    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	| Hol     | DM, M (LC)       | Blaise Matuidi        | 31      | FRA     | 180 cm  | 75 kg   | 30/6/2020 | £42M    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	| Hol     | M/AM (RL)        | Douglas Costa         | 27      | BRA     | 172 cm  | 70 kg   | 30/6/2022 | £65M    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | M (R), AM (RLC)  | Federico Bernardeschi | 24      | ITA     | 185 cm  | 77 kg   | 30/6/2022 | £45M    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	| Hol     | AM (C), ST (C)   | Paulo Dybala          | 24      | ARG     | 177 cm  | 75 kg   | 30/6/2022 | £69M    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	| Hol     | AM (L), ST (C)   | Mario Mandzukic       | 32      | CRO     | 190 cm  | 85 kg   | 30/6/2020 | £38.5M  | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	| Hol     | AM (RL), ST (C)  | Cristiano Ronaldo     | 33      | POR     | 187 cm  | 83 kg   | 30/6/2022 | £66M    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | AM (L), ST (C)   | Moise Kean            | 18      | ITA     | 183 cm  | 72 kg   | 30/6/2022 | £2.5M   | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | ST (C)           | Nikolai Frederiksen   | 18      | DEN     | 180 cm  | 70 kg   | 30/6/2022 | £200K   | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	|         | ST (C)           | Stephy Mavididi       | 20      | ENG     | 183 cm  | 73 kg   | 30/6/2021 | £425K   | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	| Yth     | ST (C)           | Elia Petrelli         | 16      | ITA     | 188 cm  | 82 kg   | 30/6/2021 | £60K    | 
	| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
	 
	

 

The day had been a fruitful one, with Vittorio Quagliarella accepting the deal offered by Tina to move up and become the new chief scout of Juventus. He was thrilled with the package offered and begins his new journey immediately.

Livorno also accepted a friendly, a late-night kick-off sandwiched between the trips to Cittadella and Cuneo whilst the club would be on its training camp. Livorno would also be on a training camp in the region so the match would be at a neutral venue. For now, Tina would need to concentrate on approaching her first game in charge. Tomorrow would be the first pre-season friendly, a home game against a touring Young Boys side, who seem to be the side to go to for testimonial matches, having played one against Everton for Phil Jagielka and against Zulte Waregem for their goalkeeper Sammy Bossut.

Tina quickly jotted down her upcoming games before heading down for a training session.

24^th July 2018 – (h) Young Boys
28^th July 2018 – (a) Cittadella (training camp)
30^th July 2018 – (n) Livorno (training camp)
4^th August 2018 – (a) Cuneo (training camp)
7^th August 2018 – (a) FC Bayern
14^th August 2018 – (a) Spezia

[gavrenwick]

24^th July 2018 - Friendly
Allianz Stadium, Turin, 23,986
JUVENTUS vs. YOUNG BOYS
Perin; Chiellini, Rugani, Barzagli, Del Prete, Sandro; Khedira, Can, Bernardeschi, Kean; Mavididi

Tina wasn’t sure on what her first eleven would be this season, but she knew for certain it wouldn’t look like this. Some players were still enjoying extended holidays for various reasons, and this was as close to a functioning eleven Tina could manage. And it still wasn’t a bad side at all.

It was a quiet first ten minutes in which there wasn’t many talking points, though Landon was aware that the wingers, who had been encouraged to try and retrieve the ball more, were likely to commit more fouls. As the side looked like they were trying to get used to the new method of play she was trying to instil, Kevin Mbabu on the other side was having a quiet day mopping up after the front three as they lost the ball plenty early on.

The early concern from Landon was turn out justified, but for the wrong reasons. Moise Kean went into a tackle overly heavy and brought down Miralem Sulejmani in an awkward way. The talismanic Young Boys forward couldn’t carry on and had to be replaced, but no before Assale tested the gloves of Perin with a stinging effort from ten yards.

Del Prete was guilt of a terrible moment of defending when Assale crossed in for Hoarau, but when Del Prete could clear he only sprayed it about five yards to Sow, who sent a shot just sailing above to the right of Perin. It was a lucky let off. The jump Hoarau made however seemed to injure him, and he had to come off, meaning Sulejmani was kept waiting for his potential substitution. Sigrist replaced Hoarau.

The first half was just sketchy and broken, Mavididi not actually touching the ball in the first half at all. With the home side only registering one shot on goal, there was clear issues to be addressed for the second half. Alex Sandro also look hurt, so Tina had to contemplate replacing him too.

Joao Cancelo would be his replacement for the second half, while Elia Petrelli would be making his debut for the club on the day, he would announce putting pen to paper on a full-time deal when he turns 17.

Petrelli took the kick-off, giving him more touches than Mavididi instantly.  The early part of the second half brought more pressure than Tina’s side had mustered so far, looking sluggish as they did so.

Bernardeschi was the one trying the hardest to make something happen, but the end product wasn’t great, nor was the effort of the forward players to get on the ball. It was a ball from the diminutive winger that allowed Khedira to ping a pass to open the field for Cancelo to bomb down the left, though he decided to go alone and skied a shot when it may have been easier to spread the ball across the goal line.

Young Boys were next to threaten, a Sow corner landing on the head of Sigrist at the near post. The midfielder was unmarked and free to rise for it, but he couldn’t get it down enough and Perin saw it over comfortably. And with an hour on the clock, Tina brought Khedira off for Pjanic in the hope that he could inject some life into the game.

The clock continued to wind down and there was just so little to observe. A loose ball crept over the line on the young Boys side, gifting the home side a cheap corner. Bernardeschi, who had continued to be Tina’s leading light, curled in a superb effort that Daniele Rugani rose high to meet. The power on the header was superb and that power took it past von Ballmoos in the visitor’s goal. The player on the line couldn’t even rise in time to prevent it.

The relief at getting the opening goal opened a valve in Tina that allowed her to breath. She was feeling rather obscure in the massive stadium, and was hesitant at times to step out from under the dugout.

Bernardeschi had run himself too far as the game began to wind down, with Frederiksen having to come in his place and changing the formation slightly. A few late rallies from Young Boys threatened to crash the party, but Perin made a decent save to his left to prevent anything of the kind, and slowly but surely the clock crept down until that final whistle went. Two Young Boys players were booked in the final minutes, Sigrist and Gantenbein, but it meant little to the result.

An unlikely goal scorer gave Tina the win she needed on her opening game, but it had been a quiet one.

Underwhelming, one might say.

 

JUVENTUS (1) Daniele Rugani 77’
YOUNG BOYS (0)

 

[gavrenwick]

Allianz Stadium, Turin, 25^th July 2018
The transfer saga regarding Robert Huth and Patrice Evra was still going on. Stoke City, following their relegation to the Championship, were now desperate to get back the defender they sold to Leicester City for €3m three years earlier. There was also a weird connection for Tina aswell, Huth having been signed by Chelsea from Union Berlin, the side her father had previously managed way back in the day. Fellow relegated side West Brom also followed suit and made a similar offer.

Patrice Evra had also received a new offer – 2011-12 French Ligue 1 champions Montpellier making an offer to bring the 37-year-old to France. Amiens had offered him a deal just yesterday too. She still hoped he would choose Turin over France, but it was hard to tell at the moment which way that deal would turn just yet.

It had been a quiet day, training went well, and the players seemed to be taking on board the tactical approach she was trying to gear towards. She had settled down for the evening knowing that tomorrow the club and registered players would be heading out for the training camp.

