The player with the nickname Michael Jackson helped Juve overcome Lazio and keep them in the hunt behind leaders Milan
The King of Pop has been spotted in some unusual places since he died last year ? at a port in Norway, building an underground bunker in Australia ? but this sighting really took the biscuit. On Sunday night in front of some 20,000 fans at Turin's Stadio Olimpico ? and many more watching on TV ? Michael Jackson went dancing down the right side of the area, cut inside and clipped over a cross that Fernando Muslera would palm into his own net for the decisive goal in Juventus's 2-1 win over Lazio.
That, at least, is how Milos Krasic's friends back in Mitrovica would tell it. "It's a nickname they gave me when I was seven or eight years old," explained the Serbian winger to Italian reporters shortly after joining Juventus. "They said my style of football was like a dance by the great Michael."
They're not wrong. Last night Krasic tormented Luis Cavanda, Lazio's fill-in full-back, with a fleet-footedness that bordered on the preposterous. His steps might not be as elaborate as Michael's, but then Jackson never had to work in these sorts of confined spaces. No matter how close to the perimeter he was pressed by the defender, Krasic always looked like a man who had room to play with.
"He greets you and then beats you by going exactly here you knew he would go, but against whom you can do little or nothing," exclaimed a breathless Marco Bo in this morning's Tuttosport. More than once last night, replays had been required just to comprehend the footwork involved.
Nor was this a one-off. Weighty expectations accompanied Krasic when he joined from CSKA Moscow for ?15m in the summer, his similarities in appearance and style to Pavel Nedved doing him no favours as Juventus fans harked back to a time when their team were all-conquering. He wasted no time living up to them, providing an assist on his debut ? a 3-3 draw with Sampdoria ? and two in his second game ? a 4-0 win over Udinese. Before the end of September he had scored a hat-trick against Cagliari. Nedved never got one of those for the Bianconeri.
Here at last was the creative spark that Juve had been crying out for. He also happened to fit perfectly into the new manager Luigi Del Neri's tactical scheme. A firm believer in 4-4-2, Del Neri had challenged the club's directors to find him an old-fashioned winger of the sort that rarely seem to emerge from Italian youth systems. Krasic hugs the touchline so tightly that you half expect them to be the subject of the next tabloid expose.
Krasic has his limitations, too, and the final delivery does not always live up to the work that has preceded it, but if Juventus had appeared set for a draw as late as the final minute of injury-time last night then the fault did not lie at his door. Fabio Quagliarella had more than once failed to capitalise after being teed up by the winger and he was not the only Juventus forward to show such profligacy. Lazio, too, deserve credit for their doggedness in defence; even in defeat they suggested once again that they have the means to remain in this year's title race.
But if Krasic was channeling MJ last night then the message was Don't Stop Till You Get Enough. Ten seconds of the signalled four minutes of injury-time remained last night when he tamed Momo Sissoko's superb pass forward from the centre circle and left Luis Cavanda in his wake. All that remained was to hurdle the advertising hoardings and plunge headfirst into the enthusiastic embrace of the fans in the Curva Scirea ? many of them wearing blond wigs in his honour.
Back on the pitch Felipe Melo broke out into an impromptu dance ? more samba than Smooth Criminal ? that seemed to go on for hours as Juventus celebrated long after the whistle down in the changing rooms. Del Neri had insisted beforehand that this was not a "crossroads" for Juventus's season but at full-time he acknowledged that the result "gives us a push [towards a Scudetto challenge]". The defender Giorgio Chiellini was less circumspect, declaring: "It could be the turning point of the whole season."
That might be overstating things but only because Juventus were already on more or less the right path. Unbeaten in 12 league games, the Bianconeri had already won away to Milan and drawn at Inter. The only thing holding them back had been a failure to kill off games at home.
Two dark clouds remain, however, on Juventus's horizon. The first is to be found in Del Neri's increasingly frayed relationship with Gigi Buffon. The goalkeeper is set to return from his back injury in the new year but Del Neri has criticised him for not stopping by the team's training base during his lay-off and said it would be "very hard" to take the starter's job away from Marco Storari. Buffon's agent reacted angrily to such words and Gazzetta dello Sport were one of a number of outlets to report over the weekend that the goalkeeper could be sold, though Juventus officials have sought to play down such reports.
Del Neri's other big problem is the continuing good form of Milan, who won 3-0 against Bologna and are now six points clear at the top. The key man for them this weekend, besides the ever-exceptional Zlatan Ibrahimovic, was Kevin-Prince Boateng ? who scored the opener (with the help of a marvellous assist from the Swede) and set up the second.
That's the same Kevin-Prince Boateng, of course, who has become famous in recent weeks for singing Michael Jackson tunes to his team-mates in the changing room after wins. If both he and Krasic can remain in this sort of form, Serie A could be in for a bit of a Thriller.
Talking points
? Defeat yesterday was the least of Bologna's problems. At the weekend Marco Di Vaio ? club captain and joint-second in Serie A's scoring charts despite missing a penalty against Milan ? announced that the players are are beginning legal action against the club, which has failed to pay their wages for the last five months. With both the majority shareholder, Sergio Porcedda, and minority shareholders the Menarini family, who sold him his stake, refusing to take responsibility, the whole squad are now seeking to be freed from their contracts so they can move on in January.
The club has already been docked a point over unpaid taxes and at this stage the only real hope for the club lies with the various investors who have been linked with a takeover. Di Vaio said that the players' hoped their action would speed up the sale of the club and would be willing to revoke their action if new owners did arrive. Various businessmen and consortiums have been linked with a move for the club, but such reports have been floating around for months, and at this stage it's hard to know which, if any, are serious about a move.
? Alongside Lazio and Juventus, the third team chasing Milan at the top is Napoli, who sit alongside the other two on 30 points after recording their first win at Genoa since 2001. This was hardly their most convincing win of the season but they are developing impressive resilience and importantly have already won five games away from home. They only won six all season last time out.
? Applause, please, for Adriano, winner of state broadcaster Rai's Bidone D'Oro ? the Golden Dustbin award, given to the worst player in Serie A ? for a record third time. He was already the only player to have won it more than once. Rosella Sensi, Roma's president, insisted he will not be sold in January, but it says a lot that, despite Marco Borriello having suffered a facial fracture during this week's 1-0 win over Bari, there is no chance he will start against Milan next weekend. Instead Borriello is expected to wear a protective mask, and delay an operation on his injury until the winter break.
? Brescia's new manager Mario Beretta thanked his players after they secured a 1-0 win over Sampdoria in his first game in charge, but he may soon be offering even more heartfelt thanks to the club's president Luigi Corioni. Asked if there was any chance Brescia could sign Antonio Cassano, just as they have with disgruntled stars like Roberto Baggio and Pep Guardiola in the past, Corioni simply grinned and said "never say never".
Results: Bologna 0-3 Milan, Brescia 1-0 Sampdoria, Cagliari 3-0 Catania, Genoa 0-1 Napoli, Juventus 2-1 Lazio, Lecce 3-2 Chievo, Palermo 3-1 Parma, Roma 1-0 Bari, Udinese 2-1 Fiorentina.
Angelo Esposito Mitch Fadden Ilari Filppula Valtteri Filppula
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