Black & White & Read All Over - UEFA Champions League: Juventus vs. FC Copenhagen full match coverage"Alla Juventus vincere non è importante. È l'unica cosa che conta."https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47437/blackwhiteread-fave.png2013-11-28T08:01:23+01:00http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/rss/stream/49126532013-11-28T08:01:23+01:002013-11-28T08:01:23+01:00Vidal hat trick sees Juve closer to qualification
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<img alt="Pure, unadulterated joy :)" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/eHsINGG1PJEaB1g24p98En_1nlA=/0x392:2991x2386/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/24103149/452284555.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Pure, unadulterated joy :) | Claudio Villa</figcaption>
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<p>Llorente and Vidal lift Juventus to victory in a must-win match at Juventus Stadium. Now we're off to Istanbul!</p> <p><b>KING ARTURO THOUGHTS</b></p>
<p>When Arturo Vidal was signed from Bayer Leverkusen, few could've predicted the effect that he would have on Juventus in the long run. He came in with a pedigree of playing determined, high-pressure football but his technique level and his ability to stay consistent on the big stage had not been proven. At least not to those that had only watched him a handful of times.</p>
<p><span>Today, in his third year with a Juventus jersey, Arturo Vidal is a symbol of this Conte era. He is not only consistent and a metronome for this team in both defense and attack, but he's also become the top scorer under Antonio Conte with 32 goals in all competitions. Teams across Europe dream of signing Arturo for their midfield, though the only signing he'll be doing anytime soon is putting pen to paper on a new contract with the Old Lady. <br><br>A couple more fun facts that I grabbed off Twitter for those that may have missed them:</span></p>
<ol>
<li>On Wednesday against FC Kobenhavn, Vidal notched a hat trick - the first ever of his career</li>
<li>Vidal's hat trick was only the third in the Champions League in Juventus' history. He joins Pippo Inzaghi and Alex Del Piero on that list</li>
<li>As is the custom, Vidal took the ball home, signed by his teammates. He dedicated the milestone to his son and daughter (which is on the way in wifey's belly)</li>
</ol>
<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Il pallone me lo porto a casa!!! Forza Juveeee!!!! <a href="http://t.co/ht085CzGCE">pic.twitter.com/ht085CzGCE</a></p>
— Arturo Vidal (@kingarturo23) <a href="https://twitter.com/kingarturo23/statuses/405841826893942784">November 27, 2013</a>
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<p><b>MATCH RECAP</b></p>
<p>Only a win was going to suffice on Wednesday, and Juventus duly delivered. With Barzagli and Lichtsteiner still out, Caceres and Padoin came in respectively. Marchisio was dropped after the weekend game against Livorno for the Pirlo, Pogba, Vidal trio in midfield. Our now staples attacking duo of Tevez & Llorente started up front.</p>
<p>Aggressive from the very start, the Bianconeri dominated every aspect of the game in the first 45 minutes. For all the work, they were only able to score through a Vidal penalty in the 29th minute. Copenhagen's 11 men behind the ball on defense did not make things very easy.</p>
<p>One thing was evident very early though - with Llorente coming into form and defenses closing down ground quickly, Juventus is slowly migrating to more high balls to Llorente as the target man in lieu of the usual, direct, pass-to-feet attacking style. After all, this is one of the main reasons why Llorente was such a lucrative signing - his height and strength allows us this alternative, while his technique enables all the players around him to expect quality put downs and passes.</p>
<p>In the second half, everyone knew that Juventus had to kill the game off with another goal but things didn't quite pan out that way. Former Juventus defender Olof Mellberg had other plans when he equalized the score after a defensive scramble off of a corner kick 10 minutes into the second half. In many ways, the goal served as a wake up call for our Bianconeri to keep pursuing the win and not sit back content.</p>
<p>Just 5 minutes later, Fernando Llorente who was fantastic throughout the whole match, was brought down in the area for a second penalty and another chance for Vidal to increase his tally. Once again, King Arturo stepped up confidently and put Juventus up 2-1. The cherry on the top came 2 minutes afterwards when a lovely Pogba cross was placed beautifully by the on-rushing Vidal for the third goal and Juventus victory.</p>
<p><b>LE PAGELLE</b></p>
<p><b>Buffon: 7</b>- Another boring night for Buffon, thanks to these three magnificent men to follow.</p>
