From the moment David Trezeguet departed, fans and journalists alike bemoaned the lack of a true goalscorer in the Juventus attack. Common wisdom would have it that Alessandro Del Piero is too old, Vincenzo Iaquinta too prone to injury, Luca Toni four years too late and Amauri? He has the look of a man who could not score if.......... well let’s leave it at that, he could not score.
When the only forward that became a member of Gigi Delneri's squad last summer was Napoli's Fabio Quagliarella, the clubs fans were understandably disappointed. The physical embodiment of the oft-used 'scorer of great goals but not a great goal scorer' cliché, the Italian international was viewed more as a member of an eventual supporting cast rather than a leading man in his own right.
However, once the new signing - and indeed the coach - had settled into their new surroundings it became an entirely different story. Quickly establishing himself in the second striker role, he showed attributes rarely seen at his former clubs. Of course his penchant for the spectacular remained, but the 'playstation player' also became something of a predator too. Headers - never previously a strong feature of his game - and even a few scrappy (relatively speaking of course) strikes saw the ex-Fiorentina man reach nine goals before the Winter break at an impressive 145.67 minutes per goal.
Then came the injury. Ruptured knee ligaments ruling him out initially until April, eventually seeing him miss the entire remainder of the season. The rumour mill once again sparked into life, this time bereft of the Edin Džeko story it created a 'short list' that was seemingly endless. Luis Fabiano, Giuseppe Rossi, Diego Forlan, Karim Benzema and Emmanuel Adebayor appeared to be on a rota system at Turin-based sports daily Tuttosport's front page. All were touted across most mainstream media outlets but invariably one name featured ever more increasingly.
Sampdoria's Giampaolo Pazzini became an obsession, particularly among the more realistic of the clubs tifosi who could see past the fanta-Calcio of the other candidates and find logical, intelligent reasons as to why he was a far more viable target. Then, after weeks of speculation he moved. A €13 million deal saw him leave 'Doria for something of a bargain fee. Sadly for Juve it was to rivals Inter, something of a shock transfer given his age, nationality and the competent manner with which the package was put together.
What they actually acquired was, initially at least, viewed as thoroughly underwhelming. 'Juventus Shock' was the Gazzetta dello Sport headline that greeted the arrival of Cagliari's Alessandro Matri after completing his move to Turin.
Perhaps the first thing to discuss is the fee, €2.5m for the initial six month loan and a further €15.5m - over three years (a three word phrase Beppe Marotta should patent) to make the deal permanent. At first glance it seems expensive for a striker casual observers could not easily identify, but a closer look shows the transfer in an entirely different light.
The loan fee was offset by the full ownership of Lorenzo Ariaudo passing to the Sardinian club who already purchased half his rights in the summer. Despite being an impressive talent, and a Turin native, the 21-year-old central defender would have found playing time virtually impossible to come by so loaning a quality striker for the loss of a defender unlikely to ever play a minute for the club is sound market strategy and makes perfect sense.
Which brings us to the man himself. A product of Milan's youth system after joining the club in 1996 at the age of 12, finally progressing to the first team in 2003, Matri eventually made his only appearance in May of that year. After that he bounced around on loan in the lower leagues at Prato, Lumezzane and Rimini before joining Cagliari in co-ownership and, after sending away Robert Acquafresca, Massimiliano Allegri made Matri the focal point of his attack.
During a late spell in 2009 he notched in seven consecutive games - a feat only bettered at Stadio Sant'Elia by the great Gigi Riva - and he ended the season with a total of 13 goals. Another important stat is the fact he played all thirty-eight games, certainly a blessing for this Juventus. He started last season in much the same vein, with eleven goals already prior to his move to Turin.
Despite standing just 1.83m Matri is a classic 'Number 9', strong enough to hold off defenders and surprisingly quick as many of his Cagliari goals prove. He is excellent in the air, a trait he uses not only in building attacks and scoring goals but also to help his team defensively at set-pieces.
During his time in Sardinia he showed his suitability playing as both first and second striker in a two-man attack and as the target man in a 4-3-3 formation. This sees him able to form effective partnerships with each of the other forwards on Juve's books despite their vastly different characteristics. His debut saw him misfire on a number of occasions, but he brought a positive attitude to the side, something that the man he replaced was clearly not doing. Getting into the right positions, making intelligent runs and linking with those around him were all good signs despite the final 2-1 win for Palermo.
After that torrid debut he quickly became a vital component in the team and one of few bright spots in the end of season slump. Scoring five goals in just seven games since that encounter in Sicily quickly endeared him to the clubs fans and by seasons end he would reach the benchmark of 20. This impressive tally that had him in fourth place in the Capocannoniere chart, ahead of players like Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Alberto Gilardino and, most pertinently, Pazzini.
What is also notable is that his strike-rate improved at a Juve side perceived to be struggling, down to a goal every 139 minutes compared to his 153-minute average at Cagliari. Not only is that better than Quagliarella, but it also beats fellow teammates Alessandro Del Piero (227.75) and Luca Toni (263.5) too.
Alessandro Matri has finally arrived at one of Serie A's biggest clubs and been afforded a chance in the international spotlight thanks to the global presence of Juventus. Now all he needs to do is carry on scoring, something he's never had a problem with in the past.
