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Calciopoli: The Father of Our Primavera

By kalinindevin - Wed Feb 22, 10:30 am

For some of us Calciopoli is a scandal, for some of us Luciano Moggi is innocent, for some of us Luciano Moggi is a legend, for some of us Moggi is the devil. No matter how we debate about calciopoli and Luciano Moggi we will always end up in a circle. One thing he is proven guilty, second there are evidences to prove otherwise. Ok see? We are going into the circle again. Anyway I’m not going to talk about it as I am trying to share my views of Juventus Primavera and why, for me, Calciopoli is a blessing.

Moggi, Young Blood Killer.

Luciano Moggi is the only guru in transfer market, I have to admit. He always deals with the impossible and makes it possible. Not only is the deal that possible BUT the outcome of that deal: titles! But one thing that we did not see from Moggi was his incapability in managing Juventus Primavera during his days. His notable achievement for youth sector was when he brought Zola out of nowhere to become a legend at Napoli in 1989. His days with Juventus Primavera were pretty much empty despite winning three Viareggio Cups and a primavera championship title during his tenure. However, titles don’t mean that much at Primavera IF players are wasted afterwards.


I’ll play for Primavera!

During the Super Juve period (mid 90s to mid 2000s) we rarely saw any young Juventus broke the first team. It was clear after Moggi and his triade took over at Juventus, youth sector was not the priority for them. Moggi managed to stock all talents across the world and Italy so it seemed Juventus youth line was producing never ending young talents every season BUT in reality, Primavera during that period was a dead end for any young bloods. It is of course debatable, especially when you put that Juventus during that period could not afford any failure in every competition hence instead of risking young talents, it was better to import mature/ready to use players to bring championships. But my point is, it’s just a shame, Juventus, as a club who represents many of their players in most national teams in the world, did not produce anything from their youth sector back then.

And of course you will say time and space were very limited in a club like Juventus plus the pressure from every side, once you fail, Juventus train will not ever come back. BUT the reality was, they never had their chances in the first team! Talents like Tomasso Rocchi (now Lazio), Rigoni (Novara), Davide Chiumento (Vancouver Whitecaps), Andreas Issakson (PSV), Andrea Gasbarroni (Torino) and many more names to mention here, were wasted during the glory days of Juventus in the 90s-2000s. And of course you will say, maybe Moggi, the master of talent spotting, did not think they could shine at Juve? NO! Moggi failed to find a good foster clubs for them during their loan days! This is one thing he failed big time at Juventus. No matter how good he was in negotiating first team transfer but when it came to maturing young talents, he failed to find any clubs which would be a perfect temporary ‘house’ for the young Juventus back then. Young players need a place where the environment suits them best, not in a place you choose randomly.

Surprising Secco

When calciopoli emerged in 2006, most of Juventus stars left the club hence it left Juventus no choice but to mature the raw talents left by Moggi. Giovinco, Marchisio, Chiellini, De Ceglie, Palladino, Mirante, Lanzafame et al were all at the then coach’s, Didier Deschamp, disposal and fought to win serie B championship. The path was correctly set up by Secco, once Juventus got promoted, most promising young players loaned out to get serie A experience. Surprisingly, Secco could find a perfect foster house for everyone. Marchisio and Giovinco went on loan to Empoli, while De Ceglie and Ekdal went to Siena. Lanzafame went to Bari and Mirante went to Sampdoria. All with one pure purpose: get mature, return to Juventus and together we rebuild Juventus!

Things did not pan out; only few made it to the first team while the rest must go away to seemingly endless loans. It was because Secco was pretty much blinded by the possibility of scudetto after finishing third and second respectively between 2007-2009. The most notable names, who successfully make to the first team, are Giovinco who is now the sole runner of Parma’s offence (co-own by Parma & Juventus), Ekdal is now a general in the centre of midfield for Cagliari, Marchisio broke the first team at Juventus and on his path to becoming a great midfielder and Paolo De Ceglie whose form is improving every week under Antonio Conte at Juventus. The other young talents during Secco’s days are pretty much stuck in a limbo of never ending loans. Who’s to blame? Amauri? Kind of, but Secco really did not finish this youth project very well.

