Recorded a day before Alessandro Del Piero raised the Serie A trophy to the Turin sky, Marco, Aaron, Mike and Lars got together to discuss what an amazing season it has been: a team aiming for an unbeaten double with the best defense in Europe, just after two years of utter mediocrity.

The podcast is a bit of looking back and looking forward: we start out with a few fun stories, how we each individually celebrated Juve’s first Serie A title since 2006. The boys discuss how their expectations for Juventus evolved, from the hopeful beginnings in the summer, to the drawing doldrums of winter, and finally, the renaissance in the Spring. The team reveals “that moment” when we truly believed the team would win the Scudetto, such as the 5-0 mauling of Fiorentina and a few other surprise suggestions…

The crew also cover the phenomenal work done by Antonio Conte and the importance of Andrea Pirlo, moving onto a few discussions for next year: what formation could be ideal, and how we can survive with the added weight of the UEFA Champions League campaign and our MVP inevitably having to skip a few matches…

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Thanks as always, and enjoy the show, which opens with three wonderful minutes of unadulterated Claudio Zuliani, as he accompanies us through to the final whistle of the Cagliari match. 1… 2… 3… STELLA!!

Aaron, Adam, John, Lars, Marco, and Mike

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We’re back!! At last!! The first It Ain’t Over Till the Old Lady Sings podcast of 2012 is finally out!

After a long hiatus (our last episode was almost two months ago), the gang meets again to discuss all things Juve, and particularly the events transpiring at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza “San Siro” last Saturday in our big clash vs. AC Milan!

And boy, what a game this was (if you haven’t already, make sure to read Aaron’s thorough match report)!! Tons of topics of discussion, including:

• How Juventus got thoroughly trampled for 60+ minutes;
• How Conte f***ed up his line-up, but then corrected it in the 2nd half;
• How Matri should start every game (and the fact that he doesn’t, baffles Lars beyond imagination);
• How the (supposedly) best linesman in Italy transformed two valid goals into FUBAR;
• Marco’s Moviola - Two (nay, three) reffing decisions that changed the match;
• Controversy, insults, and… more insults b/w two teams usually displaying a very “healthy” rivarly;
• And many more…

We hope to be be back soon for another episode! In the meantime remember our pod is also available on iTunes, thanks as always and enjoy the show.

Aaron, Adam, Lars, Marco, and Mike

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Here it is folks: the last It Ain’t Over Till the Old Lady Sings podcast of calendar year 2011. Meeting shortly after the Udinese match the boys go over what that game was: an entertaining, tactical, end-to-end encounter in which both teams essentially canceled each other out.

Opinions varied in this episode: from Mike’s view that the Bianconeri should have perhaps tried something more, Aaron’s puzzlement at seeing Pepe utilized as seconda punta, Lars’s concern about Conte’s continuous tactical switches, and Marco’s partial defence of Alessandro Matri (who could receive the ball, but not pass it that day). One consensus was clear though: the Juve defense was once again impeccable, particularly apt at taking Totò Di Natale completely out of the game, and Juventus can certainly be proud of their half-season’s progress under Conte’s management thus far.

In the last part of the show, the boys take a short peek at possible moves for the Winter Mercato. As Lars best described it: above anything else, we can expect “vital” moves more than “big name” moves i.e. transfers that will strengthen our lack of depth in certain areas. The names of Cáceres, Nainggolan, Montolivo, Kuzmanovic, and Palombo all get mentions, while we discover Mike’s fondness of a certain Chilean from Roma and that he’s going to buy stock in condom companies, due to the arrival in Turin of one particular other Roma player.

Lastly, it wouldn’t be a proper mercato talk without a small dash of Fantacalcio, and that is where the name of an undisciplined Argentinean resurfaced. Could perhaps Conte succeed where Mancini has clearly failed? Tune in to find out!

Please remember our pod is also available on iTunes. We wish you all a very happy 2012, and hope you will continue to join us again in the new year for many more pods to come! Thanks for listening.

