JUVENTUS LEFT IN TURMOIL AFTER CONTE'S RESIGNATION

Antonio Conte steps down from the Juventus hotseat after guiding them to three Scudetti in a row. Replacing him is not likely to be easy and could shift the balance of power in Serie A.

D. Ray Morton, 16th July 2014.

Antonio Conte stunned Juventus fans yesterday by announcing his resignation after only signing a contract extension in May

Antonio Conte yesterday resigned from his role as Juventus manager in order, more than likely, to take over the available job of Italian national team manager after the departure of Cesare Prandelli following a disappointing World Cup campaign. Conte had rebuilt Juve in the aftermath of the calciopoli scandal which had drastically damaged the club's standing in the domestic and European game. Having guided them to three league titles in a row, Conte appeared to be building something special.

Why did he leave one must wonder. The national team role, provided he does apply for it, is a tempting one but not necessarily a once-off opportunity considering Conte's relatively young age and his sound reputation within the Italian game. There must have been some private dissatisfaction which forced his hand. One such dissatisfaction may be their activities in the transfer market this summer. Juventus have sat idle as they let their main target Alexis Sánchez get snapped up by Arsenal despite having the ball in their court in regards to capturing his signature. Sánchez saw Juve as his first-choice club and wanted to join his international teammates, Arturo Vidal and Mauricio Isla in Turin. The bianconeri could have signed him for as little as €25m before his impressive World Cup which saw his transfer value increase.

They hesitated and they missed out on a player that would add some considerable firepower to their line-up. Instead, they have been linked with the frankly overpriced Juan Iturbe of Hellas Verona and the largely unproven Real Madrid talent, Álvaro Morata. This represents side-stepping, not improvement. With the charismatic Conte now out of the picture, questions will be asked about the futures of their most talented assets, French international Paul Pogba and the aforementioned midfield dynamo Vidal. Will they be tempted to join a more ambitious club when the Old Lady appear to be struggling to compete with Europe's elite?

Paul Pogba could be one of the hot properties departing Turin in the aftermath of this managerial change

Another problem could be with Conte's successor. Massimiliano Allegri, former Serie A-winning AC Milan manager, is strong favourite to take over which could unsettle Andrea Pirlo. Allegri was the man that forced Pirlo out of San Siro and allowed him to leave on a free transfer where he revived his career and produced some of his best performances. At Milan, Allegri felt that Pirlo was a luxury player when used in his regista role and wanted a more dynamic, fast-paced midfield.

This sudden change will be a considerable blow for Juventus and perhaps Serie A in general. Although Conte had underachieved in Europe, Juve were still the most likely Italian side to get far in the Champions League provided they improved their squad season after season. The man with plan is gone and the prospective signings could turn out to be woeful. It might be a very close race for the title in the season ahead with Roma, Napoli, Fiorentina, Inter and AC Milan all salivating at this.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MILOS KRASIC?

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MILOS KRASIC?

D. Ray Morton, 6th March 2014.

As I watched an exciting young Serbia side defeat Ireland 2-1 in a friendly in Dublin last night, the thought struck me...where is that blonde haired winger of theirs, the man once dubbed "the new Pavel Nedved"? It required a Google search to even re-jog my memory of his name such was this man's disappearance from the game at the highest level.

Milos Krasic, 29, who has played for Vojvodina, CSKA Moscow, Juventus, Fenerbahce and now...Bastia? When Krasic joined Juventus from CSKA Moscow in 2010 for a fee believed to be around €15m, big things were expected of the Serbian winger. He had made an impact on the European scene in his six years at CSKA and looked as if he had all the attributes to take the Italian Serie A by storm. This is a man, remember, who had once been listed by FourFourTwo as one of the top 100 players in the world.

So where exactly did it go wrong for Krasic? His first season at Juve appeared relatively successful. He chipped in with a few goals, usually important or spectacular ones, but wasn't especially prolific which isn't unusual for right-footed right winger. He was signed as a traditional wideman, one who could take on defenders one-on-one and whip in crosses gaining him assists more often than goals.

Of course, the arrival of Antonio Conte as Juve manager in 2011 had a big impact on his future there. Krasic may well have been a victim of not falling into Conte's system which occasionally involved fielding a Walter Mazzarri's Napoli-style 3-5-2 in which the Serbian couldn't operate within. Krasic prefers to play high up the line and usually isn't required to defend. Conte's formation needed widemen who would sit deeper and defend first, join in on attacks second. Due to Conte's success at Juve (they look set to secure yet another Scudetto this season), Krasic's exit does not seem so mystifying as trophies justified his disposal.