<p><b>Caceres: 7.5 - </b>For the second game in a row, he's come in to replace Barzagli and the defense hasn't missed a beat. He was Juventus' most effective defender on the night with 7 tackles. Bar a couple small hick ups, he was excellent. Quite a refreshment for the older, more methodical Barzagli in that slot.</p>
<p><b>Bonucci: 7.5 </b>- The timing and anticipation of his tackles makes me so proud of him sometimes. He has that knack to put his head down and focus on shutting plays down and he does it with authority. I was as happy to have him back in the middle of the defense as Jorgensens wasn't.</p>
<p><b>Chiellini: 7 </b>- Was a bit less flashy than the other two alongside him but still had a very good game.</p>
<p><b>Padoin: 6.5</b> - He'll never be the difference maker, but he fills a void and when other players step up and carry the load, I'm okay with him on that right side.</p>
<p><b>Vidal: 8.5 - </b>I said what I needed to say about him above, but it is truly a pleasure to have this guy on a team you love. With Pogba's continuous improvement on defense, he's getting more comfortable attacking, similarly to how he played the last two years alongside Marchisio. Two great penalties and an excellent header for the hat trick. Arturo Vidal Ale!</p>
<p><b>Pirlo: 7.5</b> - Class was surely in session on Wednesday as il Professore ran the Copenhagen team in circles for most of the game. Given space with the midfield and defense sitting so deep, he dazzled with beautiful passes around, through, and over Copenhagen. Found Llorente whenever he wanted to and switched play a lot more equally on both sides. Really good game for the maestro.</p>
<p><b>Pogba: 7.5 </b>- Was very involved in the first half and delivered a beautiful cross to Vidal for the third goal. Almost scored with a curler in the beginning too. The best part was that he spent very little time wasting on the ball. Got rid of it quick and played a higher pace passing game. He is really developing fast.</p>
<p><b>Asamoah: 7.5</b> - There's a different type of confidence coming out of Asamoah lately. He's fierce, determined, and aggressive. Is starting to see a lot more of the ball and always provides great width. Keep it up!</p>
<p><b>Tevez: 7 -</b> In games where we use Llorente as the main target man, Carlitos is seeing less of the action in the build up of the attack. He's had a few quieter games now, but his movement and threat is never ending. He'll have to adjust to playing off the ball a bit more, and our midfielders will have to be ready to put him through from further away as well. Just something to iron out, I'm sure as time goes by this season it will.</p>
<p><b>Llorente: 8.5</b> - Two games in a row he's been my man of match. No, I'm not starting to create a bias here similarly to how I did with Mirko a while back. Simply said, if Llorente hadn't played the way he played, Juventus would've struggled to win the penalties and the game. Almost every ball went through him, and he guarded each and every one of them with prowess. His technique, vision (with his back to the goal), and his passing was on the level needed for a Juventus win in the Champions League. He's a born competitor. As he comes into form, Juventus can only get better from here on out. That's kinda scary to think about. Just imagine if we had proper wingers that could put the ball on his head every time? Man.</p>
<p>Subs:</p>
<p><b>Marchisio: 7</b> - Provided fresh legs and played pretty far up on the field. By the time he was warmed up the game was in garbage time and there was little to contribute really.</p>
<p><b>Vucinic: sv</b></p>
<p><b>Ogbonna: sv</b></p>
<p>Coach:</p>
<p><b>Conte: 7</b> - Was correct to give Caceres the starting spot once again in defense instead of being tempted to use Ogbonna and Caceres on the right flank. The dip in performance after the break may not have been his fault directly, but I do wish Juventus came out a bit more determined to put the game away. His mentality for this situation is the best one we could ask for - the Champions League destiny for this year is in our hands and our hands only. No looking at other team's scores, no looking at draws. Win in Istanbul and we're through. It's that simple (at least on paper). Oh, and yeah, Vidal should've come out as soon as we scored the third goal. Rest our stars Continho!</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" width="480" height="270" src="http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x17prbi"></iframe></p>
https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2013/11/28/5154060/juventus-3-1-fc-kobenhavn-arturo-vidal-notches-hat-trick-forivoandov2013-11-28T00:10:27+01:002013-11-28T00:10:27+01:00Arturo Vidal 3 - FC Copenhagen 1: Initial reaction
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<figcaption>Claudio Villa</figcaption>
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<p>Three days ago, Arturo Vidal found himself as a makeshift central defender in Juventus' 2-0 win over Livorno. It didn't phase him one bit, showing us once again why he's just showing flippin' awesome. On Wednesday night in Turin, Vidal was the one leading the charge for Juventus in a must-win situation on the European stage.</p>
