Season 2003/2004

Conclusions	Players	Matches	Goals
Summary sponsors	Squad Transfers Best Discoveries Disillusions	Best Worst Championship League	Important Catastrophic

Summary

The season started with the game for Italian Supercup which was hold in New-York. The main time was finished with a draw 0:0, and in additional time "Juventus" and "Milan" scored once each. In penalty serie Old Signora was stronger this time. Good! Then followed traditional Berlusconi Cup, in which "Juventus" triumphed again. In this match the newcomers of bianco-neri showed their best - Nicola Legrottalie did not allow Shevchenko to do something in attack, and Stephen Appiah was active during all the game and distinguished himself with a goal assist. Except these two players, before this season Juve was strenghtened with forward Fabrizio Miccoli, who returned from loan in "Peruggia", where he was demonstrating sparkling and useful performance. Other acquirements were absent, but, it seemed, that they weren't necessary - the team showed last season that was able to reach maximum results, and now, at the beginning of the new season, Juve already has got two tropheys and, that is more pleasant, has defeated "Milan" twice. Let's go, climb new tops!

"Juventus" started in Serie A perfectly - "Empoli" got 5 balls into it's net, and only at the end of the match answered with the one. At the second lap "Chievo" was defeated in Verona, and here we must admit that during the match bianco-neri had to chase the foe after the ball was missed from penalty kick at the middle of the first half. Former player of donkeys Legrottalie equalized the score quite rapidly, and at the same beginning of the second half Trezeguet scored victorious ball. In the third lap the impressive match against "Roma" was played in "Delle Alpi", at the start of which DelPiero was injured and substituted for DiVaio. Exactly Marco became the hero of that match - he scored twice, after which Juve was leading, but every time the wolves found powers to answer with their goal. Another interesting match was played against "Bologna" in the fifth lap. Having missed from penalty kick again, Juve replied with the goal of Juliano, but could not score victorious ball for a long time. Untill 80th minute, when Trezeguet realized penalty kick appointed for the foul against Zambrotta - Gianluka broke through into the box by diagonal from the left, pushed the ball on the move fof himself and stumbled on the leg of the Bologna's defender Zaccardo. The penalty kick was fair, but after the match Zambrotta confessed that could not to fall but for the reasons of victory decided to. On the contrary, Zaccardo, who broke the rules, told journalists that yes, he fouled against Zambrotta. Ukrainian TV-observers, of course, preffered not to mention about confess of Zaccardo and now and there brought back this episode and cursed cheater Zambrotta. Of course, if Shevchenko was on his place, they would cry why this damned rough Zaccardo was not disqualified... Well, we could not expect something else from our observers, but another fact is ridiculous - on what reason the players became so honest!

Then "Ancona" and "Brescia" were defeated, and in the 8th lap on the last minutes DiVaio saved Old Signora from defeat on "San Sirro". The match against "Milan" was played with equal chances on success, but at the beginning of the second half after corner Tomasson pushed the ball into Buffon's goal. After this bianco-neri created numeral moments to score but everytime Milan's goalkeeper Dida demonstrated the miracles of the craft. But even he could not help his team against the super-shot of DiVaio on the 85th minute. From the depth of the field the ball flight to Trezeguet, who with one touch passed it to DiVaio, and Marco from outside the box sent the flying ball near the right bar from the keeper - Dida jumped good, but unuseful. In the next lap some problems appeared with "Udinese" - once again Old Signora had to save herself after missed ball from penalty kick. Only for 12 minutes untill the end of the match Juve players appeared able to equalize the score, and after that the defence of "Udinese" tumbled down, having missed 3 more goals for 10 minutes. "Modena" was gifted with two goals in the 10th lap, and after that it became possible to make some conclusions of the season's start. "Juventus" was on the top - 8 victories and 2 draws with main competitors for scudetto, 26 points from 30 possible. Perfect!