He was shipped off to Turkish giants Fenerbahce in 2012 for €7m, Juve making a loss on that but perhaps pleased to get a player they couldn't use off the wage bill. He only lasted one season in their first team, a forgettable campaign in which he failed to score a single league goal in thirteen appearances. This season, he finds himself on loan at Bastia in France where his form has been a little bit better but competing for a mid-table French team is far removed from battling for Champions League glory which a club like Juventus see themselves capable of doing in the next couple of seasons.

Unless Krasic proves me completely wrong, he's just another name to add to a heap of forgotten players who could have been something.

5 POINT EUROPEAN FOOTBALL WEEKEND ROUND-UP

1) ARSENAL ARE NOT TITLE CONTENDERS

Saturday's lunchtime game provided us with the best evidence yet that Arsenal are not quite up to scratch when it comes to being Premier League contenders. They were demolished by Liverpool at Anfield with two headed goals from Martin Skrtel, Raheem Sterling with a brace of his own and Daniel Strurridge with another in a heavy 5-1 defeat. Liverpool absolutely swamped a shellshocked Arsenal who were, incredibly, 4-0 down after only twenty minutes. Many expected for the Gunners not to compete with Chelsea and Manchester City and this was all the evidence required. Liverpool can only be delighted with the result as it stengthens their push to cement one of those top four spots. And speaking of the top four...

2) EVERTON'S RUN MAY BE OVER

Tottenham were able to brush aside Everton with a 1-0 victory at White Hart Lane on Sunday in a game generally dominated by the Merseysiders until Emmanuel Adebayor's strike half-way through the second half. From there on in, Everton seemed to switch off and had no reply to offer despite Spurs never really having to play very well. The North London club don't exactly look like Champions League material either. A good result no doubt but the performance was poor at times and the team's shape was all over the place. Aaron Lennon was fielded as a right winger with no real equivalent on the left. It was very much a case of just lumping together a starting XI and hoping for the best. Their prayers were answered in the shape of an unextaordinary victory. Whatever about Tottenham's failings this season season however, just have a look at...

3) POOR LITTLE MANCHESTER UNITED

It's genuinely hard to analyse such a mess at this point. Watching Sunday's game between Manchester United and Fulham was something of a circus. Fulham went to Old Trafford to defend and defend they did as centre halves John Heitinga and youngster Brad Burn rejected cross after cross after cross, more than seventy in total! United's "Hail Mary" repetition of the same thing over and over again seems comical in hindsight but it very nearly got them the win...at home against the worst team in the Premier League!

Steve Sidwell gave the away side the lead in the first half, against the run of play, thanks to a fine assist from loanee Lewis Holtby. Fulham proceeded to batten down the hatches and defend incredibly deep. Late in the second half, United managed to overturn the deficit with a flurry of two goals from Robin van Persie and Michael Carrick only 82 seconds apart. Fulham boss Rene Meulensteen appeared defeated afterwards until United somehow conspired to concede a ridiculous counter attack with practically the last action of the match. Kieron Richardson broke down the left and tested David de Gea only for substitute Darren Bent to nod home the rebound from close range. David Moyes pleaded that his side really deserved to win the game afterwards but was anyone even listening anymore? What will it actually take for him to be shown the door this season? Is he completely immune from the sack? If so, the United board have lost their marbles.

4) HAZARD SHOWS BALO HE'S THE BEST YOUNG PLAYER AROUND

As Chelsea brushed aside Newcastle United 3-0 thanks to a superb hat-trick from Eden Hazard, over in Italy, AC Milan and Mario Balotelli were preparing for an away trip to Rafa Benitez' Napoli. As the Rossoneri slumped to a miserable 3-1 defeat despite Adel Taraabt's debut goal, Balotelli was substituted and cried his eyes out whilst sitting on the bench. Balo has all the attributes to be a great player. Technically and physically, he has no flaws to speak of. His mentality, however, is preventing him from excelling the way a young player of his talents should. There is such a gulf in maturity between Balotelli and someone like Hazard. The Belgian, under Jose Mourinho, is growing up quickly and dominating the Premier League. Meanwhile, Balotelli sulks, picks up yellow cards, fails to cover ground for his teammates and cries when things go badly. After EURO 2012, Balotelli was the name of everyone's lips but his progress has stalled and the improvement in the likes of Hazard only illustrate his failings furthermore. I would contend that Hazard is the world's best player under the age of 24 right now.

