48 and counting...The Old Lady just can't stop singing

As Ruud Van Nisterlooy scored the penalty that eventually ended the fairy tale of ‘The Invincibles’, fans and experts alike wrote off any chances of such a feat being emulated in modern football. When Capello’s Milan went unbeaten for 58 games in the heydays of the 90′s, not many would have foreseen any team even coming close to such a feat. But, as it is said time and again that history never fails to repeat itself, so it happened again.

A replenished, invigorated and re-ignited Juventus embarked on the 2011-12 season with inflated hopes and an even more deflated pride to regain. Post the Calciopoli, the Juventus faithful suffered under the cloud of uncertainty and saw fierce rivals Inter win trophy after trophy, taking Italian football to the world, and setting the benchmark for nearly half a decade. But then, in stepped the former heart-throb of Turin – Antonio Conte. And what fans have witnessed since then has been nothing short of perfection – an ideal blend of grit, skill, flair and passion. Il Calcio, in the past 18 months, has been the victim of many a scandal and scam – but in the midst of all of this, it has also seen the Old Lady return to the throne of glory, domestically.

Embarking on a 48-game unbeaten journey is no small feat – considering the quality of teams in Italy – Napoli, Roma and Lazio – all capable of causing major upsets on their day, and not to mention, the small matter of Inter and AC Milan. Compact and well-knit – two words that perfectly describe the team at the moment.

Naturally, this Juventus side wasn’t built in a day. The tactically astute Conte had a tough job indeed and the following analysis shall explain the sea of change that has been brought in by the former Juve star.

Juventus, pre-Conte.

This system was quintessentially a relatively rigid and static setup where-in the fullbacks did not join in attack due to lack of pace and movement. The most alarming aspect about this setup was the static midfield – players who went about their jobs in the workhorse manner. Melo did a good job by keeping his opposite numbers quiet, but offered zero impetus in attack. Aquilani did provide the odd spark on his day, but was left in the wilderness due to constant injuries. Marchisio on the left proved to be a let-down, and so did Krasic on the right. The ageing shoulders of Il Fenomeno Vero could no longer carry the Old Lady single handedly.

Another key factor influencing the consistently inconsistent Juventus of the pre-Conte era was the lack of strength in numbers. Recalling an incident from the 09-10 season, the fans had to bank upon the then 35-year-old Del Piero to weave his wand of magic and turn things around for a hapless Juventus, who were trailing rivals AC Milan by 2 goals at the Stadio Olimpico.

The arrival of Conte marked a change in policy among the hierarchy of the club. Non-performing assets, which had previously been let off the hook for inconsistency, were frozen out of the first team and eventually allowed to leave. Felipe Melo, Fabio Grosso, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Amauri were the prime victims. The squad was replenished with fresh faces – the most notable being the capture of Andrea Pirlo, who had been a familiar name to the Bianconeri faithful – given his connections with Inter as well as AC Milan. By the end of the mercato, the Old Lady had a whole new bunch of players – with fresh vigour, ready to repair lost pride.

The Invincibles of Conte.

Comparing the setup under Conte, to the one under Gigi Delneri, one would notice the marked difference in regards to movement. The Juventus under Conte have been the most dynamic side in Serie A, arguably surpassing Napoli too in this regard. The craft and skill of Pirlo is well complemented by the all action duo of Vidal and Marchisio, who also have an eye for goal, as already seen last season. Lichsteiner, who was probably one of the under-rated players at Lazio, has finally made it big on the grandest of stages, and tags of him being the best right back in Italian football presently are very much justified.

The left side of defence, which has always been an area of concern for the Old Lady, seems to be in safe hands now with De Ceglie – who has impressed every time he has played there, and with the recent acquisition of Ghanian International – Kwadwo Asamoah, that spot looks well covered. Focusing on the forward line, and many would argue that this department needs a bit of refurbishment, with Vucinic being the only one to have consistently performed in an Old Lady shirt. Matri and Quagliarella have been good in bursts, but not consistent. Things seem to hit a nadir when Conte had to turn to Nicklas Bendtner in order to add some firepower to the attacking department.

‘Battlezones’ in the setup.
The image is from the game : Juve 3-0 Napoli.

Another unique feature about this setup are the ‘battlezones’ that Conte creates within his team, to define the role of each member in the squad.

The battlezones clearly define the role of each player – In this case, the quartet of Pirlo, Bonnuci, Barzagli and Chiellini are in charge of containing Napoli’s forward line, which then frees up Vidal and Marchisio against Inler and Gargano – who are eventually run ragged by the former. Vucinic and Matri are entrusted with creating havoc in attack by their movement and skill on the ball.

Antonio Conte – Leader. Guide. Motivator.

Keeping aside the tactical side of the matter, the article would be incomplete without a notable mention of the motivator and leader than Conte is. Having given body and soul to the Old Lady in his playing days, Conte has been a real source of inspiration and motivation, as acknowledged by many of players. The passion that Conte has shown, is unsurpassed, as evident in this team-talk, which he allegedly gave in April, ahead of the final 8 games of the season :

“People are flooding us with praise right now, but that sends shivers through me. Why? Because I have fear, I have fear, I have fear that someone here will start to relax. There is applause and a consensus, but what is the reality? The reality is the pitch, the reality is sweat, the reality is sacrifice.That is what has led us to this point of the championship and we still haven’t done anything yet…Let’s look at who we have in front of us now because we are mature enough to fight until the very end. As I said before, they will have to spit blood until the last game.”

The influence of Conte has also helped many players re-invent their faltering careers – Andrea Barzagli, Andrea Pirlo and Simeone Pepe being the prime examples. Andrea Pirlo, who had seen very little of gametime during his final days at Milan, was brought to Turin, and since then, we have come to see the Pirlo of old – the Pirlo who single handedly ran the show in midfield. Andrea Barzagli, who was ‘just another player’ at Wolfsburg, has been transformed into arguably the best center back in Italy at present.

A miserable run of form, coupled with ill timed misfortune and bad luck, saw Juve left in the dark of Calcio. The revival of the Old Lady’s heartbeat arguably took a lot more than just a ventilator, but now that she has started singing, fans of Calcio would certainly hope that this song does not stop any time soon.