And here, as the thunder in clear sky, happened the defeat from "Inter" in "Delle Alpi". And then there were two goals from "Lazio" in the 12th lap and from "Galatasaray" in League... Three defeats in a row! Some horrible dream! But Lippi preserved calumny, claiming that there is no any crisis in game of his team - just unlucky circumstances. And really, already after the rediculous defeats "Juventus" played his two best matches in this season, having crashed "Olympiakos" and "Parma". In Champions League Juve, as it was expected, took the first place in group, having got in the start three laps the wins under all rivals - "Galatasaray", "Olympiakos" and "Real Sociedad". Having obtained the first position, in the second circle Juve allowed himself to rest, presenting three points to turks (in Gelsenkirhen, where the match was played because it was complicated inner situation in Turkey, group of the main players was absent), sharing the points with basks and smashing the greeks. So, it was all right in Champions League. And untill the end of the first circle in Serie A some matches more had to be played. The three of them were won, and only from Lecce Juve players hardly escaped with the point - but after the supremacy that the southern team had during that match it was success. Perfect football was performed by "Juventus" and "Sampdoria" in the 16th lap in Genua - as to me, it was one of the best matches in this championship. And in the 14th lap interesting event happened, that did not concern Juve, but still... In the game of "Lazio" against "Inter" in "Stadio Olympico" in the second half Almeyda, argentine midfield of nero-azouri, roughly broke the rules - in fact, he already had yellow card. Arbiter took his book with cards with the idea to show the second yellow card, but Almeyda did not get lost and, having catched the cards from arbiter's hands, hide them beside his neck. During several minutes players and arbiter tried to persuade argentine to return the cards - it was quite interesting to watch all this. Unfortunatelly, eventually clever player had to leave the field...

The second circle started not very luckily - with fantastic draw 3:3 against "Empoli". Three times forward of "Empoli" Tomaso Rocchi made his team to lead in score and three times David Trezeguet equalized the score. It was exciting match and it had to be among the best in this season if Juve's competitor was not the outsider of Serie A... And already in the third lap of the second circle the ambitions of Old Signora on scudetto were severely damaged - the match against "Roma" was lost purely. But in the next four matches Juve got four victories and the distance to leading "Milan" consisted only of six points. The two of these four matches must be admitted. In the 22th lap in the boring match Juliano again made "Bologna" to surrender. I think that nobody will be surprised if I say that again the roar appeared that the ball was made from off-side. But another fact is interesting - central defender Juliano scored three balls for last two seasons, and all of them to "Bologna"! And in the 24th lap "Juventus" took hard victory under "Brescia" - having missed two goals in the first half, Juve scored three in the second. And here wicked tongues started to cry that the victory of Old Signora was not fair - they used to say that the first goal Juve scored from wrong penalty kick. And why I'm not surprised of hearing that? And the next two goals "Brescia", thay said, missed while being vexed, being "morally destroyed with unfair penalty". But who's to blame that they are so morally weak? Let they better watch on Miccoli, who performed that penalty kick for three times! Arbiter did not like something...

It seemed that the things was going to become better, but "the black week" at the beginning of March abridged "Juventus" of all tropheys. After the defeat 0:1 in La-Coruna from "Deportivo", "Juventus" preserved good chances to appear in semi-final, but the goal of Pandiani at the same beginning of the second match broke all hopes - Old Signora left the Champions League. In addition, in this match DelPiero was injured. A few days later, in the Sunday of 14th March, in "Delle Alpi" against "Milan", one third of Juve's main squad was absent and the game was lost 1:3, that meant for Old Signora the end of struggle for scudetto. And more three days later, in Wednesday, in the first final match for Italian Cup against "Lazio" already almost the half of squad was absent - players of the youth team were sitting on the bench. The defeat 0:2 - and it is almost the end of fight for national Cup.