Marotta – Paratici, the Best Parents for the Kids.

Secco did great things in giving young talents some serie A experiences. But the management’s embarrassing ambition of scudetto after just two years return from serie B almost diminished all the hopes of our promising young players to endless loans across the country. Fortunately the new management under Beppe Marotta and Fabio Paratici addressed this problem in an even better way.

The promising ones still sent out on loan to gain more experience BUT in more suitable environment/clubs. For example Ciro Immobile sent out on loan to learn more from the ‘smoke chimney’ Zdenek Zeman, Giandonato at Lecce, while Christian Pasquato was sent to play for Torino under Ventura. Frederik Sorensen also now co-owned by Bologna dan Juventus, asking another club to invest in a player hence the club will feel ‘responsible’ to give him minutes. And also starting next season the promising striker, Ciro Immobile, will play for Genoa to have serie A experience as he is now co-owned by both Juventus and Genoa. The ‘old’ names during Secco’s era like Fausto Rossi, Pinsoglio, Esposito and Boniperti are still out on loaned or co-owned at much smaller team such as Brescia, Vicenza, Carpi, etc. with the hope, with much less pressure, they can turn things around and develop.

Furthermore, Marotta-Paratici also strengthen the primavera squad itself by recruiting selected promising talents all over the world and blend them with our homegrown talents. Names like Gabriel Appelt, Magnusson, Branescu, Ouasim Bouy all mixed together with local ‘products’ like Libertazzi, De Silvestro, Schiavone to gain more experience at the already promising Juventus Youth Sector and hopefully will break into first team squad one day. So far Marotta-Paratici works has paid off. Primavera team is doing really well at Primavera Championship, Primavera TIM cup and just won the Viareggio Tournament! Team is filled with many promising prospects, would not be a surprise if one of the names mentioned above will break into first team squad in one or two years!

Blessing in Disguise

The above is pretty much the history of our primavera from time to time. We have seen the promising but invisible Juventus Primavera (Moggi’s era) to a bright, young and promising Primavera Team (Marotta’s era) we have right now, HOW? It’s all because Calciopoli! No matter how you dislike it, no matter how bitter it sounds & tastes, as a human being, you have to admit that Calciopoli did bring positive points to Juventus.

IF Moggi is still around or Calciopoli did not exist, do you even bother to find out how the young players are doing? Do you even bother to know their names? Do you even bother to see their progress? And more importantly, do you even bother WATCHING them play? Many asked us yesterday for the streaming channel for Viareggio Cup final, it shows how excited you are with Juventus Primavera future! Without Calciopoli in our beloved Juventus, we would not see Marchisio screaming until his veins burst, we would not see Chiellini  marshalling Juventus’ defence and of course we would not see De Ceglie who looks like Ashton Kutcher every week. I, myself, must admit that Calciopoli got me reborn as a Juventini. We all now want to seek every little detail on how Juventus are training, how the Primavera team progressing, who is our next big talent? What is Appelt’s style of play, Bouy’s style of play. Calciopoli has brought us into the real meaning of Juventus Family.

And IF, of course the big if, these 1993 born players at Juventus Primavera make it to the first team one day, aren’t we all proud to be the witness of their development? Look at Manchester United in 1992 with their Fergie Babes who brought them every title there is in the world of football. Look at Barcelona and their domination around the world. Although this is still hypothetical if Juventus Primavera can make it to the first team, BUT prospect is definitely there this time. And now brings me to a question, would all this be possible without Calciopoli? ;)

10 Comments

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  1. yeah it’s only matter of time to see youngsters play in first team regularly :D

  2. Bagaimanapun Turunya Juve ke serie B merupakan pengalaman paling pahit buat saya selama mengenal Juve,tapi selalu ada kebaikan disetiap kepahitan, selain muncul pemain2 muda semacam Marchisio saya juga mengerti Grinta sesungguhnya,melihat Juve dengan cara berbeda dan scudetto yang akan datang entah tahun ini atau dalam waktu dekat akan terasa sangat amat sangat super menyenangkan
    Semoga kita bisa liat pemain2 primavera ini menjadi tulang punggung si Nyonya Besar esok hari

    1. betul bro rasa pahit itu ada, but for me the moment had passed. Sudah tidak ada gunanya saya triak2 juve BUKAN maling (spt yg saya lakukan 4-5 thn lalu) toh selama tidak ada tindakan tegas dr lembaga hukum Italia, kasus ini tidak akan kemana2. Rasa letih itu sudah memuncak 2010 lalu sehingga saya jg memutuskan lebih baik membangun kembali Juventus dari sisa puing2 yang ada.