For now, she settled in to watch the Champions League. Celtic were first on the catch-up show, making a long trek to Montenegro to play Sutjeska. The Scots went behind after just eighteen minutes, but a double from reliable forward Leigh Griffiths and a late extra from Ryan Christie proved enough to give them a decent first leg advantage. The game of the round turned out to be Kukesi vs. Valur. The home side, hailing from Albania, overcame an early setback, and despite the Icelandic battling back hard, the home team held on hard for a big win. There were comfortable wins for Ludogorets, BATE and Rosenborg, while the two higher profile sides Malmo and Midtjylland played out a 1-1 draw.

In the Best Placed section of qualifying, Ajax beat PAOK 2-1, goals from Huntelaar and the highly sought after de Ligt putting the Dutch side ahead. Former Arsenal youth player Chuba Akpom grabbed PAOK a vital consolation. In the other game, Sturm Graz were held to a 1-1 draw with Basel.

One thing for certain about today was that Divock Origi would not be joining the club on loan. Liverpool refused to arrange a deal, based generally on the fact that Tina refused to sell them Alex Sandro. You can’t win them all. He may still end up in Italy though, with Roma, Lazio and Milan all interested in taking the young striker on a season deal.

There was some positive transfer action for her side though, as a deal had been agreed in principle to complete the signing of the very talented Brescia midfielder Sandro Tonali. The 18-year-old, who broke into the Brescia first team last season and made 18 appearances, scoring twice, has impressed enough to earn an international call-up at U21 level. Tina had offered €9m, but she had included a clause allowing the youngster to remain with the Brescia side in Serie B for the forthcoming season. Brescia had been more than happy to accept that deal and now everyone was just signing the relevant sections.

[gavrenwick]

Training Camp, Vercelli, 27^th July 2018

The training camp had gotten underway without any cause for concern. Even though there was quite a lengthy list of players Tina still hadn’t gotten to see yet, the players with her were all as important the last. Tina had one more move up her sleeve for a new forward to join the side. Real Sociedad striker Willian Jose was the new target, and the twins had sneaked across to watch him perform in a friendly. If Willian Jose could be prised away from Spain, then signing him and Tonali would wipe out her funds. But at least for the moment, she would have the players she needed.

Willian Jose was a former Real Madrid player who had bounced around in Spain before making his mark with Sociedad. With him bagging 12 and 15 in his previous two seasons, he was now beginning to get noticed for his quality, something that Vittorio Quagliarella had also picked upon during his first week as chief scout, though in fairness he was tracking him before that. Jose also holds dual nationality for Spain, something that would allow the club to circumnavigate the issue of foreign signings per-season.

Roma confirmed today that Divock Origi would be joining on a season-long loan. Tina wasn’t fussed, knowing that she held all the power in the potential move for Willian Jose now. The striker had gone on record to state that he would love to move to a big side like Juventus, after finding out the scouts had visited, but spoke little more of a deal. Tina had tabled an €18m deal, no extras, no clauses, just cold hard cash. Director of football Fabio Paratici had gone out to Spain to be on standby if the deal was accepted, Tina eager to prevent Valencia from swooping in, who had actually been rumoured of already having made a bid. So maybe it was Tina who was swooping. She didn’t know and ultimately it didn't matter now.

She was running a fitness drill when her phone rang.

“It’s Fabio,” he said, “We’re making progress.”

Tina smiled, kicking a ball back towards Cancelo who controlled it wonderfully. “How are we getting on?”

There was a pause. “They’ve accepted our offer, but they’ve also received and accepted offers from Valencia, which we knew, and surprisingly Everton have also made a move. It’s a three-way battle now, but we are on top I think.”

“Bloody Marco Silva, trying to sneak his way in to this deal,” muttered Tina. “The Premiership could be a huge boost to their prospects of getting him.”

Fabio didn’t agree, “I doubt it. We have Champions League football on offer, and more give in the wages we can offer. My money is riding on us. I’ve got to meet with his representatives next, Valencia are already in there annoyingly. Also, Marco Silva is actually here somewhere, I’ve seen him.”

“Let me know how it goes, Fabio.”

Tina got back to her training, eager to keep the session going despite the sweltering heat that was now striking the camp in Vercelli. Landon was over by the strikers, though Tina recalled the conversation she had with him earlier. He was extremely excited by Moise Kean, the young striker having had such a positive impact on the American in the first few days of meeting him. Kean, who only turned 18 in February, was beginning to show himself as a mature leader of the younger players, and he would be key on this trip as probably the better striker on the tour.

Tina waited for a further call from Fabio, but there wasn’t another.

[gavrenwick]

28^th July 2018 - Friendly
Pier Cesare Tombolato, Cittadella, 5,961 att.
CITTADELLA vs. JUVENTUS
Pinsoglio; Chiellini, Benatia, Barzagli, Sandro; Khedira, Can, Cancelo, Pjanic, Kean; Petrelli

Franco Baldini agreed terms to join the club, having delayed the deal for a week. No-one ever said why, but there was belief that a managerial position was on the table, or at least potentially. He clearly didn’t get it, but Tina and the Juventus board were still super keen to bring him on board as a coach.

The town of Cittadella itself, a walled city in the Italian province of Padua, was actually quite picturesque.  The former military outpost is one of only two still walled towns in the region, along with Montagnana.

There were a couple of changes as Tina altered the front line, while she also gave a slight re-jig to the back line after reducing it from a back five. Benatia came in, as did Cancelo and Pjanic. Petrelli replaced Mavididi.

There was an air of anticipation as the game kicked off, but within thirty seconds there was an absolute disaster that left disappointment on the whole Juventus side. Cittadella had kicked off, and with Adorni on the ball, Emre Can rolled in and two footed his way to an instant red card. It was a disgusting challenge, absolutely worthy of a red card, and Tina had to bite her tongue as he walked past her to leave the pitch. Pjanic had to drop back from his attacking midfield role, though playing with ten men for a whole game was going to be tough.

The home side hit the post fairly early on, Lori rising highest to head past Pinsoglio but meet the woodwork on the way. But Lori would be the difference as ten minutes later he pinged a ball over the top that left Benatia caught out. Finotto raced away with it, and despite Pinsoglio getting low to stop the first one, the second found the back of the net and just like that, Juventus were behind.

The home side continued to be a real threat from aerial dominance, and they struck again, catching a lethargic Juventus defence napping. Strizzolo crossed from deep, and Adorni, who may have actually fouled Barzagli, headed in to an empty goal with Pinsoglio nowhere in sight.

The first half had been an utter right off for Tina and she couldn’t believe her side were two goals down to a Serie B side with little to have shown for the first half. She would deal with Emre Can later, but for now, she had to try and make some impact at half time, as the whistle blew bringing the turgid forty-five to an end.

Barzagli wasn’t one to emerge for the second half. Tina could see that he wasn’t coping so there was little point in leaving him on there. Del Prete came in for him.

The second half was equally as rubbish as the first had been and Tina couldn’t get anything to change the slowness of the game. Mavididi was the next to appear as a substitute, replacing Petrelli

It was hard pinpointing where the last contribution had been from the youngster.

Pjanic had a superb chance as the game went on, some decent left-hand side play by Sandro and Kean allowing him the free space to hit a shot, but it narrowly went wide and had the keeper scrambling.

