Football Dissected

Juventus, the most successful team in the history of Italian football, returns to the top-flight of Italian football this season after their one season spell in Series B following their match-fixing scandal verdict over a year ago. The Old Lady of Italian football will be hoping for immediate success in Series A, especially since their busy transfer season so far.

Argentina central midfielder Sergio Almirón arrives from Empoli for a reported €9 million. Almirón was a key component in getting Empoli qualification for the UEFA Cup in the 2006-07 season as he provided protection for the back four in his holding midfield role.

Ex-Chelsea midfielder Tiago also arrives at Juventus from Lyon for a reported €13 million. The midfielder’s enjoyed great success with the unstoppable French winning-machine with winning his second Ligue 1 title last season, Lyon’s sixth consecutive league title, but now he looks set to enter a completely different football arena in Series A that will certainly be more competitive than the French Ligue 1 with the likes of Milan, Inter, Roma and even Udinese.

Manager Claudio Ranieri is certainly going to continue to be busy in the transfer market. Pavel Nedved and Alessandro Del Piero, the aging veterans of the black and white shirt, are already into their thirties and with age comes tired legs. Players like Marco Marchionni and Vincenzo Iaquinta are certainly going to be tested in the upcoming season. Other players like the solidly-built Jorge Andrade, who arrives from Deportivo de La Coruña, and the vastly experienced Hasan Salihamidžić, who arrives from Bayern Munich, will no doubt be tested as well as they enter an entirely new league. Juventus will be hoping they can get off to a good start with the team they're built.