Finally playing, seriously. After the summer friendlies, Juventus and Lazio are preparing for the challenge that is giving away the first trophy of the new season, the Supercoppa di Lega. Delicate challenge between two teams that haven't told each other in the last few months (remember the famous controversy about where to play the match?), and who will finally meet again.
Juventus starts under the favor of the forecast, if only for the double tricolor won in the last two championships, but Conte knows that the banners are of little use, and trusts in the inner strength of a team that appeared lackluster in the pre-season, however: “This is my third year, it would be serious if my Juve weren't in the third year – said the coach at the press conference -. It is my Juve in all respects. I trust these guys, they have made me a winning coach. I am very serene. Preparing for the Super Cup in just three days doesn't make a coach jump for joy and the fact that the national team was there didn't cheer me up exceptionally. But the same happened to Petkovic. We're playing for an important trophy, whoever wins it: I wouldn't want Juve to become ordinary if they win it. We know we are facing a strong team for which we have enormous respect." The alleged Llorente case filed away with one sentence ("He arrived in Italy for three weeks, he is getting into the game mechanisms. He hasn't played for a year, it is inevitable that he will find difficulties. It is exaggerated for someone to try to create a case") , Conte then thanked Roma, who hosted the Bianconeri in their retreat in Trigoria after the difficulties encountered by the Juventus group in finding suitable fields in which to prepare for the match (but some Roma fans found a way to argue and contest the club's decision giallorossa): “I thank Roma who gave us their availability and allowed us to train in Trigoria because we were in difficulty. And indeed I'm launching a proposal: when they come to play against Turin, if they want we'll be happy to host them in Vinovo, so we'll reciprocate the hospitality”.
Juventus captain Gigi Buffon was also on the same wavelength, who replied to those who found Roma's gesture towards them strange: “We entered Trigoria behaving with great respect because we knew we weren't at home. It's not that because I'm at someone else's house I allow myself to maybe go and urinate on my friend Francesco Totti's locker…! Indeed, before going out I'm going to give it a scrub to make it even cleaner, because I am convinced that if they were to come to Vinovo they would behave in the same way”. The goalkeeper then framed the match as follows: “Lazio are a tough opponent, last year they gave us problems and they played well against us, taking away some points. I can't say now if we'll be more competitive this year than last year, but what is certain is that the club worked well this summer making very important acquisitions”.
Miroslav Klose, Lazio's man-symbol, would like to displease Buffon, who has already distinguished himself during these first outings of the season, but who has to deal with a statistic that says he has never scored a goal against Buffon in his career, a "zero" that he wants to cancel as soon as possible: "I'm sure that sooner or later I will score against Juve - said the German - hopefully tomorrow already. We have the chances to win this match, we play at home, with a little luck we will make it”.
Vladimir Petkovic also believes in it, who after lifting the Italian cup last season wants to start over with a success: “I am convinced that the team will give the right answer against a very strong opponent like Juventus – Petkovic explained in the conference -. If both we and they play 100% we will have some more difficulties, but I am convinced that my team can put Juventus in difficulty. We will give our best to win the Super Cup. I am convinced that this team has something more than last year's. We have grown and can be solid both behind and in front. We have to be cynical to take advantage of all the possibilities we will have. Conquering the Super Cup – continued the coach – would make a good year excellent, because a victory would give us a lot of incentives in view of a season in which we want to do well on all three fronts. We are counting on the strength of our group and we will need a lot of support from the fans, not only tomorrow but throughout the season."
As far as transfer market news is concerned, Roma's sale of Osvaldo is getting closer and closer. After the latest controversy between the attacker and the fans (who wrote him a vulgar sentence on the street in front of his house, to which his fiancée replied with a tweet in which he showed the middle finger…), Osvaldo skipped the friendly scheduled against Ternana. Despite being called up by Rudi Garcia, the Italian-Argentine forward did not leave for Umbria with the rest of the squad. The player is at the center of some market negotiations with Premier League (Southampton and Tottenham) and Liga (Valencia and Atletico Madrid) clubs and the management, in agreement with the French coach, has decided not to risk it, hoping to be able to close the negotiation for his sale before the presentation of the team scheduled for 21 August at the Olympic stadium.
Davide Astori is very close to Napoli. The Azzurri spoke with Cagliari and reached an agreement for 12 million euros plus bonuses. For the player, who has always liked the Neapolitan square, a four-year contract worth one million euros per season is ready. Coach Rafa Benitez thus has the much-needed reinforcement for his defence. But Napoli can also smile at the increasingly probable stay of Zuniga (who said: "I've never thought of leaving, I feel at home in Naples"), waiting for a response from Matri. In fact, the Juventus striker still has to dissolve his reservations, while the two clubs have already reached an agreement on the basis of 12 million euros.
While Milan continues preparations in view of the Champions playoff against PSV (the Rossoneri beat Derthona 11-0 in a friendly match at Milanello, Balotelli's brace fully recovered), Adriano Galliani also from the good training camp in Forte dei Marmi continues talking about the market. The hot name remains that of Honda, even if the negotiation seems to have stalled: “The market closes on 2 September also for Honda – he said -. What is certain is that the more time passes, the more the deal becomes less interesting for us”. After August 20, however, there could be a decisive meeting between Yevgeni Giner, president of CSKA, and Galliani himself, who will make a last attempt to bring the Japanese to Milan before the start of the championship.
A little curiosity concerning Balotelli: on Friday evening the player, together with some friends, showed up in the main square of Lugano, where some local boys asked him for photos and autographs. Faced with the player's refusal, the revelers "retaliated" by papering the flaming red Ferrari of the AC Milan forward with toilet paper.
The coming weeks could also be decisive for the conclusion of another deal that characterized the summer, that of Inter's move from Moratti to Thohir. In recent days there had been rumors of Erick Thohir's imminent arrival in Milan, but he denied it from Japan, where he is on vacation. His brother made a quick appearance in Milan, but it is only in the coming weeks that the negotiation will be able to be perfected with the decisive phases of the "closing" and "signing". Meanwhile, Thohir has become a follower of Inter on Twitter and has given the mandate to sell his 15% of the Philadelphia 76ers (Nba team) to focus on his new adventure in Serie A.
Meanwhile, rumors continue from England regarding a possible return of Samuel Eto'o to Chelsea. According to the Daily Mail, an offer from the Blues to the player with a two-year contract is ready, provided that Anzhi releases him on a free transfer. Mourinho also spoke of the Cameroonian: "I'm happy when one of my former players publicly says he wants to play with me again, especially if that player is Eto'o, who has a great history in European football".