Aaron, Adam, Lars, Marco, and Mike  

Credits:
Claudio Zuliani (Mediaset Premium): Introduction;
Fabio Caressa (SkySport Italia): match commentary. 

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Cesena don’t just park the bus in front of goal, they park their fleet…

It’s back. After a two week hiatus due to a number of unavoidable issues in the real lives of our illustrious crew, “It Ain’t Over….” returns to discuss two games and assess the state of the team in general. Regular host Aaron is joined here by Marco, Mike and Adam to catch up on all the action that has taken place since the last episode, which was recorded prior to the cancellation of the Napoli match the first time round.

The boys look back at what that draw means to Antonio Conte’s men and how Napoli are, at the moment, the toughest opponent in Serie A, particularly when visiting their intimidating Stadio San Paolo in Italy’s deep south. They move on the dissect the win over Cesena, a match in which the opposition was completely disinterested in attacking and parked the proverbial bus in front of Francesco Antonioli’s goal. It was a plan that worked quite well but one that, in overcoming, taught us yet more about this current Bianconeri side and where they are headed.

We wrap up with a discussion of Mirko Vucinic’s role in recent games, Marco staunchly defending the languid striker while others take a less than appreciative stance. His injury will perhaps prove just who was right but for now pin back your ears, listen up and enjoy the show!

Please remember to read our preview for today’s Coppa Italia against Bologna and that our pod is also available on iTunes. Thanks for listening.

Aaron, Adam, Lars, Marco, and Mike

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Recorded a few days after the Inter game, Aaron, Marco, and Larsget together to discuss an epic and extremely satisfying win for the Bianconeri at the San Siro.

The boys talk about Juve’s ability at converting their few chances in an otherwise very even game, discussing the team’s tactical disposition, the great performance of Ale Matri and the sometimes risky business of Andrea Pirlo. We also stop to examine a much-talked about event, but less so had Inter tied or won the game: was IT a penalty?

Moving on the Napoli preview, the Azzurri’s long-term masterplan to ruin Juventus is finally revealed (it features a long-haired Brazilian), and we examine the counter-attacking battle than Sunday’s game will be.

No mentions of Poulsen’s family this week but a really interesting TV Pilot possibility instead, discovered almost by accident by Aaron, and featuring our lovable Dane and Italian-Canadian.

Here are our topics of conversation for this week’s episode:

• The Inter game:
• Impressions of the team’s performance, particularly Juve’s cynicism in front of net;
• The Man-of-the-Match: Matri, Marchisio, or Lichtsteiner?
• Andrea Pirlo: sub-par performance by genius standards and… a few more brainfarts;
• The 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1: a very good tactical display;
• Castellazzi’s foul on Marchisio… penalty? (referee Rizzoli later declared this week: yes);
• Italy and the culture of conspiracy theories ;
• The Napoli preview:
• Amauri: A 10-year masterplan to ruin Juve;
• The key in scoring first against the counter-attacking masters;
• The battle on the wings: facing Maggio/Zuniga;
• Alessandro Del Piero: a very useful cameo against Inter and the art of drawing the foul;
• Luca Toni: banned from diving driving;

Thanks as always, and enjoy the show.

Please remember to also read our preview for Sunday’s match (to be posted very soon), and that our pod is also available on iTunes.

Aaron, Adam, Lars, Marco, and Mike

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Recorded right after the Fiorentina game, Adam and Aaron could not join us this week but Lars, Marco and Mike get together to discuss a busy week for Juventus.

The boys talk about a pulsating, sometimes frustrating, but much-neeeded victory over La Viola, and discuss the deficiencies the team faced against Genoa over the week-end. They then move on to a preview of Inter, whereupon Mike’s confidence literally invades your living room and where we discover why Poulsen’s mom is still on everybody’s mind.

Yes, business as usual at “It Ain’t Over Till the Old Lady Sings”.