Here we must say a couple of words about how "Juventus" reached the final of Italian Cup. Any problems were absent in quarterfinal against "Peruggia", but in semifinal against "Inter" Old Signora showed the miracles of heroism. In first match in "Delle Alpi" the draw 2:2 (doubles of DiVaio and Adriano) was fixed, and also there were the disqualification of Inter's goalkeeper Francesco Toldo for his playing with hands outside the borders of penalty zone. Somehow or other, the score was in nero-azouri's favour, and it was quite clear. That's why, apparently, "Juventus" stepped on the field of "Giuseppe Meazza" in the second match without Buffon, Nedved, Trezeguet, Thuram and Tacchinardi. Milan's team would be satisfied with the unresultive draw on their field, but they did not seem to play on this score - already on the 7th minute Adriano scored. Stankovic with an exact cross made brazilian forward to appear one-to-one with Chimenti (Legrottalie made a mistake when Juve's defence performed an artificial off-side), who, having run from the box, accellerated too much and missed to kick the ball! Of course, it was not too hard for Adriano to target the empty goal. After this Inter missed some good moments more - Vieri shooted the right bar, and Kily Gonsalez - the cross-bar. Then came Juve's answer. After the performance of free kcik on the 41th minute, as it happens, Tudor appeared the most quick in the mess near the goal. And at once Igor, who was injured, was shifted for Trezeguet - Lippi was going to fight for the final. The second half also started with the attacks of "Inter", but this time Juve did not allow nero-azouri to create something threatening and got the initiative in own hands - Lippi cast on the field DelPiero and Nedved. The defence of Milan's club started to crack, and on the 66th minute columbian defender Ivan Cordoba with the price of red card stopped the voyage of Nedved into Inter's penalty zone. Having obtained the advantage in the number of players, "Juventus" started to attack more agressive. DelPiero kicked dangerously twice, and twice Inter's players pushed the ball into the corner. Performance of the second corner gave result. "Juventus" almost was in final! Unfortunatelly, when the last added minute was going on (the fifth, besides!) "Inter" equalized the score. Stankovic crossed from left wing, besides the farthest bar Emre overjumped Zambrotta and shooted near the bar. Chimenti in the agonized effort saved the goal and fall, but Adani was the one who appeared first near the ball. The game followed in additional time, but something interesting was absent then. The fate of the right to play in final had to be defined in penalty serie. "Inter" kicked it not baad - only Vieri missed the last kick- Chimenti saved his shoot at the left corner. "Juventus" kicked just perfectly - why they could not do that in the League's final last season? And if I did not doubt in success of DelPiero, Nedved, Miccoli and Maresca, the good kick of Legrottalie pleasantly surprised me. All bianco-neri shooted exactly, at the region of high corners of the goal, so, I think, that if even not Fontana but disqualified Toldo was at the goal of "Inter", he would not help it anyway. Somehow or other, but "Juventus" came to the final of Italian Cup!

After "the black week" Lippi proclaimed the new task for the season - the second place in Serie A. It still was possible to fight for. The next lap after the defeat from "Milan" Juve played in Udine. The game was interesting, with the great number of dangerous moments, but nobody scored. The most interesting episode happened in the middle of the second half - fast counter-attack of "Udinese" was broken by Pessotto with... hanging on the leg of rival! Having lost the struggle in speed and force near the central circle, Gianluka fell but, rejecting to recognize own defeat, he catched the leg of running away foe with both his hands - and the most rediculous that the stubborn rival almost reached the central line, having trailed Pessotto about 5 meters before surrender! Arbiter, also to my great surprise, decided that this break of the rules was worth only of warning. Very generous, indeed... But still, the second place is not the aim to be fighted for with all means, so three matches more were lost - with struggle to "Inter", without struggle - to "Lecce" and "Peruggia". Not in a row, still. Between the defeats from "Inter" and "Lecce" Juve played good victory under "Lazio" (here was the sence to fight - Juve has not won the eagles since 1999!) and vivid match with "Parma", which struggled with "Inter" for the fourth place in Serie A and the right to play in Champions League. In "Ennio Tardini" Gelardino scored closer to the end of the first half, and the biggest part of the second half Old Signora in vain tried to equalize the score, and the team from Italy's milk capital made dangerous counter-attacks. At last, on the 78th minute luck smiled to DiVaio, and he scored. "Parma" needed the points like the air, and they rushed to Buffon's goal, and did their best - Gelardino scored once more. But they did not cheer for a long time - on the 90 minute Tudor equalized the score. And again "Parma" went to storm Juve's goal, and spent all added time near it, but without any success. And during the last thirty seconds Juve performed classic counter-attack - DiVaio near far bar finished partner's cross from the left wing. Corner of the goal was empty, but the ball flew near the bar. It was fair and kenn draw, but finally it appeared very expensive to "Parma" - after the end of the championship "Parma" found itself for a point besides "Inter". Very sorry, even I agreed for Juve's defeat in that match - only not to see "Inter" in Champions League next season... Juve did not need anything at that time - it could neither climb the second place nor fall into the fourth... In the last laps of championship bianco-neri did their best and won the last home and outside matches of Marcello Lippi as the main coach of "Juventus" - the Coach of Wise was leaving his job.