Bringing Bernardeschi on as late as she did do really didn’t present Tina with any super come back in her head, but she was now just determined to get fitness for as many players as possible. Pjanic was the only player really showing much effort, and he eventually broke the Cittadella wall that Juventus had struggled with all day. His freekick into the box was cleared but only to Mavididi, who hit a wonderful first-time effort. With eighty-six on the clock, was a comeback now possible?

And then the flag was spotted.

Pinsoglio made a wonderful late save, but Tina was just glad to finish this match. And when Bernardeschi limped off injured she had just had enough.

The walled town had won out. What a disappointment.

CITTADELLA (2) 2 Finotto 14, Adorni 32
JUVENTUS (0) 0

[gavrenwick]

30^th July 2018 - Friendly
Pierluigi Penzo, Venice, 5,980
LIVORNO vs. JUVENTUS
Perin; Chiellini, Benatia, Del Prete, Evra; Khedira, Can, Cancelo, Pjanic, Bernardeschi; Kean

After the loss at Cittadella, there had begun an underwhelming sense of disappointment drifting around. Tina felt that her appointment as manager had captured zero imagination of anyone. There weren’t many who had openly expressed any positive statements, and the second arrival of Patrice Evra on a free transfer early in the morning yesterday had done nothing to help.

Alex Sandro had committed himself to the club, despite rumours of interest from Liverpool and Manchester United, and at least two bids from Liverpool and Arsenal. The board had accepted the high offer bids, but Alex had decided he had wanted to stay in Turin. And Tina had been heartened by his response. “I’ve chosen to stay with the club, a club that has many memories for me already. We want to win the Champions League one day, and under our new manager, we have many aims for this. #juve.” He had posted on Instagram, and while Tina was really thrilled with his response, there was an underlying message regarding the Champions League.

For her second friendly of the summer tour, Juve would face Livorno, who hadn’t seen Serie A football since the 2013/14 campaign, and last season won promotion from the C/A division.

Having made the changes for this one, she was expecting a better performance than she had gotten on their previous outing. Losing to Cittadella was a blip, she was confident of that. The small stadium contrived to promote an edgy atmosphere.

The evening game in Venice cut the quiet nature of the area when Bernardeschi struck a stinging effort that Zima saved decently with his left palm. It was still beaming down at 30c, the stadium slowly turning into a cauldron of heat.

Nicolo Fazzi picked up the first booking of the game for a light-hearted challenge on Kean, the striker bustling under the pressure of his over the top pulling. The resulting freekick led to Can forcing a shot off a defender before Bernardeschi hit the crossbar with a thunderous effort that Zima was nowhere near. He was supremely lucky.

Livorno then pushed back at Tina and Juventus, earning a freekick close to 25 yards out that Murilo struck well, Perin making a decent save to keep it out of the net. His subsequent clearance led to Bernardeschi bombing down the centre before unleashing Evra on the left. The newly re-acquired full back sent the ball into the box, it was cleared, but then it landed at the feet of Lorenzo Del Prete, who struck a first-time effort. The shot wasn’t actually very good in truth, but she was thrilled when the keeper was misplaced from the previous effort and the shot trailed in.

The pressure eased up after the goal, allowing Juventus a chance to reset and begin again, leaving ten minutes of quiet game before Pjanic won and stepped up for a freekick. His effort was on target, though lacking curve, and Zima somehow made a hash of the save. He did keep it out though. Lucky again, really.

Michele Rocca picked up a booking just before half time, the whistle bringing a relief from the heat box of the stadium.

The second half started with a far quicker tempo, something Tina had emphasised during the half time talk. They had listened intently, and Pjanic was continuing to show how important he would be, with a delicious ball that tore open the Livorno defence. Bernardeschi was on hand to stroke the ball in with his left foot, a sumptuous pass and a delicious finish. Even Landon was out of his seat.

Pjanic continued to torment again, playing in a freekick that looped over every body before Emre Can missed a sitter of a header from literally on the line. Tina laughed, “It was far easier to score than miss that one,” she said. “Good job this is a friendly.”

A double change was called in, Bernardeschi and Cancelo leaving the field to avoid fitness issues, while Petrelli and Mavididi would come on for them.

The impression that Pjanic was having on Tina was insane – he was running everything in midfield and doing so with poise. His next pass found Mavididi, and a one-two with the striker saw the youngster strike from just outside the area past Zima for the third goal.

Barzagli came on to replace the tiring Del Prete late on, while Frederiksen replaced Kean in what Tina would decide as her final alteration of the day.

A sublime freekick would find the back of the net 80 minutes in, and it was a deserved goal for the talisman Pjanic. Petrelli had won the freekick and the dispatch was acutely accurate, finding the corner at the bottom left. A stunning freekick.

The final whistle was a welcome respite for Livorno who had given up after the third goal. The 1700 travelling Juventus fans had been given a great showing from a side still lacking in its major names.

This had been far better.

 

LIVORNO (0) 0
JUVENTUS (1) 4    Del Prete 29, Bernardeschi 47, Mavididi 75, Pjanic 83

[gavrenwick]

Training Camp, Cuneo, 1^st August 2018

Since beating Livorno in Venice, the club had now travelled onwards to Cuneo, five hours away, for their next friendly. This was the final match of the tour coming up, but this time a few more of the returning World Cup players were meeting the squad in Cuneo. Tina would finally get the chance to see some of her worldwide stars, the ones who had yet to return to the training and were yet to feature in the pre-season.

Sadly, there had been a bit of backdraft from the game against Livorno, with two of Tina’s defenders being ruled out with injuries. Head physio Emanuele Randelli had travelled out with the club and was the one delivering the news. “I’m sorry to say that Del Prete will be out for eight to ten days,” said the 52-year-old, “He has pulled his groin, and the idiot admitted to continuing on despite feeling the pull down there. He likely made it worse.”

Andrea Barzagli also picked up an injury, though Tina had been aware of that one from the end of the game. “Andrea will be out ten days too, He’s bruised his thigh from a reckless tackle against him, and while I’d normally admit just a week before a return, he may need just that bit longer. We can keep it under check when he returns to Allianz.”

Tina thanked Emanuele for his time and he made his way back to training.

Del Prete, Barzagli and Alex Sandro would be making their way home, Sandro having failed a fitness test and being ruled out for the Cuneo game. Six players however made their way out to the camp, and Tina was thrilled. Cuneo, whilst only a Serie C side, were about to feel the full force of a Juventus attacking side.

Juan Cuadrado arrived in good spirits to bolster the right side of the squad, while three midfielders in the form of Blaise Matuidi, Rodrigo Bentancur and Douglas Costa. The arrival of Costa would take the pressure of Bernardeschi, who would likely not succeed in his next fitness test. And then Dybala and Ronaldo followed them in.

The air that followed the Portuguese striker around was borderline mental. A tonne of fans had turned up from neighbouring and local areas to catch a glimpse of the man that singlehandedly has 15% of Instagram’s whole userbase following him. The man exudes confidence, and Tina even felt herself swoon, despite her obvious choices in lovers.

The group met with Tina and Landon, talked in brief about how the World Cup had gone, and then got straight on to joining the remaining members of the side for training. One player who was still exempt was Mandzukic, and he was now the only player still on extended holiday leave.

Tina read over the injury risk update report from Randelli, and wasn’t surprised to see both Khedira and Pjanic on it. Both had put their all into the recent friendly tour, and in the end, she would likely leave them out for Cuneo with the arrival of both Matuidi and Bentancur.

