Transfer to the Stadio Olimpico to Enable Renaissance for Italian Metronome?

Operating in a deep lying role specifically designed to maximize his previously stifled talents, Andrea Pirlo was unquestionably the heartbeat for both Marcello Lippi's Azzurri and Carlo Ancelotti's Rossoneri between 2003 and 2007.

Despite making his debut in 1995, the Lombardy born schemer had to wait until moving to il Diavolo to make his mark on both the domestic and European fronts; this was augmented by the switch from operating in the trequartista role to the aforementioned deep lying position where  "l'architetto" was able to set the tempo seamlessly for both club and country.

Pirlo has always been known for his fabulous range of passing even before he made his debut for Brescia against Reggina as a fresh-faced 16 year old; he was snapped up by the Nerazzurri but he was deemed surplus to requirements in the blue half of Milan as his talents were never given a chance to flourish at the Giuseppe Meazza.

After two loan spells away from the San Siro at Reggina and his home club Brescia, the man they call "The Metronome" was purchased by Fatih Terim in 2001 from Inter Milan.

Initially, things did not go as planned with Terim employing the 4-3-1-2 with the Portuguese Manuel Rui Costa pulling the strings as the trequartista, but with Terim's sacking and the appointment of Ancelotti, Pirlo would soon come of age.

Ancelotti quickly altered the formation from Terim's 4-3-1-2 to a unique 4-1-3-2 with Pirlo now very much the talisman pulling the strings from a deeper role; the role was designed to utilize Pirlo's sublime vision, excellent passing range and also to ensure that his lack of mobility was never exploited.

Pirlo excelled at the role, quickly helping Milan to reclaim the UEFA Champions League title in 2003, their first since the halcyon days of Capello's Milan of 1993-1994 and also becoming the fulcrum of the National team's play.

Quietly but efficiently as always, the playmaker went about his business pulling the strings and creating the platform for his more illustrious teammates like Totti and del Piero to take the plaudits for La Squadra Azzurra.

Finally, in 2006, on the back of Italy's run to World Cup glory, Pirlo belatedly began being recognized for his stellar achievements in Red and Black and also for the Azzurri.

He went even further by inspiring Milan to its seventh hold on the UEFA Champions League in 2007, capping an amazing 12 months personally.

With age, the Metronome's power has finally begun to wane; he has not being helped by several injuries which have exacerbated his decline and influence on an aging Milan team. Pirlo has missed several games for both club and country over the last three years due to an assortment of injuries.

Milan was able to win the Scudetto for the first time since 2004 without Pirlo playing a defining role, testament to the fact that the sun had set on a fairy-tale romance between Pirlo and Milan; Pirlo quickly realized this and ended the 10-year union by mutual consent with Milan in May 2011.

Immediately, he was pursued by The Grand Old Lady of Italian Football, Juventus, Pirlo decided to ink a deal with the Turin giants, thus fueling expectations for both a personal return to his glorious 2003-2007 form and also a return to the Italian team for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.

Isn't it too much to ask of the play-maker for him to turn the fortunes around at the Stadio Olimpico in much the same way that he did at the San Siro?

One thing is certain however, in Andrea Pirlo, Juve has a player who has been written off already on more than one occasion, only to rise from the ashes like the proverbial phoenix and silence all his critics; Pirlo as always will gladly assume the challenge in his usual unassuming metronomic manner.

Serie A, you have been notified......