      Masuknya Marotta spt angin segar terutama utk youth sector Juve. Tangan kanan Marotta, Paratici, benar2 jeli dalam melihat talenta pemain2 muda. Ini adalah satu langkah signifikan dlm membangun kembali dinasti Juve. Tentunya spt yg saya blg, tanpa calciopoli mungkin saya tidak ada di twitter, bahkan tidak ada di blog ini. Tanpa calciopoli siapa yg peduli gaji pemain brp? bagaimana neraca keuangan Juve? bagaimana anak2 muda Juventus berkembang? Skrg semua berbondong2 meminta detail sekecil apapun mengenai Juventus! Sadar tidak sadar, calciopoli lah yg menyebabkan itu semua.

  3. betul mas kalinindevin. Calciopoli tidak akan meruntuhkan kebesaran juve, justru dari situ muncul juventino2 selanjutnya yang akan melanjutkan sejarah panjang panji kebesaran nyonya tu. Menurut saya, Moggi cenderung cerdas dalam mengoptimalkan pemain2 yang matang/setengah matang. dalam hal ini saya menilai Il trap sedikit lebih bagus dalam menemukan bakat terpendam. contohnya adalah pemain muda kita yang menembus tim inti pada era 90an. La Bandiera-alex del piero, serta pemain2 “cinderella” macam toricelli, di livio, datang pada era trap. CMIIW mas hehhehe

    1. Klo boleh jujut, kemampuan Moggi melihat talent bisa dibilang ‘lumayan’ saja. Toh selain byk transfer2 dia yg berhasil byk jg yg menjadi blunder utk klub, spt Esnaider, O’brien, Olliseh, Perotta, Henry, dll…Cuma yg membedakan dia adalah bagaimana mencium peluang utk mendatangkan pemain. Contoh spt davids yg dia dpt dgn harga miring ketika dia mencium ketidak betahan sang pemain di milan. Begitu jg Cannavaro dr inter.

      Masalah bakat muda, Moggi sendiri spt yg saya jelaskan di atas tidaklah buruk. Dalam melihat talenta mereka Moggi bisa dibilang cukup baik. Dr jaman Konko, Cassani, Palladino, Sculli mereka semua skrg menjadi tumpuan di klub masing2 (walaupun sayang tidak di Juve). Tp yg disayangkan mengapa sampai setelat ini mereka baru mekar? Cassani adalah angkatan 2002 tp baru berkembang 2-3 thn terakhir, begitu jg Palladino yg musim terbaiknya berada di Genoa sekitar 2008 padahal sudah berada di Juve dr 2002. Begitu jg dgn Konko yang sudah berusia 27 thn br dikenal publik?! Ditambah Giuseppe Sculli yg sudah berada di Juve dr 1999 yang musim terbaiknya br terjadi ketika berada di Genoa bersama Milito sekitar 2008.

      spt yg saya jelaskan lg diatas, tidak sehrsnya mereka mekar ‘setelat’ ini mengingat bakat yg mereka miliki. Namun mengapa mereka dipinjamkan ke tim macam Crotone atau Livorno saat masih dimiliki Juventus? Mengapa tidak mencari klub yg memang sesuai dengan gaya bermain si pemain sehingga lebih meleluasakan dia utk berkembang. Itulah major concern saya thdp Moggi dan primavera saat itu.

  4. the fact is, Juventus Primavera won Viareggio Cup 4 times during Moggi’s Juve (1994, 2003, 2004, 2005) but only few player success at first team of squad.