Here are our topics of conversation for this week’s episode:

• The Fiorentina game:
• The 1st Half, and Juve’s staggering amount of scoring opportunities :/
• The performance of Mirko Vucinic: his role as left winger, wasted chances, and his contribution to team movement;
• The 2nd Half, and how a single Viola substitution flipped the game on its head;
• The psychological state of Juve: why do they still go into shell-shock mode?
• Andrea Pirlo: genius with a penchant for danger;
• The final minutes of the game, and a nail-biting 5-4-1 formation;
• Marcelo Estigarribia, hard worker and pronunciation nightmare for Lars
• The Genoa game:
• The low-corner tactic: two Juve goals already;
• A recap of the game’s highlights;
• Alessandro Matri: a prima punta that just can’t be replaced right now;
• Lars’s obsession with Luca Toni resurges: ‘Special Teams’ Toni or ‘Special Ed’ Toni?
• Fabio Quagliarella: an option at right wing?
• L’Oréal: because “It Ain’t Over Till the Old Lady Sings” is worth it;
• The Inter preview:
• Expectations for the game, and some real cockiness from Mike
• Tactics: what will Conte try for this game?
• Giorgio Chiellini: an extended left-back experiment?

Thanks as always, and enjoy the show.

Please remember to also read our preview for tomorrow’s match (to be posted very soon), and that our pod is also available on iTunes.

Aaron, Adam, Lars, Marco, and Mike

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(Oh don’t act so surprised! We’ve done worse in the manner of titles in the past. In fact, just wait till your hear the pod… parental advisory for the last three minutes!!)

Recorded a few days after Italy vs. Northern Ireland, Aaron, Lars, Marco and Mike get together to discuss some of the national team performances of our Bianconeri, as well as a preliminary look at this week-end’s game vs. Chievo. All seems to go well, until… Lars starts to imitate mules and refer to donkey punches. Then all hell breaks loose.

Lars shall later Tweet that he didn’t know the meaning of the expression, but I think that we finally know what they do in Denmark when they get bored. But we digress.

Here are our topics of conversation for this week’s episode:

• The freakishly tall Frederik Sorensen and his nose;
• The performance of Claudio Marchisio for Italy and his first Azzurri goal;
• Andrea Pirlo and his fitness level;
• The Chievo preview (including comments on Sergio Pellissier, the origin of the Flying Donkeys nickname, Juve’s tactics, and a long debate on whether Juve can afford to rest Pirlo)
• Last but not least: mule verses, donkey punches, and threats made to kittens & puppies… WTF?

Thanks as always, and enjoy the show. Adam could not join us this week, but I bet that after reading the title and listening to the last three minutes he’ll deeply regret it.

Please remember the pod is also available on iTunes.

Aaron, Adam, Lars, Marco, and Mike

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Recorded immediately after the epic win over Milan, Mike and Adam join stand-in host Lars to discuss what is comfortably the most significant victory in the past two years from a Bianconeri standpoint. With Aaron and Marco unavailable for different reasons (although the latter does drop in halfway through the episode), the three look at the manner in which Antonio Conte’s men not only beat the reigning Serie A champions, but dominated them from the first minute until the last.

In addition to Juve’s great tactical display, the topics of discussion also include:

• The brilliance of Claudio Marchisio;
• The supreme display of Juve’s three big defenders as Giorgio Chiellini put in a heroic shift at left-back, Leonardo Bonucci came in from the cold, and Andrea Barzagli gave another of his commanding displays;
• Mirko Vucinic’s starring role up front draws him special praise (although given the magnitude of the match it’s just typical ‘Big Game Mirko’);
• Milos Krasic’s one-dimensional dribbling and the work rate of Arturo Vidal;
• The non-inclusion of Fabio Quagliarella (and why that’s a non-debate for Adam) and the peculiar & rare situation at Juve of having too many strikers;

You will notice the audio is pretty poor in this episode, an inconvenience for which we apologize. This was a one-time occurrence due to a technical problem (boy, have we heard that one before!) that has now been identified and resolved.

Thanks as always, and enjoy the show. It’s also available on iTunes.

