The Old Lady Speaks: A Juventus Podcast

In the one game that Juventus played last week, Juventus’ veteran Argentine winger was at his world-class best, with Angel Di Maria showing just how good he can still be in leading his team into the Europa League Round of 16. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: A quick update on the future of the podcast. (Don’t worry, we’re not going away!) Takeaways from the week that was — including what Angel Di Maria’s position on his field really is and what his best position on the field really is, and how Juve loanee Andrea Cambiaso absolutely bossed Bologna’s win over Inter on Sunday afternoon. The Europa League dream is still alive, everybody! Everybody talks about how good Angel Di Maria has been since coming back from the World Cup. Any concerns about Di Maria just kinda cruising once he came back from the World Cup were completely unwarranted because he’s been great since the restart. (If only we could say the same about his countryman Leandro Paredes...) Taking a look at Juventus’ opponent in the Europa League Round of 16, Freiburg, and what kind of challenge that they might pose in the coming weeks. Twitter questions — including what Juve need to see happen in the Coppa Italia to qualify for the Europa League next season, who could realistically replace Max Allegri this summer if the #AllegriOut contingent get their way, and what are the latest updates surrounding the financial investigations into Juventus. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a week in which Juventus didn’t lose either of its two games, but it’s not like Max Allegri’s squad was all that great, either, with European hopes again down to one singular 90-minute stretch. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including how Juventus should offer Angel Di Maria a big bag of money for a contract in the 2023-24 season and force him to say no, how Max Allegri is coaching more and more defensive (and we didn’t think that was possible), and how Juve continues to drop to the level of their competition a lot of the time. Just what went wrong for Juventus against Nantes in the first leg of the Europa League playoff round. Just what went wrong for Juventus — despite winning! — against Spezia over the weekend as the Bianconeri moved up a few more spots in the Serie A table. Just how much was Juve’s play against Nantes and then Spezia on Max Allegri and how much was it on the players? How optimistic are we about Juve getting past Nantes and advancing to the Europa League Round of 16? (Warning: previous Juventus struggles in European competition is discussed.) Twitter questions — including the noticing of the latest blunder from Leandro Paredes, should Federico Gatti be starting more in games where Juve faces opponents like Spezia, what’s the realistic expectation for some of the youngsters in this season’s squad to stick long term, and what should the formation be going forward knowing that Allegri has worked in a 3-4-2-1 recently. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus picked up wins over Salernitana and Fiorentina, but they were two very different kinds of victories with two very different kinds of performances from Max Allegri’s squad. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including how we keep waiting for Juventus to beat the teams it should beat consistently and not play to the level of its opponents and how Max Allegri clearly reads BWRAO because Angel Di Maria and Federico Chiesa both played from the start against Fiorentina. Thoughts on Juventus’ 1-0 win over Fiorentina, a game in which a lot of things happened even though a decent amount of said things weren’t exactly all that good. The way Max Allegri approached the second half against Fiorentina is nothing new, but it continues to be something that is putting points his team in tough situations when trying to close out games. Thoughts on Dusan Vlahovic’s return from injury. Thoughts on the attacking trident of Vlahovic, Federico Chiesa and Angel Di Maria that Allegri rolled out against Fiorentina on Sunday night. Twitter questions — including what we’re expecting from the first leg of the Europa League playoff round against Nantes on Thursday night. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Pogba was arguably the biggest name that Juventus brought in this past summer, but the Frenchman’s injury troubles have only continued since returning to Turin. And now, with February here, we still have yet to see Juve’s No. 10 play in a competitive game this season. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including how the cup competitions (and mainly the Coppa Italia) are the only things that really matters this season because of what’s happened the last few weeks how sometimes simplicity is the best when it comes to Juventus’ players following Max Allegri’s notable screaming at Angel Di Maria, and how winning the Coppa Italia is there for the taking. The current injury situation surrounding Paul Pogba is sad because all of us were looking forward to seeing him back at Juventus again. The problem, however, is that he has yet to appear in a competitive game and his comeback to Juve has been marked by him not playing more than anything else. In short, Pog’s still not back. And it's now February. Thoughts on the Coppa Italia quarterfinal win over Lazio seeing as the Coppa Italia is becoming more and more the best chance for Juventus to get into Europe next season. You gotta admit that there’s at least some sort of comedy in the fact that Juventus could potentially be a relegation battler or even get relegated and be in Europe next season. Twitter questions — including how Juventus might be able to get out of this mess, just how much job security Max Allegri might have the rest of the season or into the summertime, and just how good or bad the current version(s) of offside technology has gotten. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus’ winless streak was extended to three games after Monza rolled into the Allianz Stadium and claimed another historic win over the struggling Italian giants. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including how Juventus is (quickly) regressing back down to the mean after the eight-game winning streak and how Juventus is very quickly becoming its own worst enemy on a regular basis once again. Juventus’ performance against Monza was ... not very good at all. And this is what happens when Max Allegri chooses to go old school and sit back and try to counter against a team that loves to possess the ball and has gotten better as the season has gone on. Allegri choosing to play like this is not sustainable for much of the season simply because Serie A is evolving and he continues to show that he wants no part in that evolution. In what looks like the lone “big” transfer of the January window, Weston McKennie is headed to Leeds United on loan with an option to buy. How would we sum up McKennie’s tenure at Juventus? Twitter questions — including there being any worries about a transfer ban coming down, what the new Juventus front office can do to get this thing turned around, if this is the worst Juventus team of the modern era and what’s a good drink to mix together to try and get through the current state of Juventus. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A week that started with us hoping Juventus needed to pick itself up off the floor following a terrible loss to Napoli only saw things get worse off the field when it comes to the ongoing capital gains investigation. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: A quick update on the status of the podcast amidst the most recent round of cuts around SB Nation by Vox Media, most notably within the NFL and MLS communities as well as the entire podcasting network. Further updates will be available in the coming weeks. Takeaways from the week that was — including Juventus starting to shoot itself in the foot again, how it’s suddenly all about the cup competitions (Coppa Italia and Europa League) now, and how Bremer got back to being Good Bremer against Atalanta after being Bad Bremer against Napoli. A deep dive into what the heck happened on Friday when Juventus was docked 15 points and the impact that it will have on the rest of the 2022-23 season. How did Juventus get here? Why did Juventus get here? How the heck can Juventus get out of this and start to prevent another major crisis like this from happening again? As much as many are trying to pin these financial irregularities solely on Juventus, this is very much a sport-wide issue and everybody knows it. The difference is that Juve is a publicly traded company while others are not — and that ended up being a big sticking point in the investigation. Talk of actual on-field things — namely Juventus’ wild 3-3 draw with Atalanta over the weekend in the first game since the 15-point penalty was handed down. Hypothetical question: Would you be OK with Angel Di Maria sticking around for another season? Not-so-hypothetical question: Nicolo Fagioli has to be a regular starter now, doesn’t he? No Twitter questions this week, but we do promise they will return for our final episode in the month of January. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a night in which Juventus had the chance to show that it belonged in the Scudetto race, Max Allegri’s squad went out against Napoli and suffered its worse loss in three decades, falling 10 points behind the league leaders in the process. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: OOF. Takeaways from Juventus’ dismantling at the hands of Napoli — including Napoli is a really, really good team and they are everything that we wish Juventus could play like, maybe this loss to Napoli is something that could bring the heat back to Max Allegri’s seat as manager, and the issue of Federico Chiesa and where Allegri is going to play him. We play a little game: What’s one word to describe Juventus’ performance against Napoli? Where Max Allegri got it wrong against Napoli. What the heck is Max Allegri going to do with Federico Chiesa, his team’s best player who doesn’t really have a spot in the 3-5-2 formation that Allegri is dead set on using right now. Why has Allegri suddenly gone away from using the likes of Nicolo Fagioli and Fabio Miretti after they were a big reason why Juve went on their eight-game winning streak. Are we worried about Bremer? (Hint: No, we aren’t.) Twitter questions! You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Things might not have been very pretty, but Juventus has taken advantage of Napoli’s first slip up and moved into second place in Serie A entering this week’s big showdown in Naples. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Juve keep winning! Takeaways from the first week back in action after a month and a half away due to the World Cup — including how it might not be about how you start the season but how you rebound from it, why Juve’s play still might have us a little trepidatious about things, and holy bleeping bleep that assist from Federico Chiesa. Seriously, Juve keep winning! As nice as it is to see Juve keep winning games and adding to the winning streak, just how sustainable is this brand of football knowing that much more attack-minded opponents are coming up on the schedule. What a win (or a draw) against Napoli would mean for Juventus, its Scudetto chances and for the rest of the top of the Serie A table. Federico Chiesa is back, his assist against Udinese most certainly shows that, and he’s obviously going to be vital for Juve’s success going forward in Serie A and the Europa League. With Arek Milik’s goal on Wednesday against Cremonese, Juve have another free kick option that we didn’t necessarily knew they had before that game. Twitter questions — including how Juventus can generate some more offense and what it will take to do that, has Max Allegri’s recent run of success made up for the beginning to the season and the Champions League struggles, and if Danilo has proven to be the best piece of business Fabio Paratici did during his time in Turin. A few thoughts on the passing of former Juve captain Gianluca Vialli. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve all been (hopefully) waiting patiently for club football to return again, and Wednesday marks the day in which Juventus will play its first game since the middle of November. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Juventus’ season is about to resume — who’s excited for this to actually happen?! We actually are kind of excited seeing as Juve has been able to turn the domestic season around a little bit and get into the top four before the World Cup break. Some things we are looking forward to seeing when the games start up again in a matter of days. A discussion on where Federico Chiesa might fit into Max Allegri’s sudden desire to keep the 3-5-2 formation around for a little while. Or what changes might need to happen to accommodate Chiesa upon his return to being fully match fit in the new year. As is natural with Juventus over the past month, there just so happens to be off-field things happening, this time with the first members of the new-look board of directors being confirmed, including a new president and director general along with three others who have some very business-oriented backgrounds. One thing is very clear about this new Juventus board of directors — they are being brought in to help fix the business side of the club after both the investigations the club finds itself involved in as well as two fiscal years with over €200 million in losses. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The World Cup in Qatar has officially come to an end with arguably the best final any of us have ever seen. And that means that we’re just that much closer to Juventus coming back into our lives. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: That World Cup final. Whooooooooooa boy that was a good World Cup final. How did the three Juve players involved in the World Cup final do? Argentina’s win has given us the chance to ask the question that we’ve never even discussed before: Messi or Ronaldo????? Just kidding. We didn’t talk about that. We did pose this question, though: Which Juventus player had the best World Cup? A few thoughts on Juventus’ 2-0 win in Saturday’s friendly against Arsenal. Oh, and there are more injuries to talk about. Namely, the injury to Paul Pogba that continues to keep Juve’s big summer signing on the sidelines and still away from training with the rest of the group. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With plenty of talk swirling off the field, Tuttosport reminded us that there can potentially be some good developments to come out of Juve’s current legal mess. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Tuttosport reported over the weekend that things might all lost when it comes to what’s going on involving the investigation into Juventus’ finances. What does this development mean? Why we aren’t doing celebrations in the streets just yet. Where do we go from here? Talking about another Tuttosport report, this one from a few days earlier, that says this summer could be the end of Federico Cherubini’s tenure at Juventus. Does that open the door for Juve to potentially rebuild the bridge with Beppe Marotta knowing things aren’t going so well at Inter these days? World Cup thoughts with the semifinals upon us. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your favorite Juventus-related podcast took a break because we were very tired and upon hearing this apparently the board of directors wanted us to have something to talk about upon our return. How nice of them, right? On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: The very large elephant in the room. Yes, we took a week off and then a giant Juventus scandal broke out with the entire board of directors resigning. These two things seem related! We take a look at what we know regarding this Juve financial scandal and what has taken place over the last week since the board of directors stepped down. Another thing we consider: How did Juventus get here? Another thing we consider: Where do we go from here? What we know about Juventus’ new president — it’s not much — and what role could Alessandro Del Piero potentially play if he decides to come back to the club. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re done with the first week of the World Cup break, so we decided to talk about some Juventus things nonetheless — namely what has taken part over the course of the first half of the 2022-23 season. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: There are no takeaways this week! Because, unless you count Italy’s two friendlies, there were no games to discuss! (Gotta love Italy playing a meaningless friendly on the same day of the opening day of the World Cup, by the way.) We don’t know if you’ve heard, but Juventus went into the World Cup break on a six-game domestic winning streak. Because of that, we decided to start out with some positivity. What were some of the positives from the first half of the season? The kids — most notably Nicolo Fagioli and Fabio Miretti — have been doing pretty well. Juventus’ defense has played surprisingly well. So much so that they’ve allowed just seven goals all season — four of those coming in two games — and have the best defense in the league. They went into the World Cup break with six straight shutouts. Danilo is good. Bremer is good. Alex Sandro ... also fairly good lately, too?! And then the not-so-good stuff from the 2022-23 season. Yes, the Champions League might have been mentioned. Same goes for all those damn injuries Juve’s had this year. There’s also how Max Allegri has managed for much of the season — which was not great. Twitter questions — including if it’s time to truly move on from Leonardo Bonucci and if Danilo should become a full-time center back with how well he’s played there this season, allowing Juventus to focus on signing a new fullback or two. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following Sunday’s win over Lazio, Juventus has not lost a Serie A game in over a month and head into the World Cup break on a six-game winning streak that has put them into third place in the league table. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including Juventus is playing like a good team again, Arek Milik is becoming a Mario Mandzukic 2.0 kind of striker who does the dirty work and Moise Kean has been on a tear just when a lot of people were ready to throw him to the side. We take a brief look at Juventus’ win over Hellas Verona. Juventus beat Hellas Verona and that’s all we’re going to say about that. (We said it was brief, people!) A much more in-depth kind of look at Juventus’ win over Lazio that saw Max Allegri’s squad jump up into third place with their sixth straight victory. Juventus’ counterattacking style has had a little more bite to it in recent weeks — except against Hellas — and that’s starting to pay off well. We look at what’s changed for Juventus from the early months of the season when things weren’t going well to now when they’re going much better. Twitter questions — including what happens to Weston McKennie during the January transfer window, is the World Cup break a good or a bad thing for Juventus, if we trust Juve to keep this form going come the new year, what will be key for Juve to keep this run going when games resume in January and how happy are we that Juve’s suddenly in third place. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus capped a week in which they played rather well with a deserved win over Inter in Sunday’s Derby d’Italia giving Max Allegir’s squad a big boost going into the final week before the World Cup break. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Juventus beat Inter, and therefore we’re in a good mood! Takeaways from the week that was — including Nicolo Fagioli has arrived and it’s time to be extremely happy about it, we’ve reached the end of the road for Leonardo Bonucci being a regular starter for Juventus (and Sunday’s win over Inter proved that), and Juventus gave us a reminder that Inter are frauds — you better not forget that — while being fun to watch in two straight games. Let’s talk about the win over Inter! (And a little bit about the performance midweek against PSG, too, but mostly about the win over Inter.) Nicolo Fagioli has taken his chance to suddenly get minutes in the starting lineup and completely run with it. He’s already proving to be a big-time player and a breath of fresh air for a Juventus team — and especially midfield — that needed somebody like him. Seriously, Fagioli is really good already! Also, Federico Chiesa is back! And in his first two appearances since injuring his knee 10 months ago, Chiesa has looked pretty good — and more importantly incredibly lively — in his limited minutes on the field. How much did luck and how much did Max Allegri’s adjustments play into Juventus’ win over Inter in the Derby d’Italia? A Twitter question-a-palooza! (Everybody was in a good mood after the Inter win.) You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus won’t be in the Champions League knockout rounds thanks to their loss to Benfica last week, and it’s not exactly like you like their chances in the Europa League these days, either. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including how the word “nadir” continues to come back in the fold even when you’ve though Juve has hit rock bottom, and how this season has basically forced us to run out of takeaways because it’s the same problems over and over again. (But we power on regardless!) No more Champions League after Juventus faces Paris Saint-Germain this week. That’s because Juventus’ latest Champions League loss, last Tuesday night against Benfica, means that they are officially out of the running for the knockout stages. You won’t believe this, but Max Allegri didn’t get a lot of things right against Benfica. So, it’s most likely the Europa League now unless something goes seriously wrong against PSG on Wednesday night. (Which, based on how Juve’s season has gone, you never know!) Juventus’ game over the weekend was absolutely terrible outside of Nicolo Fagioli’s stunning goal against Lecce. The kids, they’re doing pretty OK so far, aren’t they? Twitter questions — including why J Medical is so busy all the time, could the recent exploits from Juve’s youngsters light a fire under the veterans’ backsides, and what realistic expectations are for the rest of the season are. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus had one objective during the third week October — beat Empoli. And for one of the few times this season, Juve actually gave something to be happen about as we watched them play. On this episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including Juventus giving us something fun to watch against Empoli, Filip Kostic being a dude who will cross and cross and cross and cross some more, and Moise Kean not being totally BACK but showing signs of improvement. Some thoughts on the win over Empoli and how Juventus actually played pretty well. We know, it’s hard to believe after what we’ve seen this season, too, but it actually happened. And we know the caveat is that “it’s just Empoli,” but that’s fine because it’s not like they can control who’s playing opposite of them. Some players who had been having some rough patches really did play well. Guess who looks like they’re going to be be coming back soon? Federico Chiesa and Paul Pogba. The thing is, though, just what should we expect from them upon their immediate return considering that we’re just a few weeks away from the World Cup break? Our lone Twitter question of the week — just how much Paul Pogba (and to a further extent Federico Chiesa) fit into things when he does indeed come back from injury? You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As much as the Turin derby win was a nice change of pace, it’s hard to get over just how bad Juventus has been in the Champions League this season, with a potential trip to the Europa League beckoning. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Chuks is back from his honeymoon! He wouldn’t show us his fancy wedding ring, though. Probably because it’s a massive rock and cost thousands of dollars. Humble guy, he is. Takeaways from the week that was — including We work our way from backwards to forwards, starting the bulk of the show with a chat about Juventus’ latest Champions League disappointment against Maccabi Haifa midweek. We go through some of the tiebreakers that Juventus might need to simply finish third ahead of Maccabi and get into the Europa League. Seriously, tiebreakers for third place in the Champions League group. This is where things have gone. We switch over to the weekend’s action when Juventus actually got a win in an away fixture. It ironically came against a team that plays in the same city — which is another sign of how things are going so far this season. Not kidding, folks: Juve’s Derby della Mole win was the first away win of the season and it came within the city of Turin. Twitter questions — including Juventus’ potential Europa League hopes and how far might they go in the “other” European tournament going on, and what the heck is up with Fabio Miretti suddenly not getting any playing time as more than one Juve midfielder continues to struggle with his form. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just when it looked like Juventus actually had the chance to string some wins together, Max Allegri’s squad goes out and has an absolute stinker against Milan over the weekend, showing us that even a couple of wins won’t be the thing that gets things turned around. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including Juventus isn’t very good, Juventus won’t be coming anywhere close to competing for the Serie A title and even with all the injuries Milan had they were still able to make Max Allegri look rather bad. So, about that Juventus performance against AC Milan over the weekend. Sorry to Juventus’ win over Maccabi Haifa, but we’re not going to talk much about you this week. This is about Juve failing in a big game again rather than beating the minnows of the Champions League group. Juventus’ first nine games of the season in the 2022-23 campaign are officially worse than in the 2021-22 campaign, one where we thought it couldn’t necessarily get any worse. Things just keep repeating themselves this season and there’s no end in sight. If there are any hopes left that Juventus will get to the Champions League knockout rounds now that they’ve got their first European win of the season on the board. Twitter questions — including concerns of how Max Allegri has handled Manuel Locatelli this season, who needs to take the bulk of the blame for all of Juventus’ failures this season, should we (n a twisted way) pull for Juve to keep playing poorly so the management parts ways with Max Allegri sooner, and digging deep to find an actual positive form this season. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No, seriously. The title is actually the truth, as Juve returned from the international break with a solid 3-0 win over Bologna to begin an extremely busy month of October. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaways from the weekend back in action — including Juventus’ third kits being an interesting color combination and how Max Allegri might have been onto something when he said Dusan Vlahovic and Arek Milik could actually play together. Thoughts on Juventus’ 3-0 win over Bologna. While it might not have been a spectacular team performance, it was what the team and Max Allegri needed to try and start turning things around this season. What a goal and an assist against Bologna could mean for Dusan Vlahovic going into a crucial stretch of the schedule for Juventus. Just what this win could mean for Juve going forward and how it won’t mean all that much if Allegri’s squad can’t stack up some positive results on top of each other the next couple of weeks. Twitter (and Instagram) questions — including why Juventus hasn’t been able to get consistent contributions from youth sector products since the days of Claudio Marchisio being a regular starter, if the Bologna win has any kind of impact on Max Allegri’s future, how the Milik-Vlahovic combo might impact Angel Di Maria’s role in the immediate future and if Juve’s win over Bologna was actually real life or just a blip on the radar before things come back to normal next week. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It may be the middle of an international break, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t something Juventus-related to discuss. And considering what time of the year it is, it usually means there’s a financial report to dissect. On this week’s episode of the Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: We post the question: How nice was it to not have to watch Juventus over the past seven days during the international break? Some discussion about the news late last week that Juventus posted a €254 million loss during the 2021-22 fiscal year, the second straight year in which the club has posted a loss of €200 million or more. Just how can Juventus try to get out of this financial mess without simply relying on more capital infusions by Exor? Winning and putting a better product on the field would be a start. On top of the news that Juve’s fiscal report was not very good at all, there’s developments on the injury front. While we know Fabio Miretti suffered some sort of ankle injury while on international duty with the Italy Under-21 squad, but Federico Chiesa and Paul Pogba could be trying to make a return to the field before the end of October. Or, more specifically, ahead of Juve’s big trip to Lisbon to face Benfica in the Champions League on Oct. 25. Twitter (and Instagram!) questions — including just what the risks (besides financial) or crashing out of the Champions League, who might fit Juventus for both the rest of this season and next if Max Allegri is let go at some point mid-season, if this Juve squad is any better than Gigi Delneri’s team in 2010-11, and what a BWRAO drinking game could look like. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus’ disaster beginning to the 2022-23 season continued as we hit the middle of September, with a pair of awful performances resulting in a pair of equally awful losses to Benfica and Monza. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was (and, surprisingly, they’re not very positive) — including just how much psychological damage this kind of situation can have on Juventus, how the loss to Monza could very well be Sergio’s fault and if we should be worried that Filip Kostic is sort of a one-trick pony in attack. Guess what? We talked about Max Allegri’s current situation. For the record, pretty much everybody on the podcast is on the #AllegriOut train at this point. What can we learn from other situations in other sports when it comes to managers either not adapting with the times and when it’s time for a change. Who are we kidding? This who episode is basically about Max Allegri and not about any specific moments in the losses to Benfica and then Monza. Twitter questions — including of Paolo Montero coming up from the primavera squad to replace Max Allegri would be a good idea following the Andrea Pirlo experience and who we want to see potentially replace Allegri if he were to be dismissed by Juventus. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a week in which Juventus dropped its Champions League opener, it’s what happened over the weekend against Salernitana that still has people talking and leaving us wondering how things failed so badly. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including just how bad Serie A refereeing has become, how the heck VAR didn’t have access to the same cameras that broadcasters like Sky Italia and DAZN had, and why VAR hasn’t solved all of the problems we might have thought it would when it first came about. Seriously, though ... how the heck did all that get missed against Salernitana? But let’s not forget about Juventus’ performance against Salernitana after they fell behind 1-0. It was not good. Then it got worse when it was 2-0 — the kind of deficit Juve hasn’t faced at home against Serie A opposition since 2004. TWO-THOUSAND AND FOUR! A question for the crew: What were you doing in 2004? How the performance against Salernitana is just another example of how up and down and filled with inconsistencies Juventus’ season to date has been. We turn our attention toward the Champions League — both what happened against Paris Saint-Germain and what is to come Wednesday night against Benfica. We wrap thins up with a question: Is there any sort of confidence entering Benfica’s visit to Turin that Juve can actually get things done and get their first Champions League win? You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juve got another early lead before again seeing that lead go up in smoke against Fiorentina on their way to a third draw in five games and more dropped points from a winning position. On this week’s episode of the Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including worries about Juan Cuadrado and if Father Time is catching up with the 34-year-old Colombian winger, and Mattia Perin’s fine form and the pressure he might be putting on Wojciech Szczesny. Talking about the elephant in the room. No, not Juventus beating Spezia after a disappointing draw against Roma last weekend. More so another disappointing 1-1 draw, this time against Fiorentina. The issue with Max Allegri going ultra-conservative again and how it’s truly impacting Juventus’ success at the moment. Just how bad is it for Juventus right now and can things actually get better when some of the injured players come back. (Essentially, will the talent of the players overcome the shortcomings of their current manager.) We were going to talk about the summer mercato, but then we ended up just talking about Max Allegri some more. You can understand why. Twitter questions — including can Allegri keep his job if Juventus don’t get out of the Champions League group stage, how long of a leash does Allegri have if these types of performances/results continue, do we think Max actually knows what he’s doing, why can’t Juve actually create consistent scoring chances and our thoughts on Leandro Paredes’ debut with Juventus. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus played arguably its best half of football Saturday, but the Bianconeri couldn’t make it last against Roma in a second straight night of dropped points. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Our takeaways from the week that was — including Juve showing a heartbeat after last Monday’s crapfast against Sampdoria, how Juve might have a guy who can actually be a threat from a free kick again, and how Fabio Miretti’s emergence might mean the end for one or two midfielders currently on the Juventus roster. Thoughts on Juventus’ 1-1 draw with Roma from over the weekend. The good, the bad, the questionable from Juve’s performance against Roma, a game in which Juventus probably dropped two points more than deserved a draw. How weird it was to see Paulo Dybala playing against Juventus for the first time since his days at Palermo. We bask in the glory of Fabio Miretti’s first start of the 2022-23 season and hope that Max Allegri allows us to see more of such in the immediate future. Thoughts on Juventus’ Champions League group, one that includes Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa. Twitter questions — including if Juventus has a chance for a top four finish if Paul Pogba and Angel Di Maria are injured on a consistent basis, will Fabio Miretti’s star performance against Roma translate into Max Allegri giving him more playing time, and why Filip Kostic hasn’t been all that great to begin his Juve career. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The second straight Monday night of Juventus football looked far from the first one, with Max Allegri’s squad giving us plenty of flashbacks to last season in a scoreless draw against Sampdoria. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including Manuel Locatelli’s future as a regista, how Fabio Miretti and Nicolo Rovella were two of the few positives against Sampdoria, and how (like the classic meme of the dog sitting in his house surrounded by fire) everything is fine. A deep dive into what went wrong for Juventus against Sampdoria. Seriously, folks: Dusan Vlahovic had nine — NINE!) — touches against Samp. Unfortunately, that meant talking about a lot of the same things that happened last season because Juventus’ draw against Sampdoria was a lot like so many games last season. Manuel Locatelli is not a regista yet Max Allegri still uses him as a regista. How just totally unsettled things are in the midfield at the moment. Twitter questions — including the best defense for further use of a McKennie-Locatelli-Rabiot midfield, what has Max Allegri done to actually help Juventus get better, thoughts on Pavel Nedved’s pre-game comments about training and the transfer market, how long until Miretti and Rovella get looks from the start, what needs to happen between now and Juve’s game against Roma for things to get better. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus’ season-opening win over Sassuolo provided some reasons to be optimistic about what could be on the way over the next few weeks, with the Bianconeri’s big-name players leading the way Monday night. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: We’re back, baby! We mean the podcast talking about games that matter, not necessarily Juventus being BACK BACK after a season-opening win. What else can we consider as back? The takeaways from Juventus’ season opener — including if this win over Sassuolo actually helps us figure out if we know anything new about Max Allegri’s squad, how Mattia Perin is pretty dang good regardless of being a backup goalkeeper and how nice it was to see the youngsters get a decent run out. More discussion on Juventus’ season-opening win. Like, there were some good things to happen, folks! Angel Di Maria was a leading man. Dusan Vlahovic scored a couple of goals. Bremer was strong. Heck, even Allegri himself was able to switch things up on the fly and make a very important first-half adjustment coming out of the cooling break that led to Juve taking the lead shortly thereafter. How nice it was see Allegri make those early changes rather than try and stick with the original plan that wasn’t exactly working out all that well. Thoughts on how the youngsters who came on in the second half — Fabio Miretti, Nicolo Rovella and Matias Soule — played in some extended minutes against Sassuolo. Thoughts on the main transfer arrival rumors centering around Juventus regarding Barcelona striker Memphis Depay and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Leandro Paredes. Twitter questions — including if this opening-game performance changes any thoughts on the forthcoming season, how some of the young midfielders might fit into things with Paul Pogba out injured for the next month or so and a little game to wrap things up. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus closed the preseason with a pair of duds. Is that a hint as to what’s to come or will Max Allegri actually have this team playing well enough to do more than just finish in fourth place ... again? On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Reaction to Juventus’ 4-0 defeat at the hands of Atlético Madrid to wrap up the slate of preseason friendlies. Just kidding, we didn’t talk about that because we’re not crazy. What we did talk about was how we’re feeling a little moosha moosh about Juventus’ upcoming season — and for more than one reason, too. No matter if it’s the injury to Paul Pogba and everything that comes with it or Alex Sandro’s continued horrendous form over the last couple of years, things are rather unsettled at Juventus these days. And then there’s the elephant in the room: Max Allegri and how he is going to manage this team, what his tactics will be and if this season will look a lot like last season. Spotlight some players that we will be keeping an extra-close eye on this season. Twitter questions — including Max Allegri and the transfer window, if 80 points is the magic number for Juventus to be contending for more than just fourth place, how much blame can be put on Juve’s financial situation for the transfer inactivity of late and — wait for it — if Max Allegri secretly cooking up something. One bold prediction from each on of the guys before we sign off for the day. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Playing its third game in a little over a week, Juventus concluded its preseason tour in the U.S. with a strugglefest against the reigning European champions, Real Madrid. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Rather than takeaways from the week that was, we have some takeaways from Juventus’ summer tour in the United States now that it has come to an end. Some thoughts on Juventus’ 2-0 loss to Real Madrid to close out the U.S. tour. (Don’t worry, they’re not much simply because Juve didn’t show all that much against the reigning European champions.) This might be hard to believe, but there’s a gulf in quality between Real Madrid and Juventus right now and Saturday night’s friendly only confirmed that. Injuries! Injuries are here! It’s not just Paul Pogba now, but Weston McKennie looks set to miss a month after separating his shoulder in training the morning of the Real Madrid friendly. Wojciech Szczesny also didn’t play against Real Madrid, although it’s unclear just how serious his muscle injury is. Twitter questions — including positives and negatives from the U.S. tour, who Max Allegri’s Swiss Army knife could be this coming season, what players or tactics could help Juventus with its struggles of playing out of the back, what Juve’s midfield could look like if there are no more additions this summer, and can we actually expect an improved Juve under Allegri this year. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

OK, so it wasn’t totally a vacation because the main reason we were there was for work, but that “work” involved watching Juventus during its first stop in its 2022 tour of the United States. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Our takeaways are back! Why? Because Juventus actually played a game a couple of days ago. Sure, it was a friendly, but it was a game and we like when Juve plays. (Most of the time.) It’s over to the breaking news that happened right before we hit record: Paul Pogba has a torn meniscus and it looks like he is going to miss the start of the Serie A season. Where do Juventus go from here knowing that they are potentially looking at the big summer signing in the midfield being out for a couple of months? Is it Adrien Rabiot time again?! Onto things of a more pleasant nature: The BWRAO boys — or at least two of them — went to Las Vegas to cover Juventus’ U.S. tour opener against Chivas this past Friday. And while the travel getting home wasn’t the best experience, the same can’t be said for what happened at Allegiant Stadium. Basically, being credentialed media for a Juve game was cool as hell. Seriously, Sergio got to ask Juan Cuadrado a question! Observations from the Juve-Chivas game, including just what kind of skillset that Ángel Di Maria brings to the table and how Max Allegri may try to take advantage of that. Twitter questions about: the current state of Juventus’ fullback corps, just how Juventus might use the rest of the money from the Matthijs de Ligt deal, and who of Fabio Miretti, Nicolo Fagioli and Nicolo Rovella will stay at Juventus this season. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus’ best defender is heading to Bayern Munich, with what’s to come and how the club will spend the money they now find themselves with very much a giant question mark. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Another blog announcement: With the Las Vegas friendly coming up and BWRAO having a pair of writers covering the game, we have decided to document it on our new Instagram page! Follow us on IG at @BWRAO_SBN. Now, to the main topic of the show: Matthijs de Ligt is heading to Bayern Munich after Juventus agreed to the German giants’ offer Sunday night. É fatta, folks. Did Juventus get a good price for de Ligt or did Bayern having no true competition for him over the last couple of weeks hurt things? Now that de Ligt is about to leave, who should take his place? We know the main names by now with Torino center back Gleison Bremer, Villarreal’s Pau Torres and Gabriel of Arsenal being the biggest players already linked with Juventus. Seriously, you know there are about to be a bunch of names linked with Juventus over the next couple of days and there’s nothing you can do about it. With de Ligt set to leave, does the United States tour become even more important for somebody like Federico Gatti considering he’s a player with no Serie A experience? Twitter questions — including who’s the biggest “what could have been” transfer at Juventus, if there’s anybody worth paying attention on Chivas’ roster, who will be the crowd favorite in Las Vegas and trying to predict Juventus’ midfield depth chart if there are no more signings this summer. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. You can also follow us on our new Instagram page, too! Get all of our match coverage, transfer rumors and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus has made its first two signings of the summer, but things are expected to pick up in the coming days — and it’s not just about who might be leaving the club, either. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: An important blog announcement regarding Juventus’ first friendly in the United States against Chivas Guadalajara. (Hint: we’re gonna be there and it’s gonna be fun.) Over to Juventus news: Ángel Di Maria has officially signed with the Bianconeri. More Juventus news: Paul Pogba has officially signed with the Bianconeri on a free transfer for the second time in his career. #PogBack x 2. Now that they are both official and we can talk about them as actual deals, what does Pogba’s return and the addition of Di Maria mean to this Juventus squad still very much in construction. Thoughts on Juventus’ increasing interest in Roma attacker Nicolo Zaniolo, who comes with a lot of red flags despite his obvious talent. Twitter questions — including a Roma-leaning friend of the blog asking about hamburgers, how much leadership will Di Maria and Pogba add to a squad in need of some leaders, andif the Di Maria signing is hurting long-term building or just a frustrating thing in the moment because Juventus seemed to be wanting to go younger and less expensive salary-wise. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As June turns to July, the Juventus transfer rumor mill is centered around one very large and muscular Dutchman, who is going to command a lot of money wherever he ends up going. On this episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: It’s Matthijs de Ligt transfer rumor mayhem! Chelsea want to sign de Ligt. We know this. But how much could Juventus actually get for de Ligt this summer now that it basically seems inevitable that he’s leaving? How much hardball should Juventus play knowing that they’ve got such a valuable asset in de Ligt? Is not selling de Ligt because a suitable offer never arrives really a bad thing? A chat about something that we already know will happen — the Serie A schedule release. What do we like about Juventus’ schedule? What do we not like about the schedule? Just how much is the World Cup being in late-November and December absolutely creating an idiotic situation close to the midpoint of the 2022-23 season? Seriously, a winter World Cup in the middle of the club season is so dumb. Twitter questions — including a genuine question where to find legitimate transfer information as well as who the crew prefers between Luca Pellegrini and Andrea Cambiaso. (Please note that this episode was recorded on Saturday, and that obviously means that some things might not be totally up to date two days later.) You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus’ best defender as well as the club itself will have to make some tough decisions soon, with Chelsea hot on the trail to sign Matthijs de Ligt this summer and an even bigger rebuild potentially in the cards as a result for the Bianconeri’s front office. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: The sudden burst of rumors involving Matthijs de Ligt potentially leaving Juventus and heading to the Premier League, with Chelsea being the No. 1 suitor for the 22-year-old Dutchman. Chelsea’s first reported offer for de Ligt was ... pretty funny. The benefits and shortfalls of selling de Ligt this summer compared to next summer. Just how much trust we have in Juventus’ front office to spend that money wisely whenever they do end up parting company with de Ligt. In the end, do we believe Juventus will sell de Ligt this summer? Looking at Juventus’ reported deal for Ángel Di Maria, which at the time of recording was still inching toward the finish line. Looking at Juventus reported pursuit of Nicolo Zaniolo, which looks to be something that is happening no matter what happens with the Di Maria deal. Twitter questions — including would a Christian Pulisic plus €45 million be enough for de Ligt, what the right kind of profile for a backup to Dusan Vlahovic should be, how bad would losing de Ligt be for Juve’s already-suffering defense and if Juve has the makings of a really good midfield with Paul Pogba’s arrival this summer. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we await Paul Pogba’s triumphant return to Turin, his national team teammate Adrien Rabiot has reportedly told Juventus that he would like to leave the club this summer. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Could Adrien Rabiot be heading out this summer? It certainly looks possible after Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio reported over the weekend that Rabiot has asked Juventus to sell him this summer, with a handful of Premier League clubs interested. Just why could Rabiot be asking for a transfer right now? How much could it do with Pogba? How much could it be for a new experience? What this adds to a summer transfer window in which there looks to be a lot of movement within Juventus’ midfield group. What this means for Juventus’ three young Italian midfielders in Fabio Miretti, Nicolo Fagioli and Nicolo Rovella, and the potential of this opening up another spot for one of them. Actual news of the week: Atalanta exercised its buy option on Merih Demiral, which came as a surprise seeing as just two days earlier it looked like the Turkish defender was set to return to Juventus (and likely headed for a new club). Twitter questions — including whether Juventus should put more money into the midfield after Paul Pogba’s arrival or focus more on improving the situation at each fullback spot, and what are the best and worst case scenarios for Pogba’s return to Juventus. You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Juventus world is currently filled with transfer rumors galore, and because of that we decided to take a break from talking about said rumors to take some questions from the some of our loyal listeners and Twitter followers. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: An offseason Twitter mailbag with questions from you the listeners! But before that, we actually talk about some on-field stuff — Federico Gatti’s debut with the Italian national team, which just so happens to have come a few months before he is likely to make his official Juventus debut. And now, the Twitter questions! Those topics include: If we think Max Allegri will make it to the end of his contract, one that expires in three years. Just how much blame would you put Juventus’ struggles this past season on Max Allegri, the players themselves and the injuries that were a constant throughout much of the year. Whether we can see the day in which Andrea Pirlo ever comes back to manage Juventus again. (Pirlo has taken a managerial job in Turkey recently.) If Juve’s top two midfielders will be Manuel Locatelli and Paul Pogba, who should be third between Adrien Rabiot and Denis Zakaria (and Weston McKennie)? To the complete contrary, should Juventus go after Sergej Milinkovic-Savic when Paul Pogba chases the money and surprises the Juve front office when he signs with Paris Saint-Germain? Should there be worries about Federico Chiesa’s playing style potential putting him at risk for another major knee injury in the future. A twist on things: Where do we think Juventus would finish if last season’s squad picked up and left Serie A behind to join the Premier League? Closing arguments: What are the expectations for next season? You can follow us — or send us questions — on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