But Lippi could leave with a trophey if not that black week in march... After defeat in the first final match of Italian Cup "Juventus" had to score twice as minimum, and Old Signora solved that task. After a careful start of the second final on the 20th minute David Trezeguet, after Birindelli's cross from the left wing, overjumped Favalli and Mihailovic and targeted the goal of Sereni. After that "Lazio" lead the game, but the score did not change before the break. And on the first minute of the second half Juve scored once more! Nedved near the left corner of the box won the struggle against Stam in the air (!) and sent the ball to Trezeguet, who appeared against Sereni by himself but failed to cheat goalkeeper of "Lazio", but the ball from Sereni bounced to DelPiero who targeted the empty goal. Roman advantage was annihilated - all began from the start! Pitifully, the defence betrayed again, and personally - Legrottalie. At first on the 69th minute Corradi scored his deathful goal, and on the 83th minute Juve's evil genius of last years - Stephano Fiore - resumed the result of the game. Mihailovic crossed to Corradi, Bernardo overjumped Legrottalie and assisted Fiore, who with his left leg sent the ball straight to the goal. Marcello Lippi said after the match: "We were holding the Cup in our hands but then gave it to "Lazio" by themselves..."

The second age of Marcello Lippi in "Juventus" is finished. Will he come back to start the third one? I think that nobody of Juve's fans will not mind that. But from now Marcello Lippi will work with national team of Italy, helping it to forget about Trappatoni's shame in World Cup 2002 and European Cup 2004. Goodbye, Marcello Lippi, thank you for all and good luck! But who will take your place? There is a small group of those who are worth to shift you, the great Coach of Wise or just the Man Who Wins.

Players

Best

I can not find one. The leader was absent this year, the leader who would be able to inspire the team. DelPiero was constantly injured, Trezeguet and Davids were busy with talking of their new contracts. Nedved one time tried to lead the team by himself but it appeared too difficult for him - especially after the perfect previous season. May be, here we must admit Miccoli, who was quite good in new team, and Zambrotta, who has not fallen lower than his level.

Discoveries

1. Fabrizio Miccoli.
Player, who already has belonged to "Juventus", returned from loan after he perfectly spent previous season in "Peruggia". Serious injure of DelPiero, which was got by Sandro in the third lap of Serie A, highly encreased chances of Fabrizio to appear in the main squad. Although even before that accident Miccoli appeared in the first squad - so, for example, in the first lap of championship Lippi constructed in attack the triangle of DelPiero-Trezeguet-Miccoli. During th eseason Fabrizio as appeared in the main squad, so was used for substitutions, but in any case his performance rare did not satisfy fans' expectations. Frequently Miccoli played not pure forward but a wing attacker, who had to assist a central forward - Trezeguet or DiVaio. Hence, Fabrizio scored less than David and Marco, but, as to me, 8 goals is not bad result for debutant. Frankly speaking, I did not believe in "pocket forward" and expected that he would repeat the unlucky play of Davide Bayocco, who also was one of Peruggia's leaders but appeared faded in "Juventus". For luck, I was mistaken. I hope that Fabrizio Miccoli will not stop on the reached success and will climb new football tops.

