First of all, let’s start by confirming the following: this is the world of Massimiliano Allegri and we are just living in it.
When Juventus hosted Fiorentina at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday, not even the much-anticipated (and slightly over-the-top) attacking trident could have diverted attention from the man in charge of the whole damn show.
While Ángel Di María enjoyed a decent outing, his strike partners Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic were somewhat disappointing against their former employers, in what turned out to be a neglected affair overall.
So even when Lord Max decided to pay attention to his royal subjects by casting all three stars at once, the initial result wasn’t as exciting as many had hoped. But while the chemistry between the trio should improve, perhaps the problem lies elsewhere, more particularly in the middle of the park.
It is true that Manuel Locatelli and Adrien Rabiot enjoyed solid outings, with the latter scoring the only goal of the match. However, neither is a genuine Regista, forcing either Di Maria or Chiesa to step back and help in the build-up.
This subsequently resulted in a disguised 3-5-1-1 formation similar to that adopted in previous months, bringing us back to square one.
But enough about mortals. If we’re going to discuss yesterday’s action, then we can’t pass up the latest star of the show.
Intentionally or not, Allegri stole the show from start to finish. Whether he was having an awkward conversation with one of his players, wildly celebrating a VAR call and earning a booking, or casually inviting a fan to attend a fight, this was Mad Max at his best. . So is there anything this man can’t do?
Well, maybe there is.
Unfortunately, the Livorno native can’t seem to shake his old-school mentality. Even as he opted to implement what was arguably his most offensive starting lineup since his return to the club, he couldn’t resist the old ways when the going got tough.
Yesterday, Fiorentina seemed to be tactically and mentally broken, failing to threaten Wojciech Szczesny for the first 80 minutes of the match. So when Vincenzo Italiano launched a series of attacking options, the Bianconeri could have taken advantage of the situation to harass their unbalanced rivals on the cons.
But rather than bring in young, quick wingers like Samuel Iling-Junior or Matias Soulé, Allegri decided to withdraw by fielding a slew of midfielders and leaving Moise Kean alone up front, as if inviting the faltering Tuscans to attack.
Eventually Fiorentina accepted the call and managed to score an equalizer through Gaetano Castrovilli, but luckily it was nullified for the semi-automatic offside as the advanced technology made a vital third intervention and cemented itself as the second star of the show.
At the end of the day, Allegri got away with it. He won this round against all foes, both inside and outside, and telling that detractor in the stands to shut up was pretty symbolic, and perhaps a message for a significantly larger number of recipients.
However, Juventus will not always emerge unscathed from adopting such a regressive tactic, even if they are only reserved for the final minutes.
Unfortunately for all of us, the current wall pales in comparison to the one erected during the golden days of Giorgio Chiellini and Gianluigi Buffon, and will not stand a chance against tougher opponents, as it has to be said that our enemy on Sunday became a side. struggling in search of an identity.
But then again, maybe Juventus are just meant to struggle in the current age. So in this sense, Allegri is just the perfect commander for this imperfect age.