Aaron, Adam, Lars, Marco, and Mike

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A wet, stinking miserable draw but a point to be proud of, as Antonio Conte’s men remained unbeaten after a visit to a genuinely tough ground in Sicily. The gang hit the airwaves once again to dissect the Catania game, while also previewing the first ‘Big Match’ of the season when Milan come to visit next week.

We take a look at the change in system as Juve played a 4-2-3-1 (trying to see if that was done with the Rossoneri in mind) whilst analysing what the coach may have learned from the full debuts he gave to Arturo Vidal and Eljero Elia. Were there too many alterations, and is that the reason for Juve’s lack of cohesion during the match?

Due to the on-going Naples trial, Danish SIM cards have all been revoked, denying Lars the opportunity to appear in this episode. Mike then decided to pull a Carlos Tevez and refused to warm up as a late sub, leaving Aaron, Marco and Adam short-handed. Left to their own devices the trio offer amazing insight into the heading ability of your favourite orange fullback as well as some mind-blowing stats on corners, player height, and whether it’s possible to score by merely kicking the ball at Luca Toni’s head.

Remember you can also download the show from download via iTunes, and thanks as always for listening.

Aaron, Adam, Lars, Marco, and Mike

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Absent for a week due to scheduling conflicts, the gang reunite to discuss the Bologna match not long after the full-time whistle blew. Tune in to find out who was to blame for the unfortunate equalizer, what helped Antonio Conte’s men outplay the visitors despite the numbers being against them, and get Marco’s expert opinion on why Juventus were lucky Mirko “the dustbin man” Vucinic’s goal was even allowed to stand.

Given the break in shows, we also cast our minds back to the start of the season. We take look at Juve’s first three Serie A games in a wider context, analyzing what Conte has done right, what he needs to do moving forward, and what the very different performances tell us about the coach and his players thus far.

Also be sure not to miss four men unified in their admiration for Andrea Pirlo (there is much swooning for each of us) and giving props where props are due (Giaccherini).

Thanks as always for listening, we hope you enjoy the show, which you can also download via iTunes.

Aaron, Adam, Lars, Marco, and Mike

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After the much delayed (oh, just three months) 2010-11 Special, we at JuventiKnows decided to ease you back into life gently with a 2011-12 Season Preview. The first episode of the podcast’s second season is here!

Recorded on September 5th (after the close of the transfer window but before last Thursday’s Stadium inauguration), the gang were all present to discuss the transfer campaign in detail, looking at the names Beppe Marotta added in his second Summer window. We applaud his good work & criticise his bad one, and also wonder what he may have missed in the squad handed over to Antonio Conte before season’s start. Also debated are some of the departures, particularly those of Cristian Pasquato and Reto Ziegler.

Also on tap, despite the Parma game already having been played (make sure you check out our full match report on Juventiknows) you can admire our fairly accurate Preview of the match (come on, you knew HE would score at some point didn’t you?) as well as a brief chat on the seemingly unsold naming rights to our beautiful new home.

Sit back, put on a replay of the Parma win and listen to the “It Ain’t Over…” crew chatting away about their favourite Old Lady. Any comments/suggestions are welcome, please let us know your thoughts as we get back into the routine of bringing you a weekly show that is also available on iTunes.

Thanks for listening. Aaron, Adam, Lars, Marco, and Mike.

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Fu** YEAH!! The Juve Podcast is BACK!!!

YES!!! We ARE back!! And for REAL this time!! After what seems like a lifetime off the air the Juventus podcast officially returns!!!!

Boy did this episode take a long time to produce!!! Blame it on the Black Hole of Calcio (Melo-Sissoko), Massimo Moratti’s phone tapping or simply, the sheer uselessness at editing of one particular member of the team (we shall call him Mr. X – names have been changed to protect the identity of the guilty)… something evil happened these last 3 months and it locked away this episode in a dark dark cellar and threw away the key.

Well friends, the key has been retrieved , the cellar has been opened, and the 36th Episode of “It Ain’t Over Till the Old Lady Sings” can finally see the light of day!!! Can I get a fu**ing AMEN?!