Disillusions

1. Nicola Legrottalie.
Already at the end of previous season it was well-know that Nicola would leave "Chievo", where he successefully played in the centre of defence, and would join "Juventus". The decision of Old Signora's bosses was quite wise - Juliano is already thirty, Thuram and Montero - over thirty, Ferrara - more over thirty. Of course, the experience in the defence is not less, but, may be, more important than all advantages of more young player, but in any case, earlier or later, it is necessary to attract younger players to squad, and Juve's bosses decided to start it while the veterans were demonstrating perfect perfomance. Pitifully, it thundered in this season and Legrottalie could not help it - his play was weak even on the background of faded Thuram and rough Montero. Nicola constantly did mistakes, frequently stupid mistakes (remember the match of 11th lap against "Inter", or his matches in Italian Cup), and was not resemble to himself of the previous season. Eventually "Juventus" missed 42 goals - more than in terrific season of 1999! - and Legrottalie was not summoned to Italian national team on Euro 2004 in Portugal. Of course, it would be unfair to blame only Nicola in all holes of defence, but his contribution is obvious, and after the end of the season it became clear that Legrottalie hardly will be the defender of the main squad (exactly in this purpose he was bought from Verona).

2. Stephan Appiah.
Stephan was loaned in "Parma" for a year, and I doubt that we'll see him in Juve's squad next season. In Serie A of 2002/2003 Appiah was one of the best in "Brescia" (where he also was in loan), but this season in "Juventus" he has not demonstrated that quality of the game that was expected of him. On the background of his weak performance the absence of Edgar Davids was clearly seen - deutch midfield left the team in winter and the player from Gana failed to replace him. But, in difference with Legrottalie, Appiah, I think, was not a lot expected of, and that's why Stephan is second in the list of disillusions.

Matches

Best

1. Juventus FC - Olympiakos 7:0 (Trezeguet'14'25, Miccoli'19, Maresca'28, DiVaio'62, DelPiero'67, Zalayeta'85). Sixth lap of Champions League Group tournament.
It is the best match not only of this season but also one of the best matches of "Juventus" that I have ever seen before. Somebody can object that the rival was too weak to do any conclusions, but "Olympiakos" is the champion of Greece! And in the fourth lap of League greeks defeated "Galatasaray" 3:0, who in the fifth lap scored two balls to Old Signora... So, the forces of competitors were quite comparable. The different thing that, may be, greeks had a bad day then - but it's their problem. There is no sense to describe the goals - it would take too many time. Another fact is intersting - all the forwards of Juve scored in this match!
After the match the bosses of "Olympiakos" did not fired ukrainian coach Oleg Protasov, but fined the players for "the lack of will for victory" - the thing quite surprising because they do not treat good coaches in Greece. Besides, something resemble we already have seen a year before, when "Dynamo Kyiv" was defeated 5:0 on "Delle Alpi" - then also "willess" players were blamed. But the true reason of those defeats of "Dynamo" and "Olympiakos" was different - jus too strong was "Juventus"! :) Protasov, anyway, was fired after some defeat in the Greek championship, but this did not help "Olympiakos" - "Panathinaikos" became the champion of Greece in 2004.

2. Juventus FC - Parma AFC 4:0 (Miccoli'10'33, DelPiero'71, Nedved'73). 13th lap of Serie A.
This match was played exactly after the brilliant victory under "Olympiakos" - and once again the foe was crushed! But the thing is not only in four goals. Before these two victories there were two defeats from "Inter" and "Lazio" that gave a source to the rumours about crisis in "Juventus". The victories under "Olympiakos" and "Parma" broke all these talks - "Juventus" returned to the struggle for scudetto. At first Miccoli scored from about 10 meters after assist from the right wing, and then, after the perfect cross from the center of the field, he by the diagonal broke through into the penalty ground and shooted the goal. In the second half DelPiero, who just had cured his injure, went on the substitution and at first scored by himself and two minutes later assisted to Nedved.

3. Juventus FC - Lazio SS 1:0 (Trezeguet'88). 29th lap of Serie A.
May be there were another matches in this season that may be the third best, but I would like to make an accent precisely on this game. The main reason is that it was the first victory under "Lazio" since 1999 - the first for last five years! And if we talk about matches on "DelleAlpi" - since 1998! You must agree, it's not ordinary event! This is at first. At second, the match was won already at the end of the season, when it became clear that scudetto was lost and the maximum result that could be reached was the second place. In difference with lost matches against "Lecce" and "Peruggia", this fact did not hamper Juve players to win. All match was spent in tough static play with rare appearance in rivals penalty ground, in which Old Signora was closer to success. Eventually she got it - on the 88th minute Camoranesi crossed from the right wing and Trezeguet appeared the faster player in roman box.