There was however, major news on the transfer front that surprised everyone, including Tina. Jurgen Klopp was back in an attempt to raid the Juventus side of yet another defender, this time tabling a bid for Daniele Rugani. The 24-year-old had openly spoken of his failure to cement a permanent first team place, and as Tina had previously expressed, it was not always totally likely to change this season. And now there was a big bid on the table, for a defender who only cost Juventus £4.1m from Empoli in 2012. Liverpool had offered £23m up front, with two additional payments of £3.5m on a six-monthly basis.

Tina knew what the right option was. Rugani, who had made no long-lasting impact at the club, would be allowed to leave. Tina immediately consulted the black book she kept on her person, and looked at the list of players Quagliarella had referred to her for the moment. They were a list of defenders, potential replacements, and she knew in that instant who to go for. Newcastle United had an open, yet unspoken policy, of selling their players for higher amounts than they bought. She would need a younger defender to replace both the outgoing Rugani and ageing Barzagli.

So, she contacted her club secretary and informed them of her desire to sign Jamaal Lascelles.

By the end of the evening, a £20m offer had been accepted, and so had Rugani’s.

[gavrenwick]

Training Camp, Cuneo, 2^nd August 2018

There had been Champions League football the night before, but there was no real shakers or movers causing any real upsets. Celtic hosted Sutjeska in their second leg, coming out 6-1 aggregate winners thanks to a 3-0 home success. Goals from Odsonne Edouard, twice, and Rogic all came in the first eight minutes of the match.

Ajax beat PAOK 2-1 to progress, despite conceding first, and Basel sneaked past Sturm Graz on the away goal ruling.

There was also news from the youth sides, who were both in action last night too. The U23 side travelled to play Perugia, but suffered a 1-0 defeat thanks to a second half Pasquale Mazzocchi header. Both Albiciade and Nocchi provided decent performances, but Nocchi is rumoured to be leaving the club soon. This game will have done him no harm.

The U20 side faired far better as they dismantled their Padova counterparts 7-0. There were goals from Caviglia, Portanova, Fernandes, Fagioli and Di Francesco. Caviglia in particular was the standout of the game, and would benefit largely this season from a loan deal to continue his development.

Tina was now occupied dealing with the speedy nature of the transfer surrounding Daniele Rugani. Liverpool had flown representatives out to meet the defender, and the deal was now a dead certainty. Daniele was very pleased to be moving to the Premiership, and now Juventus just needed to make sure that the replacement of Jamaal Lascelles was a certainty too.

The Juventus board had actually negotiated a further £7m as part of the deal, providing Rugani would make the Italy side and from there make ten appearances for them. The deal stood at a total potential of £37m, a huge amount for a defender that wasn’t a regular.

“Fabio,” Tina said, “Tell me all is going well over in Newcastle. Rugani is now confirmed as leaving and we need to tie this one up completely.”

She could hear Fabio chuckle slightly, “Don’t worry love, Jamaal is on board. He has accepted our terms happily, Rugani can leave as he wants, and we will have this all tied up by 4pm.”

Tina smiled, “Speak later, ring me if anything pops up.”

Training at Cuneo continued, whilst the report on their previous game came in via Landon. Cuneo were beaten 6-0 by Roma in their previous game, a thrashing that consisted of a hat-trick for Patrick Schick. They weren’t likely to pose much of a threat for Tina’s side, but then you never really know for sure.

As Fabio had promised, both deals for the defenders were tied up by 3:30pm.

But there was about to be backlash.

[gavrenwick]

Training Camp, Cuneo, 3^rd August 2018

The fans weren’t happy.

As news had broke that Daniele Rugani had effectively been swapped for Jamaal Lascelles, they expressed severe disappointment that the signing of Lascelles reflected a poor change in stance on the club transfer policy. Having spent the money to bring in Cristiano Ronaldo, they had now paid for a Newcastle United defender. They were definitely not happy. They even expressed that they didn’t expect him to be back-up. They just hated the whole transfer.

The whole thing had angered Tina. The club wasn’t in need of a first team world beating defender straight away, and Lascelles had plenty of time to improve. He was playing, above average at times, in a very sub-standard Newcastle United side. At least give him the chance, she thought.

In turn, it just made her more certain that she wanted to play him in the friendly against Cuneo, and that could happen as he had already arrived in Turin, and was on his way out. The club was heading straight to Germany for the friendly against Bayern Munich on the 7^th so he would be joining up with them regardless.

The idea of playing Lascelles picked up further when Chiellini hurt himself in training. A tight calf had limited his involvement in the early training session of the day, and by 2pm he had checked out completely for the afternoon.

Another player had made the journey out, travelling with Lascelles, having impressed in training and in the previous U23 game at Perugia. Grigoris Kastanos was relishing the chance to join up with players he admired, and it would be a great experience for him.

The pre-match press conference for Cuneo hurried round, but as expected, the media weren’t interested at all in the game. “How do you think the fans feel knowing a respected defender in Rugani has been replaced by a second-rate Premiership defender who has only ever excelled in English Championship football?”

Tina shrugged, “A player has to start somewhere, and whether that be Barcelona, Manchester United or Newcastle, it doesn’t make a difference. Jamaal brings a solid pedigree, and a proven record of excelling in a very, very physical division of football. Give him a chance, he might just go on and surprise you."

“There are rumours that you will blood him in straight away against Cuneo?”

"I’m not sure at the moment what my starting eleven will be, but looking at our injury list, it’s very possible who will not be there. We are missing a few of those defenders, so we may need to look at him for the job tomorrow.”

“Should we expect any more signings to come from the club?”

“We are looking at a few targets, and are still in the hunt for Willian Jose, but that is literally all for the moment. A few players may leave if the right offer comes in.”

And with that, the press conference dwindled to a close. There was hardly any mention of tomorrow, and Tina was unable to avoid the backlash of the fans for the moment.

She needed a big win tomorrow to begin the forgetting process.

[gavrenwick]

4^th August 2018 - Friendly
Stadio Fratelli Paschiero, Cuneo, 5,980
CUNEO 1905 vs. JUVENTUS
Szczesny; Bonucci, Lascelles, Cancelo, Evra; Matuidi, Can, Cuadrado, Dybala, Costa; Ronaldo

Tina revelled at the squad that she had been able to name for this one. Her front four was dynamite and a pure menace to some of the best sides in the world let alone poor Cuneo 1905. There had been no further news on the transfer of Willian Jose.

Tina, with now five defenders out with various injuries, had no choice but to include the defender no-one was happy with signing. Lascelles would get his debut in this match, but it wasn’t like he had really changed the shirt colours. She knew he would do just fine.

There were also inclusions for Szczesny, Matuidi, Cuadrado, Dybala, Costa and Ronaldo.

Today was also the day for the odds being released by FC Update.NL and the club, as expected, were 2-1 favourites to win the title. Inter were the nearest challengers at 3-1 and Napoli and Roma held 7-2 and 4-1 respectively.  Frosinone, Empoli and Parma were all joint favourites to go down.

Cristiano Scazzola shook her hand as the pair took up their spots on the benches. The tiny stadium in Cuneo was alive with noise as the home side got to experience some real talent in their own ground.

The home side kicked the game off, but it was real tough going on a very poor pitch, and sadly for them Sulayman Jallow found that out the hard way when his foot got stuck on a rough patch of grass. At that point, Tina was supremely concerned of her own players suffering a same fate.

