None shall pass at Juve

By Paolo Menicucci

'Una difesa di ferro' - 'an iron defence' - is one of the keys to Juventus FC's successful start of the season. The Bianconeri are the only side who are yet to concede a goal in the UEFA Champions League and they have let in just two in the first seven matches of their Serie A campaign.

Unbeaten run
The Turin side have not dropped a point in Champions League Group C after three 1-0 wins against AFC Ajax, Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC and FC Bayern München. In Italy, meanwhile, they remain unbeaten, having won six of their seven games and already hold a five-point lead at the top of the table.

Slack season
Such statistics are all the more remarkable considering that Juventus conceded 42 goals in 34 Serie A games last season - their worst record since 1992/93. However, Bianconeri coach Fabio Capello has long been considered a master of defensive tactics.

Defensive mastermind
When he won his third consecutive Scudetto with AC Milan in 1993/94 the Rossoneri had conceded only fifteen goals during the whole season, a record for the 18-team Serie A. The most successful coach in Italy, Capello's spells at Real Madrid CF and AS Roma were also characterised by organised defences.

New signings
After taking over from Marcello Lippi last summer, the 58-year-old coach immediately got behind key players like Gianluigi Buffon, Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta, and reinforced the defensive line with two superb signings. Jonathan Zebina joined on a free transfer from Roma, while Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro came to Turin from FC Internazionale Milano in an exchange deal which saw Uruguayan goalkeeper Fabian Carini moving in the opposite direction.

Inspired Zebina
Capello knew exactly what Zebina had to offer, having coached him at Roma for four seasons and the 26-year-old defender has not disappointed. With Zebina successfully occupying the right-back spot, Thuram has been able to move into the centre of the defence and link up with Cannavaro, his former team-mate at Parma FC.

'Suffer and sacrifice'
There were doubts about Cannavaro's physical condition but the 31-year-old defender has wasted no time in proving the critics wrong. He is perfectly fit and is already a crowd favourite at the Stadio Delle Alpi. However, he is eager to share the plaudits with the rest of the team. "We defend and attack with the whole team, so everybody deserves credit when we don't concede goals," he told uefa.com. "Every player is ready to suffer and sacrifice for the good of the team."

Once is enough
With such an impressive defence, one goal is often all it takes for Juventus to win games. "We have great champions in our team and they can always score goals," Cannavaro said. "We just need to be focused for 90 minutes and try to concede as few chances as possible because sooner or later we will score."

Settled line
Capello usually uses a rotation system in attack but he prefers, when possible, to field the same men in defence. Zebina, Thuram, Cannavaro and Zambrotta have played every game so far with the exceptions of the visit to Ajax, when Zebina was suspended, and the home match against Maccabi, when Cannavaro was injured.

'No problem'
"It's not easy to play every three days so it's normal that sometimes you get a bit tired," Cannavaro explained. "But, as I have already said, every player is ready to give everything so there's no problem in playing so often." With that attitude and 'an iron defence', Juve are showing no sign of tiring yet.