The topics we covered include:

• Juventus Offside/JuventiKnows awards for last season (Pallone d’Oro, Bidone d’Oro, the Alessio Secco Outstanding contribution to ineptitude and idiocy, etc. etc.)
• Season analysis question #1: “Was 2010-11 a Year of transition, or another wasted year?“.
• Season analysis question #2: “Did we miss Champions League qualification because of Delneri or because of Marotta?” (were the players not good enough, or did Delneri not get the best out of them?)
• The new season: what are Juve’s realistic expectations for 2011-12, and what can iconic ex-captain Antonio Conte bring to this club as team manager?
• Jorge Martínez: WTF was this guy’s problem last season, and what can he do for us THIS season (this was before we shipped his ass to Cesena)

So, without further ado, here it is. The June 19 Special Podcast from “It Ain’t Over Till the Old Lady Sings”, featuring guest appearances by Danny Penza, Ivo Andov and John Cascarano.

Hope you enjoy the show! Thanks as always for listening, and if you would like to post any COMMENTS on this episode head over to the episode’s post on JuventiKnows!

Marco, Aaron, Adam and Lars.

[Warning] BIG FILE!! 62 MB and 1 hr 48 minutes of fun!!!

UPDATE: Hi guys. We apologize for the delay, but a sincere lack of time as well as the launch of our new website JuventiKnows.com has prevented us from properly editing the episode during the last month. Rest assured: the SPECIAL podcast should air sometime next week. In the meantime, come say hello to us over at JuventiKnows!

Juventini! It is time to cast your minds back and reflect upon the singular event that was the 2010-11 Juventus season. While that might not be an exclusively pleasant experience, it needs to be done - and you might even recall a couple of fine black and white moments in the process, along with the facepalm ones. We will, anyway.

Yes, the season is well and truly over, and although the Bianconeri delivered yet another (half) season to forget, the podcast team will not let you down! One week from now (Monday 27th) we will be releasing the ‘End of Season Awards and Now What?‘-Special edition of the ‘It Ain’t Over..’-podcast on this spot! A grand show featuring the usual crew of Aaron, Adam, Marco, Lars PLUS esteemed guests Danny Penza, Ivo Andov and John Cascarano.

In the meantime, check out the categories for the awards as well as the questions we will try to answer over at the Juventus Offside and join the banter.

Speak to you Monday!

Aaron, Adam, Marco and Lars

Recorded just after the non-event that was Juventus-Napoli, the boys were a disillusioned bunch, unused to seeing a match where not a single person cared for the result. The crew (a man short due to Aaron’s study commitments) attempt to review the ‘action’ but eventually give up, moving to more interesting topics such as Luca Toni’s tenure in Turin, Andrea Pirlo’s imminent arrival (and how this ties in to Aquilani’s future as well as Juve’s 4-2-4 formation next season) and of course, the return of Il Capitano Antonio Conte on the manger’s bench.

There will be a full season-review episode to follow next week, and plans to record a number of specials over the Summer break are afoot. Thank you as always for listening.

Aaron, Marco, Lars and Adam

You can also download from itunes here

Another day, another poor result, continued speculation of Gigi Del Neri’s inevitable departure, and yet more fantacalcio from everyone’s favourite Turin-based ‘news’paper. What more could you want from 7 days with la Vecchia Signora? Another dose of ant-bites fells Juve who seemingly cannot even manage to buy the right insect-repellent!

Despite all of this, and although they discussed the game as much as it was in the coach’s press conference Saturday afternoon, the boys were in good spirits. After knocking a few of the more outlandish rumours out of the park (sorry folks, that deal swapping Chiellini for the Santiago Bernabéu is a non-starter, you heard it here first) the team discuss one or two more realistic options, all of which led Marco to join the conversation right where he left it last week.

Hope you enjoy the show,

Aaron, Marco, Lars and Adam.

You can also download the show from itunes here

Despite Marco’s call for “Silenzio Stampa”, all four guys joined the show in what can only be described as worse on top of bad moods, following yet another Juve collapse Monday night against Chievo.