Worst

1. Roma AS - Juventus FC 4:0. 20th lap of Serie A.
Without any doubt, the most unluck game of the season! The third lap of the second circle, half the season is ahead, there are not bad chances to win in championship... and here is such a crash from one of the two main rivals! It was serious psychologic blow and the lost "match for six points". At the beginning of the second period "Juventus" already had missed two balls, but he found the powers to start his own dangerous attacks. May be, Juve would be able to play a draw, but Montero got second yellow card and the result of the match became clear. Later Lippi confessed that, when Montero was being send off, Tudor was stending on the border of the field to shift Paolo. He was late for some seconds... And Montero, having got several red cards this season, broke all the records of Serie A by the number of disqualifications. Do not lose yourself, Paolo, kill them all!

2. Juventus FC - FC Internazionale 1:3 (Montero'90+). 11th lap of Serie A.
It was a chill shower after the perfect start of the season, after 10 victories and 2 thrilling draws against "Roma" and "Milan". At the beginning of the match "Juventus" went on the goal of the enemy but failed to reach result at once. Meanwhile, "Inter" in one of it's counter-attacks got the right to perform a free kick, and it was perfectly served by argentine forward of nero-azouri Julio Ricardo Cruz. Later Cruz scored once more. All hopes to save the game in the middle of the second period were killed by Nicola Legrottalie - being with his neck to the enemy's part of the field, he passed the ball back to Buffon, but so slowly, that nigerian forward of "Inter" Obofemi Martins, who was behind Legrottalie, sneaked the ball and scored the goal. At the end of the game Montero scored the ball of prestige, but it was a weak consolation. It was first of the matches that became a characteristic of Juve in this season - bad play against grands...

Serie A matches

Eight best teams of serie A

Scorers

League Champions matches

Group tournament

Juventus FC - Galatasaray SK 2:1 (DelPiero'5, Ferrara'73).
Olympiakos - Juventus FC 1:2 (Nedved'21'79).
Juventus FC - Real Sociedad 4:2 (Trezeguet'3'63, DiVaio'7'45).
Real Sociedad - Juventus FC 0:0
Galatasaray SK - Juventus FC 2:0
Juventus FC - Olympiakos 7:0 (Trezeguet'14'25, Miccoli'19, Maresca'28, DiVaio'62, DelPiero'67, Zalayeta'85).

1/8 of final

Deportivo La Coruna - Juventus FC 1:0.
Juventus FC - Deportivo La Coruna 0:1.

Goals

Important

1. FC Internazionale - Juventus FC 2:2. DelPiero'78. Second semifinal match of Italian Cup.
After assist from the right corner DelPiero overjumped Farinos and sent the ball to the net of the goal. This ball gave chance to Old Signora to play in the final games for Italian Cup. Notwithstanding the score was equalized in additional time by Daniele Adani, exactyl DelPiero's goal opened for "Juventus" the gates to final.

Catastrophic

1. Juventus FC - Lazio SS 2:2. Corradi. Second final match of Italian Cup.
This goal killed all hopes of "Juventusâ" to win Italian Cup in 2004. Mihailovic served the corner from the left wing, Corradi appeared more strong than Legrottalie in the air and shooted the goal. And alsough it was more than 20 minutes till the end of the match, Old Signora was not able to score two goals more in that time. That's why the second ball of "Lazio" by Fiore was purely cosmetic - he saved the eagles from the defeat in definite match, but the Cup the roman team got at once after the goal of Bernardo Corradi.

2. Juventus FC - Deportivo La Coruna 0:1. Pandiani. Second match of 1/8 final of Champions League.
At the same beginning of the match Walter Pandiani, having got the assist from own part of the field, used the absence of reconciliation between two Juve's defenders and sent the ball to the goal of Buffon. "Juventus" was not able to score the three balls at that time, especially to "Deportivo", who in the quarter-final will squash 4:0 "Milan". The goal of Pandiani sent Juve off the Champions League, but it was not scored in final, and after this mishap Old Signora had chances to fight for scudetto and Italian Cup, so this goal gets only the second place.

