JUVENTUS

After a year in purgatory, Juventus are ready for their Serie A return and already have set their sights on a new target – challenging Inter for the Scudetto. Serafino Ingardia reports

A-live & kicking

Alessandro Del Piero is Juventus’ all-time top scorer and has made over 500 appearances for the club

Last summer the Calciopoli tornado knocked out one of the most successful teams in Serie A. But after a painful year in the Second Division, Juventus are almost back to the more familiar surroundings of Italian football. Their Cadetti campaign hasn’t been the easiest, but the Bianconeri approached ‘Year

Juventus have thrown down the gauntlet to the Interisti, but it remains to be seen whether they will be able to fight for the Scudetto

Gianluigi Buffon is recognised as the best goalkeeper in the world and Juventus cannot afford to lose him in the summer

Zero’ of their history with courage. Some may have thought the Old Lady could have done more, yet they still reached the top of the table with ability and determination. “It has been a hard year, we all know this, but the most important thing was to come back to Serie A,” said President Giovanni Cobolli Gigli. “We accepted the drop to Serie B with a points deduction even if we didn’t agree, now we are taking back what’s ours.”

Starting from a ‘freezing’ minus 17 points, which was then reduced to nine, the Bianconeri have spent the last nine months touring around the lesser known sights of the peninsula transforming Serie B into a fascinating League. They were welcomed by overcrowded stadia and provincial teams who felt blessed by the presence of such illustrious guests. This was the hardest part of the game for the Bianconeri, since their rivals were ready to fight harder than ever before for a moment of glory. Brescia’s Matteo Serafini perhaps summed it up best after scoring a sensational hat-trick against the Torinesi. “This is the greatest day of my career,” he beamed. “Scoring three goals against Juventus is a dream come true. I could stop playing football after this.” Juve have had to adapt quickly to such a small reality, but the club has also had a great impact on Serie B, with an increase in ticket sales and public attention. “It was not easy to play against such small teams, who would give their lives just to beat you. They know so much about us, but we don’t even know their players,” claimed Juve boss Didier Deschamps.

24 Calcio Italia June 2007