    1. Moggi took over in 1994 and his role was pretty minor back then (not managing director) so, regardless, 94 primavera was not his work. It was the side that had Chris Manfredini (ex Lazio and Chievo) and also Del Piero, and god knows these two were not Moggi’s recruitment.

      There are few good players during Moggi’s era, Konko (Lazio right back), Cassani (Fiorentina), and Palladino (parma) too bad management didn’t really see their potential back then.

  5. Merasakan pahit itu penting. Karena kalau tidak merasakan pahit, maka kita tidak tahu bagaimana rasanya manis. #forzaJUVE

  6. “I, myself, must admit that Calciopoli got me reborn as a Juventini” setuju banget sama kata2 ini. Sebelum calciopoli gue ga peduli2 amat sama Juve (walau gue uda mutusin jadi Juventino dari 2001) tapi sebelumnya cuma kaya orang2 ngedukung klub kesukaan masing2. Setelah Calciopoli gue baru lebih belajar tentang Juve, legenda2nya, filosofinya (yg masi gue pelajarin sampe sekarang), dan terutama primavera nya. Dari situ gue baru tau rocchi itu ex juve, soal kegagalan henry di juve, dll. Dua sisi calciopoli, seperti dua sisi mata uang. Kita berharap Juve bakal kembali seperti dulu. Soal Marotta, dari awal gue uda setuju sama dia walau di ingatan gue masi segar penolakan2 juventino lain pas dia dateng dari samp, tapi gue yakin karena beliau bisa menyulap sampdoria yg biasa aja jadi salah satu tim yg lumayan. Ieri, Oggi, Domani, Sempre Juventus!

    1. Banyak perubahan dr calciopoli di mata semua org baik juventini atau bukan. Saya sendiri mungkin ga akan ada di twitter/blog ini tanpa calciopoli. Semua diundang untuk lebih kritis terhadap tim kesayangan. Semua diundang utk berpendapat dan bertukar pikiran.

      Walaupun sudah ngefans sm Juve dr 94an tp saya akui jaman dulu saya ga terlalu peduli ttg detail2 Juventus spt bagaimana primavera, bagaimana kondisi keuangan juve, bagaimana kondisi di ruang ganti etc. Tp ya mungkin jg krn dulu semua sangat baik2 saja jd ya apa jg yg perlu di cari2?? But well dr sisi primavera jujur byk bgt ngerubah saya sbg pencinta Juventus. Dan ini cuma menjanjikan satu hal: for the better future :)

  7. Wah 94? Baru umur 1 taun :p. Yap, dulu semua asik :D , menang mulu. Tapi kalo kata poison “every rose has it thorn, just like every has it’s dawn” gaada yg sempurna, jadi 2006 itu kesetiaan kita diuji. Ada yg makin taat, ada yg membangkang hehehe

  8. Sebelum Moggi, pemain-pemain muda jarang dapat kesempatan dan sangat sulit menembus tim utama dikarenakan kualitas tim utama saat itu sudah world class. Akhirnya Moggi lebih banyak menggunakan pemain2 muda untuk barter sana-sini untuk menambah kualitas tim utama. Carini mungkin bukan dari primavera kita, tapi barter Carini dengan Cannavaro adalah contoh barter sukses yang pernah dilakukan Moggi.

    Fokus pada Primavera tahun ini menurut gw bukan semata-mata faktor Calciopoli & Marotta atau Paraticci, tapi lebih kepada persiapan menghadapai Financial Fair Play.

    1. Pastinya FFP tetap berpengaruh pada setiap langkah yg tim ambil. Tp poinnya kan, akankah ada urgency untuk mematangkan pemain muda klo saja calciopoli tidak ada? FFP itu kan aturan yg masih bisa ‘dipolitikin’, let’s say chelsea (tim paling riskan) yg skrg disponsorin samsung. Nanti pas FFP sah, abramovich pakai salah satu industrinya saja utk mensponsori chelsea. Sah2 saja bukan? toh at the end of the day yg penting club’s turnover. Of course this is just the simplest idea. And of course FFP will play part as well in youth development at Juventus. Apakah tanpa calciopoli Marchisio, at least, akan dapat bermain sebanyak ini?