Normally in this post there will be some humour, but there is nothing to laugh about this week. Champions League football as well as the ability to hold leads (and most likely Gigi Del Neri) are all gone from this team, and the boys sure ain’t happy about that.

So put your headphones on (you don’t want unsuspecting children to hear this one) kick back & listen to 4 angry men seriously annoyed at Juventus Football Club.

Thank you for listening,

Aaron, Marco, Lars & Adam

These damn Juve fans are just everywhere…

Last week sadly we were unable to record the show due to some technical difficulties (no really, not just the four of us being unable to tell the time, or being too pissed/hungover/mad with rage after the Catania draw… honest). Determined not to suffer the same fate this week, we recorded late on Monday night (which actually extended into Tuesday morning for two of us) and celebrated the first Osama-free day of the year. Here’s the result.

A win over Lazio is always enjoyable, particularly if it comes after the 80th minute and during a match in which Juve was largely undeserving. The group discusses the result, Del Neri’s tactics, repercussions on the quest for Europe, as well as some of the latest transfer rumours surrounding La Vecchia Signora (the club, not the website). We also answer some of your Twitter questions, so keep throwin’ them at us!

Unfortunately Aaron was unable to join us this week, so with Simone Pepe (Lars) now on board permanently, we knocked the dust - and a few drunk Brazilians - off Mike “TeamGREASE” D.G and dragged him out of the bar. The result is as you’d expect.

Turn on, tune in, listen up (headphones advised this week) and enjoy the show.

Aaron, Marco, Lars, Mike and Adam.

Read post on Erik Lamela (by Dan Colasimone) discussed on today’s show here.

This could complicate podcast recording…

We thought it was too good to be true, and so it was. The 3-game winning streak ended in a dour draw during which had both Gigi Buffon & Artur Boruc taken the day off it’s unlikely we would have noticed the difference. The 5th unbeaten game in a row is discussed in detail, there is some *gulp* praise for Marco Motta (!?), a closer look at potential transfer target Riccardo Montolivo and some detailed analysis of Frederik Sørensen’s ability.

After that a number of random topics are brought up (the inaugural Sampdoria podcast is born too) as the guys try to lift the mood surrounding a disappointing result. Also, another candidate is added to the rumor-mill surrounding Gigi Del Neri’s possible replacement… and he may just be the right man for the job. Secco-approved!

Thanks for listening, hope you enjoy the show,

Aaron, Marco, Lars & Adam

VG: “It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the balls again…”

Reunited at last, Aaron is joined by Marco, Lars and Adam as the whole crew returns for the first time in a few weeks (any link between this & consecutive wins purely coincidental).

The first topic for discussion is this week’s win over Genoa and the hero that provided it. Aaron postulates Luca Toni’s enthusiasm stems from the dismissal of a certain Dutch manager up in Bavaria. From there a random collection of topics come under review (the improvement in mentality, the change of system at half-time, and whether Lega Calcio would let Juve start games 0-1 in lieu of playing Marco Motta) as the guys purposely put off discussing next week’s visit to Florence. However it wasn’t avoidable forever and despite Marco resorting to desperate measures, the Viola match is eventually previewed.

Enjoy the show & thanks for listening.

Aaron, Lars, Marco & Adam

Two assists and a great performance. Pinch me.

Visiting Roma without the three most senior players had the Bianconeri’s nerves jangling on Sunday evening, and it was no different in the pod where Aaron, Marco and Adam had to cope with the loss of our favorite Dane (sorry Frederik, but you’ve got time yet!).

Indeed Lars had gone to watch cycling in Belgium (as excuses go it’s as thin as Gigi’s flu) but we struggled on, buoyed by a superb win over the Giallorossi thanks to some great goals by Krasic & Matri. Both men were discussed, as were the two stand-out performers at the Olimpico, Marco Storari and… Fabio Grosso?????

Don’t laugh, just enjoy it.

Thanks as always,

Aaron, Marco, Lars and Adam