<p>Top player? Yeah, he's one hell of a top player.</p>
<p>Vidal's hat trick led the way as Juventus did exactly what they needed to do against FC Copenhagen — get all three points. Combine that with Real Madrid beating Galatasaray 4-1 in Spain, and Juve jumped from the bottom of Group B into the spot they want to be a couple weeks from now, one that sees them advance to the knockout rounds of the Champions League.</p>
<blockquote data-partner="tweetdeck" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Vidal: It's the first hat-trick of my career and I'm taking the ball home with me! <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23JuveCopenhagen&src=hash">#JuveCopenhagen</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23UCL&src=hash">#UCL</a></p>
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/statuses/405821250619990016">November 27, 2013</a>
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<p>(How great is that quote, by the way? Arturo is just the best.)</p>
<p>Juventus entered knowing they needed to win to stay alive in the Champions League. There were no crazy stipulations to try and figure out. You win, you stay alive. You lose, you're battling for a spot in the Europa League. But with Vidal putting penalties and Paul Pogba crosses away like an absolute boss, the only stressful time was when Juventus' defense brain farted for a second and allowed Copenhagen to level the score at 1-1 in the second half.</p>
<p>Three Vidal goals, three points, one more game left to lock up qualification to the knockout round.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<p>3 - Prior to Arturo Vidal, the last Juventus player able to score a hat-trick in a <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23UCL&src=hash">#UCL</a> game was Filippo Inzaghi (September 2000). Warrior.</p>
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) <a href="https://twitter.com/OptaPaolo/statuses/405810470436601856">November 27, 2013</a>
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<p>Juventus going on the road for their final game with everything to play for? The more things change, the more they stay the same. Felipe Melo, we're coming for you, my friend.</p>
<p><b>Random thoughts and observations</b></p>
<ul>
<li>Pay Arturo Vidal <i>all</i> the money. I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating.<br><br>
</li>
<li><span>There were no goals for Fernando Llorente on Wednesday night. He only had one shot total against Copenhagen, ya know. But this next sentence is also true: Llorente was one of Juventus' best players on the night. He absolutely battled all game — exemplified by his winning the penalty that led to Vidal's second goal. He just continues to build on each performance. That's what you want to see, and he's delivering even when he isn't finding the back of the net.<br><br></span></li>
<li><span>It had to be Olof Mellberg scoring Copenhagen's goal, didn't it? Yeah, thought so.<br><br></span></li>
<li><span>Andrea Pirlo: 94 touches, 85 percent pass success rate. If Vidal was leading the charge, Pirlo was driving the bus. Some of his passes were ones you only see a small number of players even try and fewer be successful with. For Pirlo, though, he makes them with the upmost of ease. A vintage kind of performance from a vintage kind of player.<br><br><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<p>Pirlo is making the Old Lady sing tonight.</p>
— James Horncastle (@JamesHorncastle) <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesHorncastle/statuses/405795496545226752">November 27, 2013</a>
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<li><span>Martin Caceres is such a luxury to have on this roster. And it's performances like he had against Copenhagen — seven tackles, more than twice as many as anybody on the opposing team — that makes me appreciate him even that much more. Some might have had negative thoughts pop into their head when they saw Andrea Barzagli wasn't called up due to injury. Not with Caceres around. Juve's defense didn't miss a beat.<br><br>And bonus points for the celebration with Vidal on the Chilean's third and final goal. It's like their pretty good buddies or something like that...<br><br></span></li>
<li><span>Gigi Buffon had to make a save. Compared to what he did against Livorno on Sunday — hint hint: absolutely nothing — he was busy as hell.<br><br></span></li>
<li><span>Who's ready for some Turkey?</span></li>
</ul>
https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2013/11/28/5152710/uefa-champions-league-juventus-fc-copenhagen-final-score-initial-reactionDanny Penza2013-11-27T19:15:02+01:002013-11-27T19:15:02+01:00Game Time Thread: Juventus vs. FC Copenhagen