The first ten minutes thankfully passed without further injury incident, though chances were few and far between in the 33-degree weather heating the Cuneo stadium. But when a looping ball crept over the top, Cancelo made an absolute hash of it. He nodded it literally five yards, and right into the path of Vlad Marin. The Cuneo winger didn’t need to be asked twice, and when he lashed the volley in, the home crowd went absolutely wild.

The visitors needed a response, and Cancelo needed to make amends. The right back made no mistake when he broke down the right, Matuidi playing him over the defensive line with a sumptuous ball. The full back crossed right into the path of the onrushing Cuadrado, and he lashed home from five yards to draw Juventus level.

The game settled slightly, as both sides began to accept the pitch for the poor beast that it was. Evra was on fine form down the left, defying the years with darting runs, and he eventually earned a very well placed freekick. Up stepped Dybala, and the Argentine maestro curled in a beautiful freekick that the Cuneo goalkeeper Marcone was simply unable to prevent. He didn’t even bother moving.

Juventus were on cloud nine now, and the attacks began to come thick and fast. Douglas Costa dispossessed down the left and made a forty-yard run with the ball, before he crossed in wonderfully for Ronaldo to rise and meet head on, Marcone flapping at thin air as the ball was in the back of the net before his feet even touched the ground.

There was just no stopping them now and when Evra broke into the box, the left back definitely had shot on the mind. He revved up ready to lash it, but thought better when Ronaldo left his marker, and when the Portugal captain strode ahead of his defender, he met the pass and tucked it home with his left foot.

Just two minutes later, Dybala was once again stepping up to take yet another freekick, extremely similar to the one on the left, but much more to the right this time. His technique was the same, and the end result was the same, as the ball left the ground and hit the top corner with supreme precision.

Cuneo exposed long ball defensive frailties again, Marin proving the difference with a long cross that dropped low over the top of the defence. Spizzichino and Tafa were both on hand, taking advantage of Lascelles who wasn’t concentrating, and Cancelo was once again nowhere to be seen. Spizzichino got to it first and slid to tuck it past Szczesny. It was another poor goal to concede and Tina was disappointed.

Despite the scoreline, the maximum capacity crowd were still singing loudly as half time came and went. Tina made only one change at half time, Stephy Mavididi replacing Douglas Costa, before then swapping positions with Ronaldo.

Alberto Testa picked up an early yellow card for a stupid tackle on Dybala, and the Argentine couldn’t direct the freekick on target. Ronaldo also missed a golden chance for another goal, floating a shot just wide. Ten minutes later, Dybala curled a freekick from the left into the box, and whilst Bonucci got on the end of it, he couldn’t do much else other than a stab at it, and Marcone pulled off a decent save.

Tina made a triple substitution after 65 minutes, Bentancur, Kastanos and Bernardeschi all coming for the last 25 minutes of the game. It was such a nice feeling to know she had all these options to fill the bench and the first eleven.

Bernardeschi continued to show his talent and was the first substitute to feature in the game, putting a tantalising ball into the box that Ronaldo could once again only head wide of the post. Kastanos, who had been involved in winning the freekick for Bernardeschi, was showing some decent skills too, and continued that when he and Bentancur broke into the box with a one-two. Kastanos was then hauled down and he had earned a penalty. There was no doubt that Ronaldo wanted it, and he tucked it home easily under the right side of the keeper.

Ronaldo seemed invigorated by the penalty and dropped deep to pick the ball back up. The attacker broke forward at least forty yards and lashed a vicious shot at Marcone that the keeper could do nothing about. The ball hit his palm but was far too powerful and just flew into the net.

Moise Kean came into the game late on for Ronaldo, who was beginning to tire after putting in one hell of a shift. Cazim Suljic picked up a second yellow card late on after bringing Kean down shortly after he came on, though there wasn’t enough time for Bernardeschi to even take the freekick. The game had come to a close.

But Tina felt that it had done little to appease those who weren’t happy so far with her reign.

 

CUNEO (2) 2 Marin 18, Spizzichino 40
JUVENTUS (5) 7 Cuadrado 20, Dybala 26, 32, Ronaldo 27, 31, pen78, 80

[gavrenwick]

5^th August 2018

Tina was resigned to the fact that people were going to hate her. She knew coming into this that the reputation of the club and that of her own was logistically very far apart.

But strange things can happen.

Having spent the night away from the players and just enjoying a meal in Cuneo, she returned to her makeshift bus office, optimistic of the day. Two coffees later and she had fended off a tirade of abuse on Twitter. She had the foresight to not reply to anything she ever saw in any capacity within social media, but it still riled her. She was eager for the season to start so they could see what she was about.

She did in principle agree with their disdain at the appointment of someone still making their way, but them fans were still reserving judgement as was the way to do it. Others were being vitriolic in the fire they were spouting at her, and she was determined to shut them up. Ultra’s would always be an issue, regardless of who she was.

But by the end of the day, the Ultra’s were the ones supporting and getting behind her. Football was changing, in many ways, and the whole world would need to begin a huge adjustment to allow it to continue. Women’s football, despite at times it’s also abusive relationship with some fans, was flourishing, and while female coaching staff was still super rare, as is BAME coaches, there were improvements steadily being made. Tina was frontrunning this half of the movement, whether she wanted to or not, and had to set the example for them all. The bar had to be set.

Bayern Munich were the next team she would come up against, and her players were undergoing training today with Landon. The American had been a wonderful presence for her during her time so far and she was grateful for him, and the Twins aswell. They had been dispatched by Quagliarella so it may be a little while before she sees them again.

Tina was sat working on further training schedules when Fabio Paratici strolled onto the bus. Fans were waiting for news on Willian Jose, but Twitter had exploded by lunchtime. He had been spotted, as is usually the way, in the airport inbound lounges. She had already known he was on his way having been given the greenlight by Paratici.

“We’ve got him,” he smiled, “He was only ever going to choose us I’m certain. We’ve had the financial details all outlined. He’s a very good player. We’ve done well here.”

Tina smiled. It was always hard working under a director of football, something she had not done before. She understood on joining that her limit with transfers would be working hand in hand with Fabio. He would compile lists and financial deals on the potential targets, and she would get to choose from that.

Willian Jose was officially unveiled as a Juventus player at 5pm away from Turin. His transfer was a straight up £17m, no extra fees and no extra clause or percentages. That didn’t leave much in the budget, but then she didn’t really need anyone else now. Jose joins on a massive four-year deal at £98,000 a week. He better be as good as Fabio insisted he was, she thought to herself, considering the outlay on him.

The fans were happy enough with Willian Jose, knowing he had quality, but they were also interested to see if he could make the step up with playing at a much higher level now. Only time would tell for them and for him.

Willian Jose had immediately been shipped out to Germany as the club was headed to the airport to catch a flight to Munich. With a friendly at Bayern in two days, he wouldn’t have too long to settle in and would likely be thrown in deep. He had featured in every Real Sociedad pre-season fixture so far, so he wasn’t likely to be unfit.

News filtered through at the end of the day that the opening day match between Juventus and Udinese would be screened for TV.

Baby steps.

[gavrenwick]

6^th August 2018

The training camp had ended quicker than Tina had anticipated. She had enjoyed it, but before long the team was on its way back to Turin from Vercelli. The coaching staff were highly encouraged by the development of squad harmony during the time away, and that pleased her.

