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Correspondence from Turin
- We reveal to you the secrets of Allianz Stadium. We enter the Juventus locker room and reveal what the entire match day arrangement looks like.
- During the match against AC Milan, we also ask about Zbigniew Boniek, who also wrote a beautiful page in the history of the Old Lady
- The most modern facility in Italy is almost filled to the brim with fans who create an extremely hot atmosphere. However, the players were not attuned to their level, because the Serie A hit disappoints across the board
- On Saturday, Wojciech Szczęsny recorded his 103rd clean sheet for Juventus, and there has been much speculation about his future in recent days.
- More information can be found in Przegląd Sportowy Onet
I admit that I went to Turin for the first time. There was a special opportunity for this – a blockbuster match against AC Milan, which at the end of the Serie A season could decide the fate of the fight for the title of runner-up in Italy (the Scudetto was already sealed by Inter Milan last Monday, after the derby clash with Milan).
There are many people willing to purchase such packages and take a tour of the Turin facility. Already three hours before the referee’s first whistle, large queues form at the gates of Allianz Stadium, and all fans are divided into six groups of a dozen or so people each.
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The giant opened its backstage to us. This is what the Polish club’s stadium looks like
The entire tour route is carefully planned and prepared. There is no room for even the slightest mistakes. Do you want to deviate two meters from the route to capture one of the elements of the object? No way. Everything has its own order and time.
I must admit that at the beginning it was very impressive the care Juventus employees provided to fans-tourists from many corners of the world, although let’s face it – in most cases they had to pay handsomely for such a trip. The pristine image changed, however, a little later, when typically Italian confusion crept into the whole set.
The journey around the stadium begins with the corridors leading to the locker room and the tunnel from which the players go onto the pitch. One element in particular attracts attention – on the walls there are spectacular portraits of all the players who have worn the Juve captain’s armband since the beginning of time.
— This is a very important place, especially for young footballers. They see the whole great history of the club, they can feel responsibility and motivation – says the club guide who shows us around the stadium. And so we see impressive pictures on the walls, including: Roberto Baggio, Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluigi Buffon, Antonio Conte, and the late Gianluca Vialli.
Corridors leading to the Juventus locker room (Photo: Adrian Heluszka/Przegląd Sportowy Onet / Press materials/photos)
Impressive portraits decorate many other walls throughout the facility. What is interesting and yet surprising from the Polish point of view – next to such celebrities as, among others, Michel Platini or Zinedine Zidane, you won’t find Zbigniew Boniek in vain, although his memory is still alive in the capital of Piedmont. As soon as we say the name of the former Polish representative and president of the Polish Football Association, a smile appears on the faces of the club’s employees.
The central point of the trip is, of course, the club’s locker room. Just over two hours before the match against the team from Milan, everything is already finalized. T-shirts effectively hung on hooks, just waiting for the players to arrive.
However, club physiotherapists and representatives of Massimiliano Allegri’s staff do nothing about the presence of fans. Presence of fans in the locker room two hours before the match? They have already become accustomed to such images.
The entire match day at Allianz Stadium is planned down to the smallest detail. The club takes advantage of the multitude of opportunities offered by the modern facility opened in 2011, designed by, among others, architect Massimo Majowiecki of Polish origin. And he makes a nod to the fans who have purchased VIP tickets.
This is how Juventus reaches out to the fans. It’s a real show
The very arrival of the team at the facility is accompanied by a great celebration. The players enter through a special zone in front of the fans – already 20-30 minutes before their arrival, great tension is felt among them.
Near the VIP zone, where we collect the appropriate tickets, we also visit the club shop, of which there are several located throughout the stadium (with smaller or more extensive assortment).
The store may not impress with its size and availability of products, but every Juve fan will find something for themselves. The products included, among others: club clothing, including match shirts in various sizes, mugs, scarves, hats and socks.
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Another great attraction of the package is the opportunity to watch the warm-up right behind the advertising banners. All this to the accompaniment of 40,000 fans in the stands.
As soon as the players approach the advertising banners and are literally a few meters away from the stands, they cause an uproar, especially among the youngest fans. As soon as they wave at them, you feel genuine ecstasy.
Fans watching Juventus’ warm-up right at the pitch (Photo: Adrian Heluszka/Przegląd Sportowy Onet / Press materials/photos)
And the fever in the stands is growing every minute. When the players take to the pitch and the Serie A anthem “O generosa!” ends. fans have their five minutes. “Juve, the story of a great love”, which has been the anthem of the Turin club since 2005, plays from the loudspeakers. Flags and scarves are also in motion, and the electrifying effect sends shivers down your skin.
We watch the match from the perspective of one of the VIP stands, we also have access to one of the VIP rooms with catering (called Partner Club). Chefs serve Italian lasagne, and crowds also flock to the bar. We are in Italy, so it’s natural that wines are very popular.
There are several such hospitality zones at the facility in Turin – their size, of course, depends on the purchased sponsorship packages and the status of the invited guests.
Author of the text at the stadium (Photo: Adrian Heluszka/Przegląd Sportowy Onet / Onet)
The hit was a complete disappointment. Terrible statistics
The match itself is not spectacular and, especially in the first half, it is a match typical for “connoisseurs”. Juventus picked up the pace a bit after the break, and a lot of energy was brought by, among others, Federico Chiesa and Arkadiusz Milik. The Polish striker himself had a good opportunity to open the scoring, but his header was saved by Marco Sportiello.
Wojciech Szczęsny, however, had a very quiet afternoon as he was not employed by his opponents throughout the match. The team led by Stefano Pioli did not manage to attempt even one shot on target guarded by the Polish goalkeeper. When we take into account the class of both teams, this is a very shocking statistic.
In the end, the fans didn’t see any goals, which is especially bad for Juventus. Four rounds before the end of the competition, the Old Lady is five points behind the team from San Siro, and they also have to look behind their backs, because they are being put under a lot of pressure by Bologna, which is in a fantastic position this season, with Łukasz Skorupski and Kacper Urbański in the squad. Ending the league games off the podium would be a disaster for the team from the capital of Piedmont.
Partner Club – one of the hospitality zones at the Juventus stadium (Photo: Adrian Heluszka/Przegląd Sportowy Onet / Press materials/photos)
Big stars at your fingertips
After the match, in addition to media activities towards official Serie A broadcasters, Juventus players also stop in a special zone prepared for fans who have the appropriate package.
Virtually all players, not only Juventus, are happy to take photos with fans. Milan players also stop for a group photo or a few words of conversation. There is no bad blood, although there was plenty of mutual “courtesy” between the fans of both teams in the stands.
Wojciech Szczęsny signing autographs after the match against AC Milan (Photo: Adrian Heluszka/Przegląd Sportowy Onet / Press materials/photos)
We have been waiting for a long time for Wojciech Szczęsny and Arkadiusz Milik, who are among the last to leave the Bianconeri locker room. The two patiently sign all the shirts and souvenirs and then disappear in the car with several other Juventus players.
Arkadiusz Milik signing autographs and posing for photos with Juve fans (Photo: Adrian Heluszka/Przegląd Sportowy Onet / Press materials/photos)
We tried unsuccessfully to ask the goalkeeper of the Polish national team about his future in the club from Turin in the face of the information that broke a few days ago that he might say goodbye to the Old Lady in the summer. According to the latest information, the 34-year-old goalkeeper is to fulfill his contract with Juve, which is valid until the end of June 2025.
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Source: Przegląd Sportowy Onet
Created date: April 28, 2024 20:17
Journalist of Przegląd Sportowy Onet