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<figcaption>Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno</figcaption>
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<p>Juventus' Champions League fait is down to all of 180 minutes. Ninety minutes in Turin, 90 minutes in Istanbul, Turkey. Not exactly the ideal situation, isn't it? But that's the reality, and Juve only have to look at themselves as to why they're currently in this little predicament.</p>
<p>And guess what? Those first 90 minutes are upon us.</p>
<p>Juventus enter tonight's crucial Champions League game looking up at everybody else in Group B. Yes, that includes tonight's opponent, FC Copenhagen. The same FC Copenhagen who was basically picked to finish last by everybody who even knew a little bit about Europe's premier club competition.</p>
<p>That may well be the case come a couple weeks from now when the group stages are over and done with, but right now it's Juventus that's in last place, not Copenhagen. And in order to change that, Antonio Conte and his squad are going to have to change things up — and in a hurry.</p>
<p>Three points in four games is Juventus' reality. To change that and dig themselves out of the hole they are currently trying to fight out of, there's just one option of what they need to do.</p>
<p>It's time to double up and leave it all up for grabs in Istanbul, gents.</p>
<p>And let us come away with three points. There's just no other way around it.</p>
<p><i>UPDATE: LINEUPS ARE IN!</i></p>
<p><b>Juventus XI (3-5-2):</b> Buffon; Caceres, Bonucci, Chiellini; Padoin, Vidal, Pirlo, Pogba, Asamoah; Tevez, Llorente</p>
<p><b>Juventus subs: </b>Storari, Ogbonna, Peluso, De Ceglie, Marchisio, Quagliarella, Vucinic</p>
<p><b>FC Copenhagen XI (4-5-1):</b> Wiland; Jacobsen, Mellberg, Sigurdsson, Bengtsson; Gislason, Claudemir, Delaney, Bolanos, Toutouh; Jorgensen</p>
<p><b>FC Copenhagen bench:</b> Jensen, Margreitter, Remmer, Kristensen, Santin, Pourie, Amankwaa</p>
https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2013/11/27/5098982/uefa-champions-league-game-time-thread-juventus-vs-fc-copenhagenDanny Penza2013-11-26T19:50:58+01:002013-11-26T19:50:58+01:00Juventus vs. FC Copenhagen: The clock is ticking
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<figcaption>Valerio Pennicino</figcaption>
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<p>It's not difficult to figure out what is currently standing in front of Juventus. There's 180 minutes left of the group stages and Juve are currently looking up at three teams in Group B. No, really. That's no typo., folks Through four group matches, all Juventus have to show for it is three draws and a loss.</p>
<p>You can probably guess where I'm going with this.</p>
<p>Juventus need points in the worst possible way. There's not just one team to jump over in the standings to get into the next round, but two. The first opportunity comes in Turin Wednesday night when Juve host FC Copenhagen. Yeah, the same Copenhagen squad that Juve played out a 1-1 draw in Denmark back in the middle of September.</p>
<p>But that was then — a different kind of period in time this season. And as we've come to see the past four or five weeks, that Juventus is not the same as the current Juventus team that went toe to toe with Real Madrid and hasn't allowed a goal in five straight Serie A games.</p>
<p>It's fairly certain that Good Juventus will have to show up these next 180 minutes if there's any chance of Antonio Conte and Co. getting to the knockout round. There's no other way around it. Playing Copenhagen at Juventus Stadium is one thing, but going to a hostile atmosphere in Istanbul is another.</p>
<p>To have a chance for the trip to Turkey to mean just as much as Juve's trip to Ukraine a year ago, there's only one thing that they need to do — win, win, win.</p>
<p>In conclusion: I like the Champions League anthem. I don't want to stop listening to the Champions League anthem before Juventus games when the calendar flips over to 2014. I'd like to hear it some more at Juventus Stadium. And not some video on YouTube, either. The real deal, you guys.</p>
<p>So, Juventus, make sure we're listening to said anthem in February. It'd be really cool.</p>
<p><b>GOOD NEWS</b></p>
<p>Juventus' first eight Serie A games: 10 goals allowed.</p>
<p>Juventus' last five Serie A games: 0 goals allowed.</p>
<p>I know this is the Champions League and all, but this needed to be pointed out.</p>
<p><b>BAD NEWS</b></p>
<p>Injuries — because what else have we filled this preview space with lately?</p>
<p>Stephan Lichtsteiner, Mauricio Isla, Andrea Barzagli, Sebastian Giovinco and Simone Pepe all miss out due to injury. Some of those names are not a surprise, some are recently added to the list.</p>
<p>Have I mentioned yet that I miss Stephan Lichtsteiner? Because I miss Stephan Lichtsteiner.</p>
<p><b>WHAT TO WATCH FOR</b></p>
<p>1. Which formation Juventus rolls with, 3-5-2 or 4-3-3?</p>