90min.com had presented their usual annual predictions on who would top the goalscoring charts for the coming season, and it didn’t present any unusual suspects. Immobile was the top scorer last season with 29, and he featured at the top once more.

Ciro Immobile 5-1
Cristiano Ronaldo 6-1
Gonzalo Higuain 8-1
Mauro Icardi 9-1
Dries Mertens 10-1
Edin Dzeko 12-1

The time that followed was all about training and getting the side ready for action in the season opening. Willian Jose was the focus of his first session, with the staff deciding to allow him to work on becoming a more well-rounded forward – this meant putting him forward for specific role training as a deep lying forward. Tina agreed with the recommendation, as she also did with the one to re-train Jamaal Lascelles as a makeshift defensive midfielder. He would suit the role well and cope ably within it.

As Tina had been away during the finalising of Willian Jose arriving at the club, Fabio Paratici had held the press conference heralding his arrival and the expectations set on him. “We have the utmost confidence that Willian will come up big for the club when needed,” he had said to gathered reporters.

The reason for his doing it was two-fold – Tina was still horrendous at speaking Italian, and Fabio had been there to finalise the deal anyway. His role within the recruitment structure was high, and while Tina could say yes or no on the final decision, Fabio is the one who had done all the ground work and preparation into it.

And as Tina wryly noted, he would go down with Willian Jose if he completely bombed. She loved being sneaky.

The pre-match analysis had also come in for the Bayern game tomorrow. They had two days before beaten Real Madrid, despite having ten men, 2-0 thanks to goals from James Rodriguez and Niklas Sule. They dominated the match in all truth, sparking concerns from Madrid fans who weren’t all too confident for the season ahead. Julen Lopetegui was in charge there now, and had a big job ahead of him this season, especially with seeing how they coped without Ronaldo there anymore. It hadn’t stopped him shelling out £119m across Alvaro Odriozola, Vinicius Junior, Ignacio Camacho and Kostas Manolas. Julen has a lot of work to do. Hopefully everything turns out better than the end to his Spain stint. 

 

[gavrenwick]

7^th August 2018 - Friendly
Stadion München, Munich, 69,659
BAYERN MUNICH vs. JUVENTUS
Perin; Chiellini, Bonucci, Cancelo, Sandro; Matuidi, Cuadrado, Dybala, Pjanic, Douglas Costa; Ronaldo

The sheer strength on show frightened even Tina. Having been unable to field what would be close to her final eleven, she was now looking at a side that could challenge anything opposing it.
But there was clearly a problem.

The general positivity experienced before the game had completely dissipated and Tina was left standing in front of these stars with no real credentials, no experience or reputation to fall back on.

Tina could only describe the pre-match in one way – they were completely disinterested in anything she had to say.
As they stood, she felt more and more uncomfortable, but powered on through her pre-match team talk anyway. She felt Perin, Pjanic and Bonucci were listening, but couldn’t shake the feeling that Ronaldo was not impressed. He had agreed a big money move to play for Juventus, but now found himself following orders from a woman head coach who’s only experience was managing Gareth Bale and Wales to a second-round appearance at the Euro’s.

But as the sides came out, she was in awe of the near 70,000 capacity watching this game.

Cuadrado got the visitors off to a hot start when, after dispossessing Niklas Sule, he struck a shot that despite its bobbly nature, bounced back off the post, Dybala unable to find his footing for the unexpected rebound.

The woodwork continued its fine work for Bayern, Pjanic earning and taking a freekick from twenty yards, his low grasscutter ending up on the other post to the Cuadrado effort and rolling harmlessly out of the box.

Tina saw her side continue to settle well into the match, and when Perin worked his way safely out of trouble, his long field ball allowed Cuadrado to cross deep into the left pocket for Douglas Costa. His first-time half volley hit the same post as last time and careened back away from his outstretched left leg. Having had the majority of the first half all to themselves, Juventus slipped into a complacent mood with the belief that this was going to go their way eventually. Tina lamented the mood they had found themselves in and inwardly swore when Cuadrado was crumpled over on the side line. Willian Jose replaced him, with Ronaldo moving to the left side and swapping Costa to the right.

The remainder of the half played out quietly, with neither side able to register a legitimate shot on target, despite the three woodwork efforts Juventus had suffered. Matuidi had picked up a booking having gone mental at the referee for allowing play to continue when Cuadrado went down, so Tina decided against him coming back out and chucked Bentancur on instead.

The relatively young Bayern side had really not gotten into the game and Niko Kovac put some more experienced players into the fray.

The game was largely frustrating for the fans in attendance, as despite some decent build up play, neither team really wanted to go for it. Renato Sanches typified the performance when he hauled down Dybala simply because he could and when Joshua Zirkzee went for an overhead kick, the fans just couldn’t help but laugh. He would have had a free effort on goal had he just turned around.

Pjanic had the first shot on target after seventy minutes, a light effort that Sven Ulreich easily handled down to his right. Tina felt no attacking substitute would change the game and opted simply for match fitness – Lascelles and Evra replaced Sandro and Bonucci.

Ronaldo himself had been unbelievably invisible. Having only touched the ball twelve times in the second half, there was absolutely no output down the left. Evra had played more balls into the box in the nine minutes on the field than Ronaldo had. And with that, Tina had decided enough was enough. His number came up, and after shaking hands with Bernardeschi, he trudged to the bench and plonked himself down. He looked livid, and he completely blanked Tina on his way past.

The game spiralled at that point. Chiellini saw red for a two footed lunge that could have sent Zirkzee to the moon, before Kingsley Coman flicked a superb cross into the box for Zirkzee. His header was saved by Perin before Ribery tucked home the rebound. Amid celebrations, the linesman flag had gone up for offside, and whether right or wrong in terms of end decision, it prevented Tina losing her final pre-season game.

But this result mattered little. What impact Ronaldo was going to have this season was the bigger question.

BAYERN MUNICH (0) 0
JUVENTUS (0) 0 Chiellini s/off 87

[gavrenwick]

8^th August 2018

Juan Cuadrado was going to miss the start of the season. It was a huge blow for the side, Juan having become a solid member of the team in previous seasons. He was suffering from a hip injury, something he had rather innocuously picked up in the Bayern match yesterday. Tina was super disappointed, but the more pressing matter was how to deal with the injury itself.

Tina joined her medical staff, notably the club doctor Claudio Rigo. Landon was also there, along with head of sports science Darragh Connolly. Landon frowned, “A minimum of three months Tina. Doesn’t look eternally damaging but his age comes in to question here. His long-term health is important,” he said, motioning to the doctor, who only spoke Italian.

“We can let our physio team deal with this in-house,” he said, “But there is a better option of sending him to a specialist. I think it is in the best interests of Juan, and he has agreed. Do you want us to pursue this choice?”

Tina nodded, “Yes of course. Juan has to come first. What is his return time frame like with this specialist treatment?”

Claudio shrugged, “Still in the same realm, perhaps two months at the longest. A little quicker than leaving it in house.”

“Okay, let’s do it,” she replied before dismissing the doctor and the translator.

Landon was also heading out before handing Tina a document. “Oh, here is the match analysis for yesterday.”

“Thanks, Landon. I’ll come join you in a moment.”

Tina thumbed through the report after he left.

The game itself had been a fairly poor affair. Neither of the giants had put on a show for the fans in attendance, and having mustered just three shots on target between the pair, it was clear to see why Willian Jose had been given the most scathing appraisal. He had endured a miserable game, largely down to his failure to win any headers at all, having been played out by the Bayern defence.

