With Asamoah, Isla, Lucio & Giovinco on board, Juventus are a world-class striker away from Champions League contention

Jul 7, 2012 1:00:00 PM

The Bianconeri have bought well so far this summer, and with one more vital addition they could now be potential winners in Europe

COMMENT
By Kris Voakes | Italian Football Editor

It was in February and March that Juventus suffered their first really testing time on the injury front in 2011-12. With Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli ruled out with short-term problems, La Vecchia Signora were left having to convert Arturo Vidal into a makeshift centre-back as people began to question whether their lack of depth would scupper their bid for the Serie A title.

Those testing times saw Juve draw six out of seven games, but they would win 10 of their last 11 when back to a full complement, to rob AC Milan of the title and return to the top of the Italian game. The next step is the top of Europe, and it appears that Antonio Conte and the club’s hierarchy are on the right track as they aim to strengthen their squad significantly enough to make a decent fist of the Champions League in 2012-13.

Last season, they had the likes of Simone Padoin, Marco Borriello and an ageing Alessandro Del Piero as their first alternatives in case of injury or suspension, but in the campaign ahead they will find themselves with a much stronger bench.

The double signings of Kwadwo Asamoah and Mauricio Isla from Udinese represents a huge step forward for the club. While the Chilean has shown fantastic form and versatility in any right-sided slot or in the centre of midfield during his time with the Zebrette, Asamoah has quite simply been one of the best performers in Serie A in recent years.

The Ghanaian has quietly gone about his business of being the driving force of the Udinese side that qualified for the Champions League play-offs in successive seasons. Those who questioned whether Francesco Guidolin could get a decent campaign out of his team following last summer’s sale of Gokhan Inler failed to appreciate that it was Asamoah, not the Swiss, who had been their key in 2010-11. His performances helped to lead them to a top-three finish, with his drive, durability, coolness on the ball and superb timing of runs at the heart of their purple patch at the season’s end in particular.

He should, by right, be in the Juve starting XI from day one in the campaign ahead, but if he doesn’t it won’t be long until he is. Not that he won’t have competition for places, with Claudio Marchisio having played 36 times last term alongside Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, who have each made themselves sure-fire starters.

JUVENTUS' POTENTIAL OPTIONS IN 2012-13

GOALKEEPER

Gianluigi Buffon
(or Marco Storari)

RIGHT-BACK	CENTRE-BACK	CENTRE-BACK	LEFT-BACK
Stephan Lichtsteiner (Martin Caceres) (Mauricio Isla)	Andrea Barzagli (Lucio) (Martin Caceres)	Giorgio Chiellini (Leonardo Bonucci)	Paolo De Ceglie (Federico Balzaretti?) (Giorgio Chiellini)

CENTRE MIDFIELD	CENTRE MIDFIELD	CENTRE MIDFIELD
Arturo Vidal (Simone Padoin)	Andrea Pirlo (Luca Marrone)	Kwadwo Asamoah (Claudio Marchisio) (Emanuele Giaccherini)

RIGHT FORWARD	CENTRE FORWARD	LEFT FORWARD
Mauricio Isla (Simone Pepe)	?? (Alessandro Matri)	Sebastian Giovinco (Mirko Vucinic)

The very fact that one of Marchisio and Asamoah is likely to be benched for some part of the season points to a much deeper squad being available to Conte. The same can also be said for the back line, with Lucio’s arrival from Inter and Martin Caceres’ permanent signing from Sevilla adding both quantity and quality.

Throw in Sebastian Giovinco’s return from Parma, and some of the more pressing issues in the Bianconeri squad have been dealt with. The one last spot that needs attention, though, is the prima punta ... the leading man in attack

Juve famously struggled for goals last term, despite fashioning more chances than any other side in the Italian game. Yet so far a striker is the one target they have been unable to find.

Alessandro Matri, Mirko Vucinic, Fabio Quagliarella, Borriello and Vincenzo Iaquinta remain on the books, but all have been profligate during their spells in black and white. And if Juve are to have real hope of going deep in the Champions League, then they need to add true world-class firepower to their forward line.

Strikers who score goals can make all the difference between a team of nearly men and one of heroes, but there is not one centre forward in the Turin side’s squad who can be counted on to net between 20 and 30 goals a season. That could be Juve’s failing if they don’t go for broke in the chase for an ace marksman.

Names including Edinson Cavani and Neymar continue to be linked with the club, while Mario Balotelli and Robin van Persie have both been ruled out of the equation for now. Whoever comes in, though, somebody with goals in the locker has to arrive in order to give the Bianconeri the strength up front that they have all across the rest of their squad.

If they can make such an addition of quality, then there’s plenty of reason to believe that a side with a possible substitutes’ bench of Marco Storari, Caceres, Lucio, Marchisio, Emanuele Giaccherini, Vucinic and Matri can make great waves in the Champions League.

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Champions League final - LIVE!

German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.

11:08 PM BST

Right, that's just about it from me, folks. Thank you so much for all your contributions. We hyped this one up. We said it was going to showcase everything that is great about German football. And you know what? It delivered. It was an absolutely absorbing final between the continent's top two sides, a fitting conclusion to what has been a fantastic tournament. Impossible not to feel so, so sorry for Dortmund but they need only to look at what Bayern have done tonight, lifting the trophy just 12 months after throwing it away, to see that it's possible to bounce back from this kind of devastation.

But Bayern deserve this. They've paid their dues and nobody can dispute that they are the best team in Europe. Bayern, we salute you. Over to everyone else now to try to come up with a way to beat this most wonderfully balanced of sides! But, until next season, good night - and good luck.

11:00 PM BST

Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp has finally faced the press and, judging by his comments, is a tad upset with perhaps something other than the final scoreline.

"First and foremost, congratulations to Bayern Munich because they won so it's not important to speak about what happened in the game," he told ITV1. "After the game you have to respect the result and that's what we do now.

"I didn't see (Robben's) goal. It was a free-kick and we were not in the right formation at that moment. It was late in the game and it has been a really hard season for us. But Bayern Munich had to fight too. We deserved to be in the final and we showed this tonight."

10:56 PM BST

Sir Alex Ferguson also has a new job... Well, kind of. The former Manchester United boss was entrusted with the honour of presenting the man of the match award after the game and relished the task: "It's my first job since I retired and it's a pleasure!"

Robben humbly received his accolade before commenting: "I think it’s such a shame a world-class trainer is leaving the game." Quite.

10:51 PM BST

Heynckes, class act that he is, was also quick to empathise with a devastated Dortmund.

"I told their players: I know your disappointment after losing a final. I lost a final to Liverpool, too.

"During the first half we had trouble to get into the game. At half-time a adjusted our play. I think both teams felt pressure. If you see that you have a 25-point-lead in the league, it is normal you are the favourite. But after 30 minutes we freed ourselves.

"Over the past year, we improved and improved. We improved and modified so many details. I was stricter and I have to say that the players followed me and there is harmony in the dressing room."

10:48 PM BST

And finally we get to hear from Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes, who will be replaced by Pep Guardiola this summer.

The big news is, though, that he seems to have a job lined up for himself, which restores one's faith in our fickle game, given the man is now a two-time Champions League winner!

"The decision on what I will do after the DFB Pokal match (against Stuttgart next saturday) was already taken last June? Retire? No, you will learn that after the DFB Pokal final."

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