Juventus 1 – 1 MAN CITY – A REVIEW of the DAY

The game wasn’t exactly the most enthralling but my second European trip was one that I will never forget. And instead of a normal review of the match, I’ve decided just to write down a few ideas and thoughts which hopefully give you an insight into the day.

The Weather and The Players

Landing in the early morning in Turin, within a stone’s throw of the Alps, was a spectacular sight, but perhaps that was a forewarning as to the nature of the weather during the day. It started off reasonably, with coats an option but not a necessity. However, as the day progressed, it grew colder and colder, and by all accounts, the temperature during the match was -13C. Not the most pleasant experience. Thus, plaudits have to go to James Milner, who was the only City player in a short-sleeved shirt and no gloves. Adam Johnson quickly learnt from his mistake in the first half and returned for the second period, complete with long-sleeves and gloves, whilst there were plenty of snoods on show.

Songs

Despite the bitterly cold weather, the City fans, in the absence of the Juve ’ultras’, did their best to create some sort of atmosphere with regular renditions of “Let’s All Do The Poznan” and “Uwe, Uwe Rosler”. In fact, the German striker, who has now returned to Manchester in the hope of forging a managerial career in England, was not the only former player whose name was sung heartily. The likes of Shaun Goater, Colin Bell, Andy Morrison and even that volatile Australian, Danny Tiatto, were also mentioned and it was testament to the continued brilliance of the Blues’ supporters that there was a decent atmosphere in such demanding circumstances.

Carlo Sertori and Ian Cheeseman

A pleasant surprise as I walked around the centre of town was to meet Carlo Sertori, City’s widely respected Sports Therapist who even went to the World Cup with England last summer. Along with the physio and a couple other members of the backroom staff, he was wandering around and was more than happy to have a chat. That brief encounter was nothing compared to meeting BBC Radio Manchester’s City commentator Ian Cheeseman, who was a real pleasure to talk to for nearly half an hour. He is the voice of City on local radio and his transmission for this game was also being used by the club’s official website.

Stadium

It’s not a regular target for my anger, but I felt it necessary to mention the stadium. How it held the Winter Olympics I will never know. Juventus share the ground with Torino whilst their usual abode is renovated, but it was not worthy of a Conference side, let alone two teams who compete in Seria A. The lack of facilities was astounding; just the one kiosk selling a small selection of drinks (and even that ran out of milk an hour before kick off) to cater for over 1500 fans, whilst the portacabins for toilets totalled a mere fifteen. From my seat in the third tier, there were no stairs to take me straight there; instead I was forced to navigate my way through the middle of the second tier – a sure way to cause numerous accidents in case of the need to evacuate in an emergency.

Overall

The aim was to finish top of the group and fortunately, that target was accomplished. Last season, not many would have envisaged Jo and Nimely Tchuimeni leading the line for City in the Europa League against Juventus, but Mancini’s tactics worked. Onwards and upwards we go, with a tie against Greek side Aris to come, from which we should advance. That would mean a last sixteen tie against either Besitkas or Dynamo Kiev and that is a harder porposition.