5) BARCA TAKE THE REINS IN SPAIN AGAIN

In Spain's three horse title race, Barcelona and Real Madrid both picked up wins against Sevilla and Villarreal respectively whilst Atletico Madrid fell to a 2-0 away defeat at lowly Almeria. Diego Simeone's men were frustrated by the Andalucians and conceded two late on after laying siege to the home side's goal for the majority of the game. Perhaps their high intensity style is now taking its toll as the large squads of Barca and Real can hoover up wins despite not being at their very best. Barcelona were especially erratic on Sunday night in Seville. Known for being the hottest city in Europe, last night it was not as the heavens opened up meaning the game was played in a swimming pool of sorts. Barca started badly with go-to guys Xavi and Lionel Messi both looking unusually sloppy.

Alberto Moreno gave Sevilla a deserved lead only for the Catalans to equalise through Alexis Sanchez off a set-piece that clearly should've been given as offside once the replays were shown. Just before half-time, Messi fired home a sumptuous left-footer as the visitors lead despite the deluge. The second half became more of a cruise with Messi and Andres Iniesta in particular, really finding their feet and playing some great stuff. Messi scored the third and substitute Cesc Fabregas added a fourth late on to give Barca the lead at the top of La Liga for now. They're still not entirely convincing but with Atletico falling away and Real still not looking entirely complete either, I would not bet against Los Cules from retaining their title.

D. Ray Morton, 10th Ferbruary 2014.

AC MILAN THE LAUGHING STOCK OF JANUARY WINDOW

Already Serie A's big under-achievers this season, seven-time European champions A.C. Milan find themselves in ninth place with a horribly inconsistent record of seven wins, seven draws and seven defeats. Not only that, they face Diego Simeone's on-form Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last 16 later this month with little realistic chance of defeating the rampant Rojiblancos who find themselves valiantly battling Barcelona and Real Madrid for the La Liga crown. To make matters worse for Milan, their activity in this past transfer window can be seen by some of their fans as a cruel joke.

Clarence Seedorf, with no experience of management or coaching whatsoever, has taken over the managerial reigns at San Siro and has not got off to a great start. They were eliminated from the Coppa Italia by struggling Udinese and there doesn't seem to be any miraculous change in their league performances with results largely hindering on volatile Mario Balotelli's form up-front. They have brought in two new players to add to their rag-tag bunch of mismatched former stars. Michael Essien joins from Chelsea whilst bizarrely, they have also snapped up Q.P.R.'s Adel Taraabt on a six-month loan despite spending the first half of the season at Fulham on another loan, being his sometimes promising but typically inconsistent self.

Milan already have plenty of creaking, elderly former superstars - the likes of Robinho, Philippe Mexes and Kaka spring to mind - and Essien adds to this almost ironically. Here is a player who was once considered one of the best midfielders in the world some years back before being struck with several long term injuries that have left him a mere shadow of his former self. Jose Mourinho attempted to revive him last season by taking him to Real Madrid on loan where he did not impress. This season, Essien has not had games at Chelsea under the Portuguese so it's clear that even his good friend does not rate him anymore.

Taarabt joins in a loan deal that has raised many eyebrows. Having only started a handful of times for Fulham, the creative Moroccan midfielder is not expected to set the world alight in Italy. His career is littered with spells at various clubs where he never quite broke through because despite his technical ability, huge questions remain over his attitude and tactical discipline.

Milan are truly clutching at straws here. Money appears to be tight so the possibility of getting in legitimate world class players is not there but by bringing in the likes of worn-out Essien and perplexing Taarabt in the short term, Milan are setting themselves up for mid-table mediocrity. Perhaps they have expected this this season but not challenging for anything might open the door for developing young players they already have pinned down to longer-term contracts. Essien and Taarabt will interfere with the likes of Bryan Cristante, Stephan El Shaarawy and Riccardo Saponara's development, three young players they could actually nurture rather than catering for a has-been and a problem child. Rossoneri fans would love to be proven wrong but realistically, things appear grim for them at the moment.

D. Ray Morton, 1st February 2014.