      Aturan baru, lingkungan baru atau trend baru, semua pasti berpengaruh atas perkembangan primavera di setiap tim. Namun di Juventus, calciopoli bekerja sebagai alarm klub yang tidak bisa di SNOOZE dalam perkembangan youth sector. Bagaimana bila end upnya akan menjadi back up semata? Jujur saya pun tidak keberatan selama bisa diandalkan dalam saat2 penting daripada buang2 uang pada pemain spt davide baiocco. Intinya pengembangan Primavera syukur2 bisa jd pemain bintang, tp klo ‘hanya’ menjadi bagian skuad Juventus rasa2nya itu masih sebuah prestasi mengingat reputasi Juventus dalam youth development selama ini….

  9. How many of those young players back then turned out to be amazing players lol? Maybe Moggi didn’t send them to clubs where they would gain the experience they needed. But he always used these players in player exchange deals to help us get other better players.
    I don’t know about you guys, but I think even though the primavera did very well back then, you need to be something special to break into the first team. Players like Tomasso Rocchi and Davide Chiumento aren’t exactly super stars.
    Maybe under Moggi players like Marchisio wouldn’t have broken into the first team, but it wouldn’t have been because he failed, it would have been because the team was already filled with world class talent.
    Our youth players right now have a chance of breaking into the first team in the near future because our team is still being built and needs reinforcement. But 10 years from now it’s going to be significantly harder for that generation of primavera players to break into the team.

    1. Also, these primavera players haven’t proved anything yet. So how are they automatically better than the primavera players of the past? The only reason players like Marchisio managed to break into the team was because Secco signed crap like Tiago. Lets see if this new generation of primavera can break into a team with quality in it already.

      Also, keep in mind that Juve has a greater budget for transfers now a days than compared to Moggi’s time. Moggi needed to fund transfers by selling players. That was the only way. Whether he would sell someone like Zidane and use that money to rebuild the team, or whether he sold youth players to raise funds for a player. He had to do it in order to have a budget. It was the only way.

      The only thing I agree with is that calciopoli created more of a ‘family atmosphere’ at the club that hopefully continues. But you give Moggi the same budget Juve has these days and he’d be able to do a lot more without sacrificing youth too.

    2. Stuff like the genuine interest in the primavera is great, and I hope that continues. But the main cause of that is the lack of success the first team has had. So obviously the youth team winning the viareggio becomes a bigger deal for the fans.

      And since Juve are actually given a real budget to work with, they don’t need to sacrifice youth players in player exchange deals or to generate funds. If Moggi had that luxury, he might have had a lot more success developing youth. Besides, we still have to see how this current batch of primavera fully develop. Too soon to say at this point.

    3. Well again i strictly stated my point that it’s just so weird as a club who has most of its players represent many national teams, Juve didn’t produce any from their youth sector during Moggi’s days. But of course there is too much competition in the team back then. But all I’m saying is with a better direction post primavera some players might’ve been useful instead of splashing cash on sunday olliseh, juan esnaider, thierry henry, or Ronnie O’brien (this one is free but still…)

      Of course it’s too early to say they are better, BUT there is a genuine hope and expectation around this primavera team. And looking how the management treating the team, i think it’s fair to say that they are promising. While in the olden days there was no such expectation (well at least for me), at some level we knew that they would end up somewhere no matter how good they were back then. And again I still firmly believe primavera would not get the same treatment as today if calciopoli didn’t happen.

    4. and of course the club’s lack of success left them no choice but to nurture young talents they have. BUT that’s may point, without this calciopoli ‘disaster’ this would not have happened!

      Moggi didn’t have luxury? oh come on…..he sold players not because he needed money to afford another. Zidane was sold simply because the player didn’t have the same motivation anymore, and why would you hold on to someone like that?

  10. Saya sudah jatuh cinta pada juve sejak era baggio, Calciopoli hampir membuat saya melakukan hal yg sama pernah dilakukan Pessoto, namun akhirnya hanya menambah 2 hal bg hidup saya, reborn as a juventini and dying to see merda suffering.

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