There was once a time when Juventus was synonymous with victory and greatness, a time when all of Italy feared the Old Lady of Turin.

As one of the peninsula's most storied clubs, the pressure is always on for Juventus to perform well-and to do so in style. The days of "Lo Stilo Juve" seem to be long forgotten, considering the Bianconeri can't control the ball, let alone the play, these days.

Lately, Juventus has been acting anything but the storied and prestigious club they are. The objectives set at the beginning of the season are all but washed away. What's left of the club only seems to be bits and pieces.

How did the club get to this point?

The news of Fabio Cannavaro's very likely return to Juventus has sparked heated debate amongst the Bianconeri faithful. While he's widely regarded as a traitor for leaving the club at its darkest hour in the aftermaths of the Calciopoli scandal when players such as Alessandro Del Piero, Gianluigi Buffon, Pavel Nedved, David Trezeguet and Muari Camoranesi became heroes for remaining, many also seem to welcome the news of the center back's return to the Old Lady.

After spending three years in the Spanish capital with La Liga giants Real Madrid, where he's won two league titles, the 2006 World Cup winner looks set to rejoin his former club.

I was initially siding with the group that protested his return but, although I'm far from being a fan of Cannavaro's, I have come to realize after much thinking that there might actually some perks in bringing him back. I know that a big part of the Juventus supporters hate this man very passionately, but hear me out.

The past season has showcased that Juventus are in dire need of capable defenders and although Cannavaro is turning 36 years old in September this is only a short term solution to the club's immediate defensive difficulties. According to reports from the Peninsula Cannavaro has been offered a one-year deal with the option of a yet another depending on his the level of his performances.

It took Juventus two years to get back into Europe's finest tournament, but the dream came to an abrupt stop last night.

Claudio Ranieri's squad was once again ripped apart by injuries ahead of the most important game the club would play for the past two seasons.

Although Chelsea looked immensely stronger on paper, what was to unfold on the pitch would prove otherwise-that would, however, not apply to the end result.

Ranieri had tweaked his starting line-up due to the injured players and despite losing Pavel Nedved to injury after only 12 minutes of play, the home side managed to take the lead. A brilliant build-up by David Trezeguet and Vincenzo Iaquinta saw the latter level the score on aggregate.

Arsenal vs. AS Roma

24 Feb 2009 20:45:00 CET
Emirates Stadium-London
Referee: Claus Bo Larsen (Denmark)

Arsenal finished second in group G with 11 points and their only defeat came to group winners Porto. The Gunners went all the way to the final in 2006 where they were defeated at the hands of Barcelona. Since then, the North London club hasn't been nearly as successful in their quest for European glory.

Injuries and poor form has seen Arsenal slip down the standings and just last weekend they collected their third consecutive goalless draw. The club is currently residing in fifth place with a mighty 17 points separating them from the top-which makes it rather safe to say that they're out of the title race for this time.

News Flash: Juventus wouldn't sell Alessandro Del Piero for £100 million pounds.

Of course not "Old Lady", you like to hold onto your sparkling old gems.

Del Piero is one of my favourite all time players and I can remember watching him in his sprightly youth on Channel Four's Italian football show of a Sunday afternoon.

The now 34 year old has been called "past it" by many but the facts don‘t add up. In each of the last three seasons, the 91 times capped DelPiero has hit the 20 goals mark, that would be the three seasons between the ages of 31 and 33.

Not exactly past his best.