Agony for the 'Atomic Ant'

One ray of light in an otherwise bleak season and spineless squad, is the pint-sized gem, Sebastian Giovinco.

Tipped for glory and seemingly destined for great things since he burst on to the scene, Seba has not really been allowed the chance to deliver, and now his season has already come to a premature end.

The season ending injury comes not even a day after his agent had spoken out, demanding that Seba gets more playing time at Juve. The injury appears to be a muscle problem in his left leg, which club medical staff fear will rule him out for the next 45 days.

It is such a shame, as he was expected to start in the Derby D'Italia against Inter on Friday evening, which would have only been his 15th appearance of the season, and only his 6th start.

The purchase of Diego last season was initally seen as genius, however it could very well prove to be the gravest mistake the board has made in recent times...and believe me, there have been a few.

Diego has not lived up to the reputation he had steadily built himself in Germany, but worse than that, he has halted Giovinco's development, something which can not be easily forgiven.

However, things appear to be different under Alberto Zacheronni. Ciro Ferrara and Claudio Ranieri were both fans of the 'Atomic Ant', yet neither really had the grace to give the lad a a real chance with a decent run in the first team.

Zacheronni has been willing to play him, and the 'future of Italy' has managed to attract several suitors, with the limited time he has been given.

Napoli and Sampdoria are are rumoured to be interested in signing him this summer, and to be perfectly honest they way our club has treated him, I would not blame him if he were to go.

At 24-years-old, he should not really need to prove himself to anyone anymore. Everyone is aware of his capabilities and his natural born talent, yet nobody it seems are willing enough to give him a grand stage on which to prove it.

Champions League holders, and almost certainly the best team in the world at the moment, FC Barcelona, have constructed an almighty team, largely made up of players that have come through their youth system. They have been kept together as a solid group, and have now grown into the world class players we know today, such as Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Carles Puyol to name but a few.

Juve tried to take a leaf out of their book by copying what was dubbed the 'Guardiola effect', by appointing an ex-player with relatively little managerial experience to take charge of the team, expecting a similar miracle as conducted by the ex-Barca midfielder. What they failed to realise is, that he had been previously coaching the youth team with relative success, and inherited a senior team of world class individuals that had been nurtured, and most importantly, knew how to play as a team.

Clearly Juventus are a club still in transition, but if they can keep the young talented players they already have at their disposal such as Chiellini, Giovinco and Claudio Marchisio, whilst spending their budget wisely in the transfer window to add strength and experience, we should finally begin to see some positive results, both on and off the pitch.

Claudio Ranieri was told that he was a part of a '3-5 year plan' to get Juve back to the top of the tree, and yet he was barely given a season. Now, his native Roma side are a point clear at the top and only a few games away from clinching what would be a historic, and truly monumental league title...

All fans will be wishing a speedy recovery to Giovinco, and will be eagerly looking forward to crushing Jose Mourinho's Inter, and giving our old friend 'The Tinker Man' a helping hand...

Forza Roma.