This should have been a memorable week for Sebastian Giovinco. He has been playing regularly and well. Today he even scored a goal. Nevertheless, the joy of scoring a goal was not enough for Juventus’ young star. His main feeling after the game against Napoli was far from one of happiness.
“There is anger because we lost in a silly way. I cannot explain how we managed to suffer 3 goals in 20 minutes. We hope not to repeat such a situation again. We knew Napoli had made some good comebacks in their last games, but still we did not pay enough attention. Obviously, one of our main problems was losing concentration during the game – but we must gather ourselves together as soon as possible since we have an important game on Tuesday in the Champions League. At the moment, though, we are still too nervous to talk about today’s game.”
Despite the defeat, Giovinco played a good game: “With regards my performance, I saw a lot of the ball since we tried to play in the part of the pitch were we could be more dangerous and this happened on my side of the pitch on a number of occasions.”

The two stars of the show against Maccabi have reflected on a difficult night, but are both pleased the job got done…

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, and midfielder Sebastian Giovinco are satisfied with the side’s performance against Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League, despite suffering for various spells of the game.

The Bianconeri picked up their first win in Group A thanks to Giorgio Chiellini‘s second half header from close range. Juventus had several chances to make the score comfortable but then stepped off the gas. Gianluigi Buffon was largely to thank for keeping his side in the game. The goalkeeper was voted man of the match and he believes it’s onwards and upwards from now on.

“I am always ready for the team to make saves. We wanted the three points at all costs to come out from the spell. Winning was the only thing that mattered, that’s all we were interested in,” Buffon told Sky Sport Italia.

“We played well and we created plenty of chances to score. Of course it’s not always easy in Europe. And they had some chances too.

“Juventus tried a different approach tonight and we had more guarantees in defence. It’s normal that we have to try and find the best way going forwards. Though we did create plenty tonight.”

Sebastian Giovinco was also sublime on the night as he linked up brilliantly with Diego. The ‘Formica Atomica’ was unlucky not to have scored as he reflects on the win.

“We played differently today and we saw that. We deserved the win today. We showed that we can play well together with Diego,” added the Italian starlet.

“They fouled us plenty. They had five players on a yellow at half time. It was a tough game, but we did really well and that’s what counts.”

Sebastian Giovinco is in 8th position. The very fact that the ‘Atomic Ant’ is not sitting at the very top of this list should be enough to tell you that he is not having the best of times so far this season. Juve coach Ciro Ferrara may not be interested in giving the kid a chance, even when all his other trequartista options are unavailable, but make no mistake there is no other young player anywhere in the world with as much talent in their boots as little Giovinco has in his size 4′s. Dino Zoff, who’s seen a player or two pass his way over the years, reckons he has superior fantasy and technical ability than Alessandro Del Piero. Which begs the question, why isn’t he playing more regularly?

Full list here.

The Bianconeri have long been considered the main suitors for the Danish centre-back, and they could be ready to finally make their move.

Juventus are stepping up their interest in Palermo defender Simon Kjaer, according to Tuttosport. The report suggests that Juve directors are keeping their eyes locked on the Danish stopper. Kjaer has been making rapid progress in Sicily, and he is being tipped to join the Turin-based side.

Signing him will be an awkward task as Palermo have offered the 20-year-old a four-year contract worth €700,000-per-season. Furthermore, a €12 million buy-out clause has been inserted in the deal. Voices in Turin claim the Old Lady will attempt to entice the Rosanero into a deal by offering cash plus a player, with Paolo De Ceglie and Sebastian Giovinco touted to make a move south.

Juve play Palermo this weekend, allowing the club to take a closer look at the promising youngster. Kjaer should play after recovering from a muscular strain sustained against Lazio last week. Despite the report, Juventus have not confirmed any plans to move for the youngster.

The debate about whether Giovinco should be given more of a chance has, of course, been raging for a couple of seasons now, with the majority of the voices shouting in favour of the impish 22-year-old prodigy. The reason he isn’t being used more, goes the reasoning, is because he is seen as being too young or too Italian. Giovinco himself subscribes to the latter argument.

“If I were from Brazil or Argentina, maybe I’d have more chances to play. I regret being an Italian,” he stated recently.

But Ferrara’s refusal to select Giovinco for the game in Genoa suggests that there is something more than just prejudice against his age or nationality keeping him out of the side.

So what, exactly, could be the problem?

Maybe Ferrara is worried about the youngster’s height and weight? Giovinco is actually taller than he looks on the pitch at 5ft 4in tall, but his physique is more Kate Moss than Maradona. Could it be that the Juve coaching staff are concerned about his ability to cope with the high-impact rough and tumble of the modern game? It’s unlikely. After all, Giovinco is never going to be used as a midfield destroyer and he seems more than capable of spinning, jinking and darting his way through even the most muscle bound of midfield quagmires.

So, if his diminutive stature isn’t the problem, could there be an issue related to his age? Again, this doesn’t seem to ring true. Del Piero made his debut for the Bianconeri when he was just 19-years-old and was included in the starting X1, often at the expense of a certain Roberto Baggio, almost immediately, banging in a hat-trick against Parma in the first game he started. Age surely isn’t the issue, even in a country that considers throwing teenagers into Serie A to be highly irresponsible, except in the rarest of cases.

