Calcio Debate: Juve Fans Should Support Real Madrid

If it wasn’t already patently obvious beforehand, Juventus really are in crisis now following their 2-1 defeat at Napoli last night, a result which means they could drop to as low as 14th in Serie A by the end of today, and also find themselves seven points behind the league leaders.

Juve have not won in five games, with the last two of these being defeats. If the Old Lady were to make it a hat-trick of losses against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night, then surely the Juventus management team would have no other option but to dismiss Claudio Ranieri.

If Juve are somehow able to sneak a win, or a draw, then the Tinkerman may yet live to tinker for another day. In view of this, there is no doubt in my mind that every Juventino should transform into a Real Madrid fan in Turin, in order to ensure that Ranieri is sacked.

The simple truth of the matter, as I have said on many occasions, is that Ranieri just is not up to the job at Juventus. Against Napoli, he made some simply horrific substitutions, once again, which ultimately cost his side the match. With the game open at 1-1, Ranieri took off one of his two attackers, Alex Del Piero and, bizarrely, brought on a defender, Paolo De Ceglie. Napoli were immediately handed the initiative, and it was then inevitable that they would grab the winner, which they did through Ezequiel Lavezzi.

Juve will win no major trophies under Ranieri, so it really is in the best interest of everyone associated with the club that he is out of the door as soon a possible. A defeat against Real Madrid would not be the end of the world. The other realistic challenger for the second spot in Group H, Zenit St Petersburg, are four points behind Juve, so a loss at the Stadio Olimpico won’t change all that much, although it would complicate the away trips to both Madrid and Saint Petersburg.

The worst thing that could happen to Juventus on Tuesday is if they beat Real Madrid because that would mean Ranieri keeping his job for a little while longer.

What are your views on this topic? Should Juve fans support Real Madrid on Tuesday night so that Ranieri will then be sacked? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think...

Carlo Garganese