Squad

Sure players of the first team are colored with blue, players frequently represented in first team - with green, rare representsd - with white.

Transfers

sponsors

Technical	Official in Serie A	Official in Champions League

Conclusions

Mark: 5 (from 15)

Realisation of opportunities: 33%.

Unfortunate season for "Juventus", but not more. Not dreadful, as 1999, and more better than any season of Ancelotti's age. Really, bianco-neri broke through from group tournament of Champions League, and victory in the final of Italian Cup could make this season quite successive - as absolutely right was admitted in 2000 by coach of "Lazio" Sven Goran Ericsson, "Italian Cup is unimportant trophey for those who have never hold it in their hands".

Unfortunatelly, the national cup also slipped away, alsough it could spend the next year in Turin. And I think that Italian Cup mainly was lost not in the second final in "Delle Alpi", when Old Signora failed to preserve the necessary result, but in Rome. At all, some 10 days at the beginning of spring hampered "Juventus" to get some trophey. At first the second match of one eighth of final of Champions League was lost to "Deportivo", then - the match of Serie A to "Milan", an after all - the first final match of Italian Cup to "Lazio". And there is some evil fate is hidden - the most important matches of the season had to be played during almost one week, and exactly during this distance of time Lippi could not use half of the main squad. If even one of these matches was played a week earlier or later, all could happen another way...

And it was more than just extraordinary situation with Italian Cup - the first final game was played in the middle of March, and the second - in the middle of May, two month later! Old Signora was much stronger in April and in May than in March, and if Italian Cup had traditional shedule, "Lazio" hardly would see it... To be fair, we must admit that not only the shedule left "Juventus" without national cup, but also the one single man - Stefano Fiore, who scored three(!) balls in final games to the goal of Chimenti. At all, Stefano Fiore became some curse of "Juventus". Only this season he has scored to Juve 4 balls, plus 2 in the previous! How here we can forget a wise strategy of Great Bill and his Tiny Soft: "If you can't defeat the enemy - buy him!" Such trick helped against Nedved... Anyway, after this season Fiore left Italy and came to "Valencia", and from now he would threaten Spainish grands. Thank God...

One more fact of this season I want to be accented on - the defeats of Juve from another great teams. All this defeats happened after the enemies of "Juventus" were defeated themselves, frequently with big scores, so they already had no rigth for mistake. So, for example, in the 11th lap Old Signora lost the match on "Delle Alpi" to "Inter" 1:3 after "Inter" was crashed on his field by "Arsenal" 1:5; in the 12th lap - the defeat 0:2 from "Lazio", after the eagles in previous lap were smashed 0:3 "Sienna". The most hurt defeat - 0:4 from "Roma" in the 20th lap followed after the wolves unexpectedly lost at home 0:1 to "Brescia". All these facts do not excuse "Juventus", but they show some total unluck that was following Old Signora during almost whole of this season.

After the season finished, I had some questions, answers to which I could not find myself. Why, having such holes in defence, Lippi persisted in not using Tudor in centre of defence? In the matches, when groatian player appeared on the field, he more frequently played on the position of central midfield, alsough, as to me, he would be more useful in the defence, according to all circumstances. I still have in my mind the second semifinal of Champions League of 2003 against "Real Madrid", when in the centre of defence Montero and Tudor played very-very good... If it was the great necessity to send Davids to loan? Yes, I understand that the player failed to agree his new contract and the club could not rely on deutch midfield next season, but why the did not allow Davids to finish this season in the team? May be, coaches and club bosses feared that Davids, knowing that he will not stay in Turin for next year, would not play with all his abilities? But it is impossible by definition - Edgar even in friendship games plays as if it were the most important game of his life, he is not the kind of player who can consciously play lower than he's able on the moment. And, in fact, many of Juve's problems started after Davids went from the team, and exactly after he appeared in "Barcelona" the team from capital of Catalonia started it's fantastic serie without defeats that consisted of 14 victories and 3 draws. I do not claim that all this stuff is entirely connected with Davids, but the fact remains...

And the last question. Juve's defenders have scored 8 goals this season. Would not it be better if they did their straight work?