And Giovinco’s nationality cannot be the problem either. Ciro Ferrara, like every other coach in the peninsula, is in the business of winning football matches, and if he thinks the twinkling boots of the young starlet can help him pick up three points, he isn’t going to stop to consider his place of birth.

Ferrara is definitely not a stupid man, and so, if he is reluctant to use a certain player, there must be a logical reason for it.

Could it be that the Juventus coach, like Claudio Ranieri before him, isn’t totally convinced that Giovinco is good enough to make the grade?

On the rare occasions we are allowed to get a glimpse of the brightest light the Italy Under-21 side has seen since Andrea Pirlo, he certainly looks to have more than just a hint of genius in his boots. His technique is impeccable, freakish even. He is quick off the mark and has the ability to slice through packed defences with his impish dribbling ability. Perhaps even more impressively, he can spin away from defenders at the sort of speed you normally find on an ice rink, making dozing centre-backs look about as mobile as passenger ferries.

But there is one question that Giovinco seems less able to answer: is he a goalscorer? The statistical evidence suggests he isn’t. In 22 appearances for the Old Lady, he has scored just two goals. Okay, so in the majority of those games he has come off the bench, often with only around 10 minutes of play remaining, but Giovinco’s goalscoring record with the Italy U-21 team is even less impressive. He found the back of the net just once in 20 appearances for the Azzurrini.

Now we are not suggesting that goal to game ratio should be the yardstick by which a player like Giovinco is judged – he is a much more multi-dimensional than that – but the business of putting the ball in the back of the net is one of the trequartista’s main attributes. Del Piero does it, Francesco Totti does it, Roberto Baggio did it and new Juventus idol Diego does it too.

“Giovinco is the miniature Del Piero,” commented Dino Zoff about a year or so ago.

Ciro Ferrara appears to disagree.

“He is not and never will be Diego, but that is obvious,” mused the Bianconeri boss recently.

Without actually saying it, Ferrara might have admitted that he doesn’t believe the Atomic Ant comes from the very top draw, as most observers seem to think he does.

Maybe he is an exciting talent, without being an essential one.

So where does all this leave Sebastian Giovinco? The worst case scenario for this impossibly talented miniature superstar is that he stays in Turin, sits on the bench and spends the next five years wondering what might have been. Can anyone really see him getting the nod ahead of Diego this season? How about next season? What about the season after that? Diego, remember, is only 24, just two years older than his so-called understudy.

There is, of course, a risk involved in moving to a smaller club because you might just step so far out of the limelight that no-one can see you any more – for every Antonio Cassano there is a Tomas Locatelli – but surely Giovinco has to take that chance if he is ever to learn how to run in Serie A? He needs to bang hard on Alessio Secco‘s door and demand a loan move elsewhere.

The alternative is to potentially waste of one of the most captivating football talents the century has thrown our way so far. And that would be truly criminal.

Sebastian Giovinco’s impressive performances have Juventus supporters calling for the starlet to be given more playing time, and coach Ciro Ferrara has moved to assure fans that the youngster is an important member of the squad, even if he is rarely in the starting XI.

“I do not consider ‘Seba’ a replacement, but an important player, who must use the opportunities given to him,” he explained, according to Tuttosport.

“When Diego is out, he has always been used.”

The young playmaker recently promised to “deliver” for Juventus, but has also bemoaned his status in the squad, as he is primarily used as a substitute.

Giovinco made a positive impact for Juventus last weekend, coming on for the injured Diego and helping the side to a 2-0 win over rivals Lazio to maintain their perfect record after three Serie A rounds.

He is expected to start against Girondins de Bordeaux this evening.

The 22-year-old came on for injured Brazilian Diego during the first half and inspired the Old Lady to victory, also providing the assist for David Trezeguet’s goal. And his post-match bitter lament cannot go unnoticed…

“Diego is a difficult opponent for me, perhaps because he is older or perhaps because he is a foreigner…” he bemoaned on Sky Sport Italia.

“If I were from Brazil or Argentina, maybe I’d have more chances to play. I regret being an Italian.

“However, I want to thank everyone for the praises and I always try and be ready when called upon.”

It was the day when the Juventus midfielder announced this potential to the world at the 2008 Olympic Games by showcasing an array of his footballing skills. However, his pièce de résistance came in the 41st minute when he received the ball 30 yards from goal. Taking one touch to control it, another to tee himself up, he then hit a rising left-footed shot which flew into the top left hand corner of the net.

Giovinco then ran to photographers, placing his thumb on his head and sticking his little finger into the air. What was Giovinco goal celebration all about?

Proving people wrong
“It comes from the fact that I am not very tall and people always said that I would never make it as a player because I was too small,” he explained. “So every time I score a nice goal, I make the gesture which increases my height!

“There were a lot of people who thought I wouldn’t make it as a professional footballer because of my size. The media wrote it in the newspapers although some coaches never said it to me directly; I think they thought it too.

I have always had confidence in my own ability and now I’m just eager to prove people wrong.
Sebastian Giovinco is looking to prove his doubters wrong.

” I want to show those who did not believe in me that they were mistaken. That’s a big motivating factor for me.”