Mattia Perin came in for the most praise, having made the key interceptions and the one key save that kept her side with a clean sheet. In the end, he took the award for best player of the match.

Tina closed the analysis and headed back upstairs. Moise Kean and his agent were sat in the office. Tina had been dreading this conversation all day.

“Hi Moise,” she said, taking a seat opposite him whilst Landon also came in, seating himself further away. “I think it’s best that we just get straight to it. There is the general feeling here that you aren’t really adhering to the philosophy of the club, in terms of your personal life outside of football. As a player for Juventus, you represent everything the club is, and your opinions and actions in turn can help and hinder the club.”

Moise didn’t say a word.

“As it goes, we have confirmed cases of your blatant disregard with social media policies relating to the club mandate. The things you do and say just aren’t compatible with us, and as such, I’ve been advised that we must find you a new club. You will be transfer listed immediately. I’m sorry but your future no longer lies with the club.”

Moise continued to say nothing. The sign of a man already accepting of his fate.

Moise had spent the previous night partying with exotic dancers, and the way he had promoted the whole thing on his social media was criminal. But for him to then dress the strippers in his Juventus shirts was just shambolic. He would never play for the club again.

Tina spent the evening observing Champions League action on the television, but there were no Italian clubs in action during this round.

Celtic were in action away to Qarabag, but struggled in the game and had to settle for a goalless draw. Scandinavian clubs fared better, Malmo FF beating Hapoel Be’er-Sheva whilst Rosenborg easily dispatched Kukesi, former Juventus man Nicklas Bendtner on the scoresheet. Ajax beat Slavia Prague by a single goal, while there were also wins for Benfica, Fenerbahce and Dynamo Kyiv.

 

[gavrenwick]

9^th - 11^th August 2018

There were big movements going on at the club as Tina woke up to a very enticing offer for Moise Kean. News had clearly travelled quickly over his imminent departure, and clubs were far happier to see past his behaviour than she had been and was willing to be. Napoli had instantly made a bid for the Frenchman, while Everton and Valencia were also putting together stimulating packages. There were also the cheeky lurkers, like Cercle Brugge, who were advocating that the boy deserved a chance, and that a season-loan would do him the world of good.

Tina cared little for that. The Napoli bid was clocked in at £30million, which gave her some hope on a further inbound transfer.

The sharks were now circling Frenkie de Jong. The 21-year-old Ajax playmaker was sought after by all the better clubs within Europe. Paratici was desperate to be given the greenlight to make the transfer happen. He had long been an admirer for the player and thought now was the chance to move for him. Tina didn’t disagree but the transfer pot had to be used to shore up the other bits of the squad first.

Selling Kean would allow this to happen, so Tina gave him the approval he needed to go work his magic. Tina also decided to leave the Kean saga to Paratici now too. He was leaving, it was just a matter of who took him on.

The start of the season was starting to get closer now, that hosting of Udinese bearing down on her and the players quickly. She felt like things were moving calmer now, but there was still a major source of discontent over her leadership of the side. A side as big as Juventus demanded the best, and they wouldn’t settle for any less. And why should they?

But Tina also felt aggrieved. She hadn’t lied on her application to become the manager. She hadn’t pulled the wool over any eyes. She was a gifted coach, and Juventus clearly saw that. Her appointment as head coach saw to that, and while her involvement in transfers is limited, she is still the leader of this side. Paratici may be the one bringing the players in and taking them out, but she was given overall hiring and firing capabilities over the position. The media didn’t know that yet, but she felt like it was a kop out using it as an excuse. She was here on her own coaching merit – not anything else.

Kean was gone by the 11^th. Roma had stumped a £25million fee for him, spending the majority of their Kostas Manolas money on the young striker. Tina was glad to be rid of him. Now it was all about finalising de Jong. She hadn’t heard much on the deal, and today was a day to meet with the media, and she still had no answers.

As she took her seat, flanked by Landon Donovan and Fabio Paratici, she looked noticeably calm. The past few days had been kind to her, and she was feeling comfortable. As always, the media sought to alter that where they could. Some clearly didn’t like her while others were considerate and far more accepting.

The focus began with the Kean developments. Certain media outlets had gotten a story from the youngster, who was now no longer holding back his contempt for Tina forcing him out the club. In truth, the decision had come from above, but it was one Tina agreed with anyway. She was happy to take any flak from him for that. The reporters were consistent with what they asked – was he forced out of the club?

“Yes,” she said. “Moise and Juventus had outgrown each other.”

The simple answer satiated enough for the questioning to move on. She didn’t fancy further probing that one.

Transfer dealings cropped up as usual, Willian Jose and Lascelles, with them also having knowledge of the de Jong pursuit. How they got she didn’t know but it didn’t surprise her.

Udinese was next up on the question platter.

“We’re ready. The team have been getting into their stride both with training and fitness too. We’re more ready than we ever have been to hit the ground running.”

They were very ready.

[gavrenwick]

12^th August 2018

Fabio Paratici can work absolute wonders. The Italian director of football had worked some absolute deals this summer, and finalised it all with the wonderful capture of Frenkie de Jong. The 21-year-old was officially unveiled as a Juventus player, and Europe stood up to take notice. Barcelona had been super keen on the deal, even submitting a duplicate bid, but they had lost out to superior gamesmanship from Fabio. If Tina ever doubted his ability, this confirmed he was one of the best.

Landon had set about welcoming him to the rest of the players after her first meeting with Tina and the other staff. Fabio had done good. The young midfielder had only cost £33.5million, the board stumping up the rest having noticed that de Jong would be a long-term investment with a very talented Juventus-based future.

The transfer dealings had been phenomenal, but also a far cry from anything Tina had ever been used to. The figures being thrown around were just absolutely mental, and a distance away from her Livingston and St Mirren days.

But there were other things going on currently too. Tina’s former personal assistant, Jessica Jones, had followed her to Italy having been offered the same role. She had been with her at St Mirren, but hadn’t yet been able to join up with her boss again due to needing to finalise a house sale in Scotland. But she was finally sorted and on her way. Her flight was due to land in four hours, and Tina had happily offered to pick her up. She was still hopeless at finding her way around Turin, but the airport was easy enough for her. The woman was ambitious, and to enjoy Turin whilst working with her friend, was a no-brainer.

She found herself super excited to see her friend. Having been surrounded exclusively by men for the best part of her time in Italy so far, she was missing that female connection. The pair were great friends and she couldn’t wait to link up with her outside of work and be a woman again. Working in this environment made her forget sometimes that she was still a woman and enjoyed a spot of shopping. Amazon wasn’t quite cutting the same impact, and she couldn’t remember the last time she went clothes shopping, which was quite frankly a travesty in Turin.

5pm came and went, and with Jessica in tow, the pair went for a meal.

Sometimes it’s just nice to do normal things and be a human.

£1,000 and four shops later, her bank balance was groaning.

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by gavrenwick

[Celtic_1967]

Loving this Gav. Another quality story.

[gavrenwick]

Thanks mate. This has been dragged on and off for so long that I recently just sat down and let it flow out. Sometimes, you just gotta push it a bit more.