<p>The first time around against Copenhagen,. there was no debate. Conte had his 3-5-2 and that was that. No need to debate it, no need to even talk about it — at all. That non-debate was put to bed when Conte went back to a 4-3-3 when Juve played in Madrid last month. The non-debate became a, well, debate again. Should Juve go with a 3-5-2 or 4-3-3 from now on in Europe? The results are the results. Against Madrid, it was 4-3-3. Against Copenhagen, it's more of a guessing game. Different team and tactics, of course, but the 4-3-3 has worked in Europe — so why go away from it all the sudden?</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
<p>Conte: We've used two systems of play in the <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23UCL&src=hash">#UCL</a>. Tomorrow we'll look to play the system that gives us the most guarantees. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23JuveCopenhagen&src=hash">#JuveCopenhagen</a></p>
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/statuses/405322602186432512">November 26, 2013</a>
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<p>2. Who plays on the right wing — regardless of formation.</p>
<p>The status of Lichtsteiner and Isla remains exactly the same as it was a few days ago. That means Juve will, again, be without its starting right back and the immediate backup. And if Conte does go with a 3-5-2 <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/LoStileJuve/status/405246529247907840">like some people are suggesting</a>, then it's down to either to Martin Caceres or Simone Padoin. But I like Uruguayans with high socks, so you probably know who'd I'd like to start.</p>
<p>3. Who plays in the absence of Andrea Barzagli.</p>
<p>While Juventus will have a pair of players — Leonardo Bonucci and Angelo Ogbonna — back from the squad that traveled to Tuscany to face Livorno, the odds of the Great Wall of Barza playing have officially been set at zero after Conte ruled him out.</p>
<blockquote data-partner="tweetdeck" class="twitter-tweet">
<p>Conte: Barzagli will not feature in tomorrow's game. We're relaxed about the situation, Caceres is doing very well. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23JuveCopenhagen&src=hash">#JuveCopenhagen</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23UCL&src=hash">#UCL</a></p>
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/statuses/405321984927481856">November 26, 2013</a>
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<p>Basic logic would tell you that the natural replacement for Barzagli on the right side of Juve's three-man defense is Caceres. But since the options are pretty limited on the right wing, it's not all that certain. Could Ogbonna take over in the middle and push Bonucci to the right? It's possible. But I like Uruguayans with high socks, so you probably know who'd I'd like to start.</p>
<p>4. The ever-improving rapport between Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente.</p>
<p>Consider both Tevez and Llorente scoring goals against Livorno as the latest chapter in the story. Or, you can think of it however the heck you want. Either way, Tevez and Llorente are starting to click. It's not just the goals, but the entire package that comes with the Tevez-Llorente combo finding its stride. The combination play between the two seems to get better as the games go by, and so does the overall understanding. The general assumption was that whenever it clicked, this would be Juve's No. 1 partnership. Well, it's done just that — and now it seems as though Conte is seeing what we all are, too.</p>
<p>5. The impact of Kwadwo Asamoah.</p>
<p>The highlight of Asamoah's game against Livorno was the run he made that led to Llorente's opener. It's pretty easy to figure that one out. But it wasn't just that memorable run that made his game so good, as <a target="_blank" href="http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2013/11/25/5142818/livorno-0-2-juventus-beauty-and-the-beast-sink-livorno">a certain Ivo Andov</a> discussed in his match review. The more Asamoah was involved, the more of an impact he had. That's not all that surprising considering that can be said for a lot of players — you see more of the ball, you have a better chance to do something good. And there's no doubting Asamoah did plenty of good against Livorno. Now, to build on it...</p>
<p><b>My starting XI (3-5-2):</b> Buffon; Bonucci, Ogbonna, Chiellini; Caceres, Vidal, Pirlo, Pogba, Asamoah; Llorente, Tevez</p>
<p><i>OR</i></p>
<p><b>My starting XI (4-3-3):</b> Buffon; Caceres, Bonucci, Chiellini, Asamoah; Vidal, Pirlo, Pogba; Vucinic, Llorente, Tevez</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><b style="text-align: center;">OFFICIAL KICKOFF TIME: 8:45 P.M. IN ITALY; 2:45 P.M. ON THE EAST COAST; 11:45 A.M. ON THE WEST COAST</b></p>
https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2013/11/26/5141338/uefa-champions-league-preview-juventus-fc-copenhagen-please-win-please-winDanny Penza