Juventus away 25th November - pre match thread

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Hart

Zabaleta
Otamendi
Mangala
Clichy

Fernando

Fernandinho
Yaya Toure

Navas
De Bruyne
Aguero


Bring on Sterling for Sergio in the 2nd half.
 
cleavers said:
karen7 can you post some text with those media tags, as they don't work for me and others.
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Juventus v City: Opposition View
Juventus v City: Opposition View
@markbooth_mcfc / views of @Minarzouki
2015-11-24 11:38:00

The view from the other side ahead of Wednesday night's UEFA Champions League showdown with Juventus. We caught up with Italian football aficionado Mina Rzouki (BBC, Mirror, CNN, BT Sport, ESPN) to find out what's changed at the Juventus Stadium since our meeting in September, whether there are any weaknesses for City to exploit, and if Paulo Dybala really is the "new Sergio Aguero"...


MCFC: Juventus endured a tumultuous start to the season following a busy summer of transfer activity - was the victory over City on Match Day One a turning point?
MZ: I think all it proved is that in Europe, Juventus are confident of their abilities and no longer scared of disappointing. They realise their worth. However, that win did nothing for them in the league, they continued to lose matches and performances are still inconsistent and disjointed.

What that win over City did indicate is that tactically Massimiliano Allegri is better than most coaches and when he can play his best men in the best shape available to him, Juventus are always capable of a win. In the league he has tinkered and rotated too often, perhaps underestimating the opponent, causing confusion but in Europe, players raise their performance levels and the best men line up to fight for maximum points.


MCFC: Your take on the two draws with Borussia Monchengladbach?
MZ: Missed opportunities. Juventus showed us last season that when the opponent is a big club then the performance will be exceptional but if Juve are favourites, they tend to let their guard down endangering themselves. This happened with Monaco last season and happened against Monchengladbach this time around.

In the second leg, played in Germany, the performance was better but sadly Hernanes was sent off and it became too hard to fight such a physically determined side with only 10 men. A draw was all they could realistically manage.

MCFC: Following the weekend win over Milan, there seems to be a few injuries accumulating - are there any weaknesses City can exploit?

MZ: The beauty of tactical versatility means opponents can never quite be sure what shape or strategy the Old Lady will opt to play. The Italians will be without Sami Khedira and Patrice Evra but Allegri can easily change formations to ensure absences won't play a major role.

What I can say is that without Khedira, the midfield will miss quite a bit of intelligence and experience which may mean possession is wasted more often while Juve's passing game won't be as incisive as it needs to be.

Alex Sandro is set to play in Evra's place. Defensively he is not as sound and that may give City an opportunity to attack Juve's left wing. However, he is showing himself to be offensively valuable while his ability to get back in time means he can make up for his mistakes.

One thing that has always proved to hinder the Old Lady is heavy pressing. This is still an inexperienced side considering the number of youngsters in the team. If City can press or exert pressure on whomever has the ball then perhaps they can win back possession in advantageous positions to launch swift attacks. Speed and pressure can hurt most Italian sides.


MCFC: How far do you think the Old Lady will go in this year's UEFA Champions League?
MZ: It all depends on whether they will finally click or not. Last year, it took a change of formation against Olympiakos for Allegri's vision to really emerge. From then on, you could see the balance, the cohesion and fluidity within the team.

The difference is that this season they are missing experienced individuals and key figures in the dressing room who made a real difference. By that I don't only mean Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez but others such as second choice goalkeeper Marco Storari who alongside his wife, were Juve's biggest cheerleaders and capable of uniting the team and their respective families.

If Khedira can avoid injuries and Dybala continues to improve then perhaps Juventus can reach quarter-finals considering their tactical versatility.


MCFC: Is Dybala the "new Aguero" as he's dubbed?
MZ: Like Sergio Aguero, Paulo Dybala boasts balance, acceleration and a knack for scoring winners but unlike the City forward, he's not as physically imposing or capable of beating his man.

In Italy at the moment, they are likening him to Carlos Tevez and he has scored 6 in 13 matches - which is in fact more than the former number 10 managed. However, when compared to other Argentines currently stealing the limelight in other leagues, it's clear Dybala has different skills.

Extraordinarily technical, his movement is intelligent and while he has been quick to grasp Juve's patterns of play, he is yet to understand how to contribute to a team in other ways. For example, when out of possession, he can be guilty of confusing his teammates with his runs back when he needs to better understand the overall strategy.

Breathtakingly determined, he has slowly worked to improve his physical stature while he's been at Juventus, bulking up and adding muscle to make himself a little sturdier. He must learn how to better stand his ground if he wants to score the necessary goals. A quick thinker, what will eventually make him a Juve hero is if, like Tevez before him, he improves his decision making in the final third to ensure goals.

Right now, he's too inexperienced to lead the front line.


MCFC: How are City perceived in Italy?
MZ: Manchester City, like I assume in other countries, are looked upon as a team capable of winning the Champions League. Rich with talent and capable of further flexing their financial muscle, one cannot help but think there is a psychological barrier they must overcome to win. Like with Juventus before, it's tough to replicate league brilliance in Europe and the English side are yet to learn how to adapt to different teams and still play with courage and conviction.

Tactical intelligence is also hugely important. Juventus were a strong team winning all before them under Antonio Conte but still losing in Europe. Massimiliano Allegri arrived and immediately set about introducing different ideas and showing them how to tactically adapt to different situations and that made all the difference.

In the Champions League, a team faces so many different styles of play and formations and to ensure winning, one must have a plan A, Plan B and Plan C if, unlike Barcelona, their first plan isn't quite as wonderful.

City are looked upon as tactically naive at times with players not quite understanding how to remain disciplined and how to suffer through certain situations to ensure a result .


MCFC: Predicted Juve starting XI?
MZ: 4-3-3 (can morph into 3-5-2 by replacing either S. Lichtsteiner or J. Cuadrado with A. Barzagli)

Buffon; Alex Sandro, Chiellini, Bonucci, Lichtsteiner; Pogba, Marchisio, Sturaro; Dybala, Morata, Cuadrado.


MCFC: Score prediction?
MZ: 1-1


***

Follow Mina on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/#!/minarzouki






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karen7 said:





No dave or vinny training
Click to expand...


4e6f08dc886131ee5b96ace47bba0784.jpg
 
Ian Cheeseman now saying Zabaleta won't be travelling either. Seems odd, as he was on the training pictures today.

2309191_w2.jpg
 
Ogden also saying Zabaleta and Mangala didn't travel, along with Silva, Kompany, Bony and Nasri. Going to be a weak bench tomorrow.
 
Hart
Sagna Demichelis Otamendi Kolarov
Fernando
Navas(KdB) Yaya Dinho KdB(Sterling)
Aguero

Sounds like Zab, Mangler & Kompany all out so no choice but to play Demichelis. Would rather Clichy in, but probably too big a game to bring him back into after such a lengthy period off.
Expecting similar line up to Sevilla with Aguero replacing Bony. Not sure who won't play out of Navas, KdB or Sterling though.
 
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