But consider the four of us not any of those people who are actually freaking out about what de Ligt said about his contract extension and his Juventus future while on international duty with the Netherlands. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that ... oh, wait. There’s no games for the next couple of months. To actual news things! Or maybe something that might not be news? Getting down to the bottom of what Matthijs de Ligt said while being interviewed after a Dutch national team training session. Thankfully, we got a loyal Dutchman to help us properly translate what de Ligt actually said, not go all crazy like the Italian media did. Expanding on the de Ligt quotes — do they mean much of anything or does some of the panic to come as a result of it seem unwarranted? A debate after the de Ligt talk: If Juventus had to choose to sign only one of the two Udinese fullbacks they’ve been linked to over the last couple of weeks, who should it be, Destiny Udogie or Nahuel Molina? Twitter questions — including what should Juventus’ tactical setup be with Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic, and what Juventus should do with de Ligt and the center of the defense overall this summer? You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are some awards to hand out, but be warned that not all of them are good ones. (We’re looking at you, players who have not had vey good seasons.) On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: End of the season awards! Who was Juventus’ most valuable player during the 2021-22 season? Who was Juventus’ least valuable player during the 2021-22 season? Who was Juventus’ biggest disappointment during the 2021-22 season? Who was Juventus’ biggest surprise during the 2021-22 season? No Twitter questions this week because we were too busy handing out so many awards that we ran out of time. They will be back next week, we promise! You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus signed off for the 2021-22 season with a we’re-on-the-beach kind of performance against Fiorentina this past weekend, but the real memorable moments came last Monday night at Allianz Stadium — for good and for bad. On Episode 100 of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: One singular takeaway from the week that was — we aren’t going to talk much — if anything at all — about Juventus’ 2-0 season-ending loss to Fiorentina on Saturday night. Looking back at the home finale on Monday night against Lazio. Not really talking about the game as you might think, but moreso talking about the farewells to Giorgio Chiellini and Paulo Dybala as they each got one hell of a sendoff in their final games at Allianz Stadium as Juventus players. However, as you might have noticed, the tone surrounding Chiellini and Dybala’s respective farewells was very, very different. Also, how about that reaction Juventus president Andrea Agnelli got during Chiellini’s post-game ceremony? That was ... rough. Juventus are reportedly close to signing Paul Pogba and Ángel Di Maria on free transfers. Is this a good idea? Is this a bad idea? Could one of them be worse of an idea than the other? Twitter questions — including realistic and dream scenarios for the summer transfer window and what some of most favorite and least favorite memories from the 2021-22 season ended up being. You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In what could have been some sort of salvation for an overall disappointing 2021-22 season, Juventus — and its manager — left a lot to be desired in falling to arch-rival Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia final. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including just how Juventus is not a very good team right now (or for pretty much all of this season), the concern about how many penalties Matthijs de Ligt has given away during his Juventus tenure, and Max Allegri continues to play not to lose rather than playing to win (especially when the opponent is there for the taking). Thoughts on the Coppa Italia final and just how wrong Allegri got things when Juventus took the lead within a two-minute span in the second half against Inter. But seriously, what the heck was that penalty call against Juventus that led to Inter tying the game? VAR in Italy — and pretty much at large — is bad and who knows if it’s getting any better. So, how about those new Juventus home kits, everybody? Twitter questions — including recalling some of our most favorite Paulo Dybala memories and what we think about a potential Juventus and Paul Pogba reunion taking place this summer as the rumor mill continues to churn out talk of things happening. You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the final game before the Coppa Italia final against Inter Milan, Juventus went out and blew a 1-0 lead late to one of the worst teams going in Serie A. So, not great. This week on the Old Lady Speaks Podcast, we discuss: Takeaway from the week that was — including if getting mad at Juventus for blowing a lead against Genoa is something worth doing and if it’s time to worry about the most recent stretch of games that Dusan Vlahovic has had after some completely average defenders have kept him quiet. Further thoughts on Juventus’ loss to Genoa in which Max Allegri’s moves kinda-sorta backfired and an opponent battling relegation suddenly came alive to steal three points. Mattia De Sciglio, what the heck? Moise Kean, what the heck? Thoughts on the Coppa Italia final against Inter Milan, which will serve as one last chance for Juventus to make something out of this 2021-22 season in which the Bianconeri have yet to claim a win over their rivals from the blue side of the San Siro. Twitter questions — including why Juventus players continue to be so slow and static despite the three coaching changes over the last three years, which Juventus player we think has the coolest mom and some predictions for the three upcoming European finals. (Yes, Chuks actually makes predictions — shocking, right?) You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus officially booked its place in next season’s Champions League this past weekend, but it was an 18-year-old midfielder who got his first-ever senior squad start that dominated the conversation this week. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including what Juventus might be interested in accomplishing over the next couple of weeks of the season now that the Champions League spot is secured, and our resident Agent of Chaos being disappointed in a way that Juve won’t be in a lower level European competition next season. Thoughts on Fabio Miretti’s debut in the starting lineup and how impressed we were by the Juve youth product. Seriously, we talked a lot about Fabio Miretti because he deserves it. The importance of Miretti’s development and the Under-23 project as a whole. Juventus has qualified for next season’s Champions League — now what? Twitter questions — including what we would like to see from Juventus the rest of the season, if Juve potentially finishing in third place something to be happy about knowing how this season has gone, and if Max Allegri could play Miretti, Matias Soulé and Marley Aké all at once before the season is over. (We just answer the questions, folks.) You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus made the most out of their chance to get to another Coppa Italia final, playing a classic Max Allegri counterattacking game to beat Fiorentina in Turin. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: Takeaways from the weekend that was — including “50 Shades of Dusan Vlahovic,” if Juventus were actually good against Fiorentina’s very high defensive line, and what playing guys in their actual positions can result in when Max Allegri does it. Thoughts on the Coppa Italia semifinal against Fiorentina and how that same Max Allegri ended up getting a lot of things right Wednesday night. Thoughts on the Coppa Italia final against Inter Milan — which, knowing how the previous games between the two sides (and especially the last one) have gone this season, should make it to be a doozy. Thoughts on the report of Juventus captain Giorgio Chiellini deciding to leave the club even though he has a year remaining on his contract. Thoughts on the report that Juventus will not renew the contract of Federico Bernardeschi, the man responsible for the pretty goal that the Bianconeri scored against Fiorentina. And to complete the Sky Italia report trifecta, thoughts on somebody who might replace Bernardeschi — Paris Saint-Germain winger Angel Di Maria, who is out of contract at the end of the season and has reportedly been contacted by Juventus over the last few days. You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a season full of sub-par performances, Juventus put forth one of the most sub-par of them all, dropping points against a Bologna side that has been absolutely dismal away from home in 2022. On this week’s episode of the Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: Takeaways from the weekend — including the fact that fourth kits might not be as bad as we might not think they are, how Max Allegri went incredibly far not to give Fabio Miretti playing time against Bologna and how difficult Allegri’s selection was Saturday night without so much of the squad’s spine out injured but how he should have kept it simple. Minimal talk about Juventus’ draw with Bologna. Why? Because that game was very bad. And instead our talk of the Bologna match spurred a discussion about how Juventus’ handling of young players coming through the academy and Under-23 team has not been the greatest. The decision by federal prosecutor’s office in Italy to drop all charges in the plusvalenza case involving Juventus, Napoli and other clubs. Juventus President Andrea Agnelli reportedly faced lengthy suspensions for their roles in the case. Twitter questions — including if Allegri playing a midfield of Adrien Rabiot, Danilo and Juan Cuadrado against Bologna proof that Agnelli doesn’t like Alessandro Del Piero, who made his long-awaited return to Allianz Stadium after 10 years and what Lapo Elkann’s Twitter fingers getting spicy after Saturday’s draw mean for Juve’s future. You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Once again, we have just one game to focus on, and it’s not like that game was anything special outside of the fact that Dusan Vlahovic scored the winner and Juve got three points because of it. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: The takeaways from the week that was— including that the Arthur experience continues to be one that isn’t exactly all that fun and how shockingly bad Juve’s depth takes a hit when there’s just a few injuries (and suspensions) like what happened against Cagliari. An extended discussion coming out of Sergio’s point about depth on Juve’s bench situation — which wasn’t much against Cagliari and was far from game-changing this weekend (and many previous games before that). Thoughts on the game itself against Cagliari — which, a lot like the depth of the squad, wasn’t all that great and nothing to truly be happy about outside of the win. Looking at the main transfer rumor of the week involving Juventus’ reported interest in Sassuolo striker Giacomo Raspadori as the Italian media has said the Bianconeri has identified the 22-year-old Italian as the main man to replace Paulo Dybala next season. Twitter questions — including ones about what Max Allegri’s burner account on Twitter might be after his comments from over the weekend regarding criticism (social media and in the press) during the Villarreal loss; should Juventus go for Sergei Milinkovic-Savic or Paul Pogba; and just how good was the peak of Allegri actually was and if his brand of football was worthy of winning the two Champions League finals he guided Juve to in 2015 and 2017. You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first game out of the international break, Juventus dominated for much of the game, only to see Inter Milan score on its lone shot on goal and some bizarre refereeing decisions go against them in Sunday’s Derby d’Italia loss. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was that might as well have been takeaways from Sunday night’s loss. They include: How well Juventus played compared to Inter; maybe how there’s a little too much positivity about how Juventus played against Inter and how it was rather ironic that Juve played one of their more energetic and more lively games in a losing effort. Expanded thoughts on Sunday’s loss to Inter because that is the elephant in the room. Like, really, what else did you expect us to talk about knowing we’re just out of an international break? Sidebar to the main bar: Thoughts on Paulo Dybala’s performance against Inter knowing full well this is the beginning to his final two months as a Juventus player. Even though he will be around for a short period of time, is the 4-2-3-1 the way to go as long as Dybala stays healthy the rest of the season? Or, at least when he is available? Twitter questions — including two very important questions about why we think Juve can’t score as well as how much shooting practice should be in the works coming up in training after Sunday night’s less-than-stellar performance in front of goal; and if not renewing Dybala’s contract is really the best thing this team needs knowing its issues. You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

International breaks are usually rather dull. This time around, though, Juventus went out and revealed its vice-captain’s contract will not be renewed, kicking off a frenzy of rumors involving both Paulo Dybala’s next step and who will replace him in Turin. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was, non-Italy getting from World Cup qualification zone — including how being loyal to a single club like Paulo Dybala has been the last seven years doesn’t mean what it used to, and just how difficult it is for folks who aren’t actually in-the-know or in the meetings to truly know what’s going on in contract negotiations. Thoughts on Paulo Dybala leaving Juventus at the end of the season, how we got to this point and what might have happened if Dusan Vlahovic wasn’t brought in during the January transfer window. Maurizio Arrivabene’s recent quotes have been very ... honest. And maybe a little detrimental.to how Juventus is viewed by potential signings going forward. In the days following Dybala’s contract renewal — or lack of one — news, Juventus has been linked to a host of players, most of which have been Italian. Is this a good thing? And how it reflects Juve’s future that involves building around Dusan Vlahovic. Twitter questions! Including ones about: Juventus’ tactics in the future once Dybala is no longer on the roster, if Chucky Lozano might work at Juventus, if some youngsters might actually stay at Juventus and contribute next season, why said youngsters have maybe stayed at Juventus and if the Wings of Fede could have saved Italy’s World Cup hopes. You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the third straight season, Juventus’ Champions League run came to an end in the round of 16, this time at the hands of Villarreal, capping another European campaign that started so brightly yet came crashing to an end. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including somebody selectively forgetting to acknowledge what happened against Villarreal, how Juventus has fallen from the big players in the Champions League with another round of 16 exit and, in a way, how it doesn’t have to be this way if the front office had done a better job over the last few years. A deep dive into what happened against Villarreal. Like, a deep, deep dive. And some venting about things, maybe not just as a result of the Villarreal loss. Where does Juventus go from here after another Champions League Round of 16 exit? Taking a look at recent reports that said Juventus may nor may not have agreed to a deal with Chelsea defender and soon-to-be free agent Antonio Rüdiger. Twitter questions! Including ones on how Andrea Agnelli might have been feeling after the Villarreal loss, if Daniele Rugani’s penalty never happened would have changed anything Wednesday night, how the heck do we fix Juventus’ mental state and if Matthijs de Ligt’s last-ditch diving attempt to block a shot was actually somewhat innovative. (Please note that this was recorded after Sunday’s win over Salernitana, so the recent news about Paulo Dybala’s contract extension not happening and his impending departure on a free transfer was not discussed. We will obviously talk about it a ton next week.) You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus scored two goals in the first half — really! — and Wojciech Szczesny showed off his penalty-stopping ability once again as Juventus put more distance between itself and the chasing pack for a Champions League spot over the weekend. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including how style points, especially at this point of the season, are secondary to getting three points, and how Juve now finally have some serious breathing room between themselves and their closest competition for fourth place. Some talk about Juventus’ win over Sampdoria and how odd of a win it was. Seriously, it was an odd win where Juve were relatively in control yet got outshot 16-6, needed a penalty save to keep Sampdoria off the scoreboard then saw Samp score on a wild deflection to cut the lead in half. A look-ahead to Wednesday night’s big showdown with Villarreal in the Champions League Round of 16. An Adrien Rabiot-related tangent. A Twitter question about which one of the currently injured players who are close to returning could Juventus miss the least against Villarreal. A Twitter question that’s not actually from Twitter regarding Juventus’ style of player under Max Allegri and if we think it’s sustainable going into the future. You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Juventus’ roster is beat up like it hasn’t been in years and the players that are available to have clearly be exhausted after weeks with little rest. All the while, Juve’s on their longest unbeaten run since Max Allegri’s first tenure as manager. On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss: Takeaways from the week that was — including Arthur’s sudden improvement with more playing time and just how cruel this game can be. (Sorry, Fiorentina fans.) More chat about the week that was, with a focus on how Juventus is just trying to survive the current injury situation. Why style points don’t really matter right now. A reminder that injuries are quite stupid. Looking at how Arthur’s recent run of starts — and improved form — has benefited Manuel Locatelli and what that might mean for the future. Twitter questions — including ones about how Federico Chiesa might fit into Max Allegri’s current tactical setup next season, who you would choose between re-signing Paulo Dybala or re-signing Paul Pogba and a few observations about Juve’s triangles vs. Spezia. You can follow us on Twitter @JuventusNation or on Facebook. Get all of our match coverage and much more at our website, blackwhitereadallover.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices