| 1977-78 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Giampiero Boniperti | ||
| Manager | Giovanni Trapattoni | ||
| Stadium | Comunale | ||
| Serie A | 1st (in European Cup) | ||
| Coppa Italia | Second round | ||
| European Cup | Semi-finals | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Bettega (11) All: Bettega (13) | ||
In the 1977-78 season Juventus competed in Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup.
After winning last season's league title with a record-breaking tally of 51 points, the club did not make substantial changes in their first line-up and brought young promises such as Pietro Paolo Virdis, [1] Pierino Fanna and Vinicio Verza to their debut at top level.
The team was defeated in Rome 0-3 by Lazio, which was their only loss in the first half of the season. [2] Liedholm and his Milan were Juventus' biggest challengers of the season and finished the first half of the league season at the top. [3] However, with a draw at Bergamo, they were reached in first place by Juventus; the next week the Bianconeri took the leadership, grabbing the 'Winter title' with 2 points ahead of local rivals Torino. [4]
The second half of the tournament for Juventus was calm with the Bianconeri not losing a single game for the rest of the tournament. Juventus secured the championship after drawing away to Roma with game to spare.
In Coppa Italia, the team suffered a shocking elimination in Second round. In European Cup, the squad reached the Semi-finals, being surprisingly eliminated by Belgian Club Brugge its coach over the two legs. [5]
After the team clinched the title, Italian national team manager Enzo Bearzot called up eight players as regulars starters from this Juventus squad — Zoff, Gentile, Scirea, Benetti, Tardelli, Bettega, Cabrini and Causio — during the 1978 FIFA World Cup in Argentina (also Cuccureddu was called), where they reached a decent 4th place. [6] This group of players was known as Blocco-Juve (Juve Block), or Blocco Juventus [7]
[8] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
| In | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Name | from | Type |
| MF | Vinicio Verza | Lanerossi Vicenza | |
| MF | Pietro Fanna | Atalanta BC | |
| FW | Pietro Paolo Virdis | Cagliari | |
| Out | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Name | To | Type |
| MF | Alberto Marchetti | AS Roma | |
| FW | Sergio Gori | Hellas Verona | |
| MF | Gian Piero Gasperini | AC Reggiana | loan |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juventus (C) | 30 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 46 | 17 | +29 | 44 | Qualification to European Cup |
| 2 | Vicenza | 30 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 50 | 34 | +16 | 39 | Qualification to UEFA Cup |
| 3 | Torino | 30 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 36 | 23 | +13 | 39 | |
| 4 | Milan | 30 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 38 | 25 | +13 | 37 | |
| 5 | Internazionale | 30 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 35 | 24 | +11 | 36 | Qualification to Cup Winners' Cup |
| 11 September 19771 | Juventus | 6-0 | Foggia | Torino |
 48' Bettega 57' Bettega 71' Bonisegna 80' Cuccureddu 84' Bonisegna 87' (o.g.) Bruschini (F) | Report | Stadium: Comunale |
| 18 September 19772 | Napoli | 1-2 | Juventus | Napoli |
| 59' Pin | Report | 7' Gentile 70' Virdis | Stadium: Stadio San Paolo |
| 2 October 19774 | Lazio | 3-0 | Juventus | Roma |
| 3' Garlaschelli55' Giordano 67' Giordano | Report | Stadium: Stadio Olimpico |
| 23 October 19775 | Juventus | 5-1 | Fiorentina | Torino |
| 10' Bonisegna 11' Tardelli 18' (o.g.)Della Martira49' Causio 54' Benetti | Report | 21' Caso | Stadium: Comunale |
| 30 October 19776 | Perugia | 0-0 | Juventus | Perugia |
| Report | Stadium: Stadio Pian di Massiano Referee: Menegali |
| 20 November 19778 | Hellas Verona | 0-0 | Juventus | Verona |
| Report | Stadium: Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi |
| 27 November 19779 | Juventus | 4-0 | Genoa | Torino |
| 68' Tardelli 83' Causio 74' (o.g.)Ogliari86' (o.g.)Onofri | Report | Stadium: Comunale |
| 18 December 197711 | Inter | 0-1 | Juventus | Milan |
| Report | 85' Tardelli | Stadium: Stadio San Siro |
| 8 January 197813 | Pescara | 1-2 | Juventus | Pescara |
| 37' (pen) Nobili | Report | 50' Fanna 51' Bettega | Stadium: Stadio Adriatico Referee: Ciacci |
| 22 January 197815 | Lanerossi Vicenza | 0-0 | Juventus | Vicenza |
| Report | Stadium: Stadio Romeo Menti |
| 29 January 197816 | Foggia | 0-0 | Juventus | Foggia |
| Report | Stadium: Stadio Pino Zaccheria Referee: Menegali |
| 12 February 197818 | Milan | 0-0 | Juventus | Milan |
| Report | Stadium: Stadio San Siro |
| 19 February 197819 | Juventus | 3-0 | Lazio | Torino |
| 5' Bettega 68' Bonisegna 82' (pen) Bonisegna | Report | Stadium: Comunale |
| 26 February 197820 | Fiorentina | 1-1 | Juventus | Firenze |
| 23' Bonisegna | Report | 40' Galdiolo | Stadium: Comunale |
| 19 March 197823 | Juventus | 1-0 | Hellas Verona | Torino |
| 7' Bettega | Report | Stadium: Comunale |
| 26 March 197824 | Genoa | 2-2 | Juventus | Genova |
| 49' Ghetti 82' Damiani | Report | 19' Tardelli 75' Bonisegna | Stadium: Luigi Ferraris |
| 9 April 197826 | Juventus | 2-2 | Inter Milan | Torino |
| 33' Bettega 41' Cuccureddu | Report | 25' Bini26' Muraro | Stadium: Comunale |
| 16 April 197827 | Bologna | 1-1 | Juventus | Bologna |
| 27' Maselli | Report | 23' Gentile | Stadium: Stadio Renato dall'Ara |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juventus | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 7 |
| 2 | Cesena | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 5 |
| 3 | Brescia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 |
| 4 | Sambenedettese | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 2 |
| 5 | Hellas Verona | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 11 | −5 | 2 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Napoli | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 8 |
| 2 | Milan | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 8 |
| 3 | Juventus | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 14 | −7 | 5 |
| 4 | Taranto | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 | −7 | 3 |
| 14 September 1977 | Omonia  | 0–3 |  Juventus | Nicosia |
| Report | Bettega 34' Fanna 42'Virdis 59' | Stadium: GSP Stadium Attendance: 12,000 Referee:  Nikola Dudin |
| 2 November 1977 | Juventus | 5–0 |  Glentoran | Torino |
| Virdis 10', 20' Boninsegna 53'Fanna 70'Benetti 77' | Report | Stadium: Comunale Attendance: 35,000 Referee:  Francisc Coloşi |
| 1 March 1978 | Ajax  | 1–1 | Juventus | Amsterdam |
| Van Dord 86' | Report | Causio 89' | Stadium: Olympisch Stadion Attendance: 35,000 Referee:  Adolf Prokop |
| 29 March 1978 | Juventus | 1–0 |  Club Brugge | Torino |
| Bettega 86' | Report | Stadium: Comunale Attendance: 70,000 Referee:  Jean Dubach |
| 12 April 1978 | Club Brugge | 2–0 (a.e.t.) | Juventus | Bruges |
| Bastijns 3' Vandereycken 116' | Report | Stadium: Olympiastadion Attendance: 32,000 Referee:  Ulf Eriksson |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | 1977–78 Serie A | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| GK | ITA | Dino Zoff | 30 | -17 | 30 | -17 | |
| DF | ITA | Antonello Cuccureddu | 30 | 2 | 30 | 2 | |
| DF | ITA | Gaetano Scirea | 29 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |
| DF | ITA | Francesco Morini | 26 | 0 | 26 | 0 | |
| DF | ITA | Claudio Gentile | 28 | 3 | 28 | 3 | |
| MF | ITA | Franco Causio | 30 | 3 | 30 | 3 | |
| MF | ITA | Marco Tardelli | 26 | 4 | 26 | 4 | |
| MF | ITA | Giuseppe Furino | 26 | 0 | 25+1 | 0 | |
| MF | ITA | Romeo Benetti | 27 | 5 | 27 | 5 | |
| FW | ITA | Roberto Bettega | 30 | 11 | 30 | 11 | |
| FW | ITA | Roberto Boninsegna | 21 | 10 | 19+2 | 10 | |
| GK | ITA | Giancarlo Alessandrelli | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | ITA | Antonio Cabrini | 15 | 0 | 8+7 | 0 | |
| MF | ITA | Pietro Fanna | 13 | 2 | 9+4 | 2 | |
| FW | ITA | Pietro Paolo Virdis | 10 | 1 | 6+4 | 1 | |
| DF | ITA | Luciano Spinosi | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| MF | ITA | Vinicio Verza | 5 | 1 | 2+3 | 1 | |
| GK | ITA | Luciano Marchese | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | ITA | Gian Piero Gasperini | |||||
S.S. Lazio finished in fifth in Serie A and reached the quarter-final in the Coppa Italia. Prior to the season had Lazio with new Chairman Sergio Cragnotti made three important signings, with Paul Gascoigne, Giuseppe Signori and Aron Winter all joining the club.
F.C. Internazionale Milano returned to the top echelon of the domestic scene, finishing second to city rivals A.C. Milan in the championship. The relatively narrow four-points margin between the two sides, was explained by Milan drawing several matches when it had already clinched the title, so the result was a lot closer than it was during the course of the season.
Parma Associazione Calcio played its third consecutive season in Serie A, and had arguably its best ever season, even when considering its glorious years in the late 1990s. It finished third in the domestic league competition and won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup following a 3–1 final victory against Royal Antwerp.
Juventus Football Club did not manage to win the domestic championship for the seventh year in succession, but the legacy of the season was saved when it beat Borussia Dortmund by 3–1 away from home, then 3–0 in Turin, to clinch the 1992–93 edition of the UEFA Cup.
SSC Napoli got extremely close to a shock relegation to Serie B, and only held on to its top-flight status by two points. This was just three years since the club led by playmaker and legend Diego Maradona won the domestic league title. It actually spent Christmas of 1992 in the relegation zone, and climbed out of it thanks to a strong January '93 run. The reason Napoli survived was the above-average offensive skills. Gianfranco Zola, Daniel Fonseca and Careca was a trio capable of leading any teams' attack, and the club looked set to suffer when Zola (Parma) and Careca (Japan) departed at the end of the season. Fonseca's season is mostly remembered for an extremely unusual five goals in one match, as Napoli beat Valencia 5-1 away from home in the UEFA Cup. Then it lost to Paris SG in the next round, rendering it was out of Europe.
Associazione Sportiva Roma lost its position as the dominant team in Rome, due to a mediocre season. New manager Vujadin Boškov had led Sampdoria to a domestic league title and European Cup final, but his only season in the capital was hampered by too many draws and struggles to be able to outplay the opposition. The result was a tenth place, just three points clear of the drop zone, and Boškov left his job following the end of the season, when Roma also lost the Coppa Italia final to Torino.
U.C. Sampdoria continued its decline and finished in seventh position in Serie A, once again missing out on international competitions. New coach Sven-Göran Eriksson came to a squad that had lost its main striker Gianluca Vialli, but despite his absence Sampdoria scored 50 goals in 34 matches, but the defence leaked in an uncharacteristic manner for Eriksson's teams.
Juventus Football Club finished in 6th place in the league this season.
AC Milan won the European Cup thanks to a 4–0 victory against Steaua București, with Dutch duo Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten scoring twice each. It did not defend its Serie A title however, finishing 3rd in the standings. Milan also won the first Supercoppa Italiana, beating Sampdoria in the inaugural contest.
Juventus Football Club finished the season second in Serie A. They also reached the semi-finals of Coppa Italia and the Cup Winners' Cup. It was the only season without trophies for Giovanni Trapattoni.
Associazione Calcio Fiorentina had a poor season, finishing 16th in Serie A and being relegated to Serie B as a result. The highlight of the season was a crushing 7–3 defeat suffered at home to eventual champions Milan. The season would also see four different managers at the helm.
During the 1978–1979 season, Milan Associazione Calcio competed in Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup.
The 1976–77 season was Juventus Football Club's 79nd in existence and in the top-flight of Italian football.
During 1974–75 season Juventus competed in Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup.
During the 1973–74 season S.S. Lazio competed in Serie A, Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup.
During 1972–73 season Juventus competed in Serie A, Coppa Italia and European Cup.
During the season 1966-67 Football Club Internazionale Milano competed in Serie A, Coppa Italia and European Cup.
During the 1978-79 season Juventus competed in Serie A, Coppa Italia and European Cup.
During the 1975–76 season, Juventus competed in Serie A, the Coppa Italia, and the European Cup.
During the 1977–1978 season Milan Associazione Calcio competed in Serie A, Coppa Italia and Cup Winners' Cup.