*******

 

 

 

 

 

    | ------------------------------------------------------|
    | Name                 | Staff Role       | Age| Nation |
    | ------------------------------------------------------|
    | Tina Powell          | Manager          | 35 | WAL    |
    | Landon Donovan       | Assistant Manager| 36 | USA    |
    | ------------------------------------------------------|
    | Fabio Paratici       | DoF              | 46 | ITA    |
    | Stefano Braghin      | HoYD             | 54 | ITA    |
    | Franco Baldini       | Coach            | 57 | ITA    |
    | Vittorio Quagliarella| Chief Scout      | 67 | ITA    |
    | Emanuele Randelli    | Head Physio      | 52 | ITA    |
    | ------------------------------------------------------|

       

  

        | ------------------------------------------------------|
        | Name                 | Position         | Age| Nation |
        | ------------------------------------------------------|
        | Wojciech Szczesny    | GK               | 28 | POL    |
        | Carlo Pinsoglio      | GK               | 28 | ITA    |
        | Mattia Perin         | GK               | 25 | ITA    |
        | ------------------------------------------------------|
        | Leonardo Bonucci     | DC               | 31 | ITA    |
        | Andrea Barzagli      | DR/C             | 37 | ITA    |
        | Medhi Benatia        | DC               | 31 | MAR    |
        | Jamaal Lascelles     | DC               | 24 | ENG    |
        | Giorgio Chiellini    | DL/C             | 33 | ITA    |
        | Joao Cancelo         | D/WB/M/AMR       | 24 | POR    |
        | Juan Cuadrado        | D/WB/M/AMR       | 30 | COL    |
        | Lorenzo Del Prete    | D/WBR/C/         | 32 | ITA    |
        | Patrice Evra         | D/WBL            | 37 | FRA    |
        | Alex Sandro          | D/WB/ML          | 24 | BRA    |
        | Mattia De Sciglio    | D/WB/RL          | 25 | ITA    |
        | ------------------------------------------------------|
        | Frenkie de Jong      | DC/DM/MC         | 21 | NED    |
        | Emre Can             | DC/DM/MC         | 24 | GER    |
        | Miralem Pjanic       | DM/M/AMC         | 28 | BIH    |
        | Sami Khedira         | DM/MC            | 31 | GER    |
        | Rodrigo Bentancur    | DM/MC            | 21 | URU    |
        | Blaise Matuidi       | DM/ML/C          | 31 | FRA    |
        | Douglas Costa        | M/AMR/L          | 27 | BRA    |
        | Matheus Pereira      | M/AML/C          | 20 | BRA    |
        | Federico Bernardeschi| M/AMR/L/C        | 24 | ITA    |
        | ------------------------------------------------------|
        | Paulo Dybala         | AMC/ST           | 24 | ARG    |
        | Willian Jose         | AMC/ST           | 26 | BRA    |
        | Mario Mandzukic      | AML/ST           | 32 | CRO    |
        | Cristiano Ronaldo    | AMR/L/ST         | 33 | POR    |
        | Cristian Bunino      | ST               | 21 | ITA    |
        | ------------------------------------------------------|

 

Edited January 20, 2021 by gavrenwick

[gavrenwick]

August 15^th 2018

It was raining in Paisley, which in truth was probably nothing new. Dalglish sat staring at his computer screen, urging the download to finish. He screwed his face up at having to have paid for a subscription to the website. It angered him at leaving a physical presence of himself on there. But he needed it at the same time and the risk was worth it in his conspiracy laden eyes.

He got up and poured another cup of coffee. Drinking it had become a habit now, and the coffee pot was always percolating through the day. Just like the subscription, he needed it.

The video finished downloading just as he sat. The Juventus press conference from a few days back. Signing up to the Juventus fans site wasn’t necessary for him to view this video, it was pretty much everywhere anyway. But it came with extended coverage and up-close extras. And it was the up close he wanted. It was what he craved.

He watched it fully.

He knew he wasn’t a pervert or a stalker. He had only tried sending ten letters in the past to her. She had never replied of course, and while it did bring a rise of anger from him, he let it pass knowing one day she would. She would.

He watched again, this time finishing his coffee.

He got up and wiped his hands on his grease and stain ridden trousers. He could hear stirring in the other room which brought a groan. He just couldn’t be arsed today with the rigmarole of getting him dressed. He wished he could afford care.

“Coming dad,” he grunted before heading into the other room. The smell in the house was rancid at best and Dalglish knew that. He didn’t care anymore. No-one came.

He walked past his shrine and paused briefly. The pictures of Tina were taped to the wall in no real structure. Dalglish wasn’t one for organisation until it came to his internet whereabouts. He gently touched one of the pictures and continued down the hall.

What he wouldn’t give to visit Turin and see her again.

[gavrenwick]

August 17^th 2018

Pre-season was over. Tina had mentally prepared for everything the first few months had taught her, but she still felt supremely unprepared for what was about to come. An opening season bout against Udinese was the best she could have asked for really – they were middle of the table and would present a sturdy yet winnable test.

She didn’t feel anxious, not yet. That would kick in tomorrow.

One thing occurred out of the blue since the previous Bayern friendly, in that two players had decided to leave the club and accept offers elsewhere. Tina had partially been involved in one, but another occurred out of her hands, leaving her without a player in a key position, but felt it didn’t matter in the long run.

Sami Khedira had left the club after joining on a free transfer in 2015 from Real Madrid, and had done a great job in three resulting seasons. Having started his career with Stuttgart, the Germany midfielder had made the choice to return home once knowing they had come in with a bid, and re-joined his first club for £4m. He would leave a hole, but his desire to go home had superseded his desire to stay any longer in Turin.

The other player to leave during the end of pre-season period was Mehdi Benatia. The 31-year-old Morocco defender had spoken of his concern regarding the arrival of Jamaal Lascelles, and that was confirmed by Tina in a private meeting with him. He had taken it well, and despite making over 30 appearances since joining on-loan the season before last, he had already found chances tough to come by. Benatia had joined for roughly £13m, but left the club with a profit on their hands when Paratici negotiated a £20m deal to send him to Germany. Having previously played for Bayern, he was now heading to Dortmund and left the club with the best wishes of everyone.

Today was an important day and decisions needed to be made about squad registration. There were rules, regulations and limits on registration, so Tina had a hard time at the start navigating the minefield. Four hours later, the files were submitted to the Federcalcio.  

Goalkeepers
Mattia Perin (HG), Carlo Pinsoglio (HGC), Wojciech Szczesny

Defenders
Andrea Barzagli (HG), Leonardo Bonucci (HG), Jamaal Lascelles, Raffaele Alcibiade (HGC), Giorgio Chiellini (HG), Joao Cancelo, Juan Cuadrado, Lorenzo Del Prete (HGC), Alex Sandro (nEU), Mattia De Sciglio (HG), Patrice Evra

Midfielders
Emre Can, Leonardo Spinazzola (HG), Simone Emmanuello (HGC), Miralem Pjanic, Blaise Matuidi, Federico Bernardeschi (HG), Douglas Costa (nEU), Matheus Pereira (nEU)

Forwards
Paulo Dybala (HG), Willian Jose, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mario Mandzukic

Key
HG – Homegrown
HGC – Homegrown at club
nEU – Occupies non-EU slot

 

Frenkie de Jong (U22), Rodrigo Bentancur (nEU, U22), Cristian Bunino (HGC, U22) were not included in the 25 registration slots because they are U22 and don’t need to be registered to play for the first team. The inclusion of Emmanuello and Alcibiade was down to needing a minimum of 4 homegrown Juventus players.

The team was ready – but was Tina?