It was hard to imagine a bigger gut punch than the terrible loss against Napoli, but the legal troubles really hit Juventus at the first opportunity, and more sanctions are likely to follow. The timing is unfortunate, as the season is down the drain with more than half remaining, and what happens on the field will matter very little compared to what happens in the courts of law. It’s pretty clear that the system has decided to catch Juventus for their financial sins, one way or another. The challenge for the new bosses and lawyers will be to avoid relegation or punishments that would cripple the team for several years, while limiting the damage to the current season and the next. It’s also easy to imagine that if the Bianconeri somehow qualify for European competition via the Coppa Italia or the Europa League, UEFA will keep them out for Financial Fair Play violations.
It seems like a long time ago, but how the embarrassing loss to Napoli came to be was almost a dismissable offense. There’s no shame in being outclassed by the top dogs in Serie A, but there are ways and means of doing it. As happened in the final matches of the Champions League group stage, Juventus completely collapsed in the crucible of pressure. At least those collapses were understandable since the team was still searching for his identity back then. Instead, the team was apparently humming before the recent clash, but it happened again, also spoiling the previous winning streak. It was chaotic to see the defense torn apart like that after years without conceding a goal. It is almost as if all the certainties of the bianconeri were annihilated at the moment of truth.
A strategy based on not conceding goals can’t go far against the best teams, but that’s not enough to justify the collapse. It is ironic that the coach paid the price for being too daring, as it was not the right situation to start Federico Chiesa as a full-back. It was a bewildering choice. While that caused additional problems, the most worrying part was that the back line, and Gleison Bremer in particular, were completely out of sorts, almost unprepared for what was coming, which was instead Napoli’s standard offense. There was also some misfortune, as the third and fourth goals were random after the Old Woman had reacted well and even scored, but you can’t use that as an excuse after a full game. Even if things had turned sour and the game was out of control, disconnecting with so much time to play was unacceptable and could have led to an even higher score.
The Coppa Italia match against Monza was too shaky to assess aftershocks as the youngsters don’t know any better. He accelerated a problem that was latent, the role of Chiesa. He’s not yet at the point where he’s expected to be brilliant on and off the game, but it’s already clear that the formation needs to change to have him closer to the box and less overwhelmed by defensive tasks. He can be a winger in easy matches, but that can become a problem in more complicated ones. In addition, he is more comfortable and dangerous on the left wing than on the right, where there is a gap with the absence of Juan Cuadrado, although Weston McKennie is becoming more comfortable.
The question now is whether the coach should move from the 3-5-2 completely, which has worked well for a long time, to do it only from time to time, which has already proven to be effective, or to think outside the box to line up the players. best players. at the same time. For example, Filip Kostic could become fullback at some point in the near future, but probably not in a four-man line that features Alex Sandro at center back. And there are currently no right-backs if Danilo is needed elsewhere, although Juan Cuadrado is ready to be called up. It is not known when Leonardo Bonucci will return, and Federico Gatti and Daniele Rugani have not shown themselves to be good enough to be consistent starters. Something would have to give for it to happen.
The team might not suffer as much if they fielded one fewer midfielder, and the top two, Manuel Locatelli and Adrien Rabiot, would be in their element in a two-man department. It would be unfortunate for the youngsters, but the advantage of having Chiesa and Di Maria together on the wings is just too tempting. The 3-4-3 would be a new scheme for Allegri.
probable lineup
3-5-1-1: Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; McKennie, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Say Maria; Vlahovic.
Out: Vlahovic (sports hernia), Pogba (meniscus tear), Bonucci (thigh tendon injury), Kaio Jorge (patellar tendon tear).
Atalanta’s season has had three distinct phases, and this might be the worst time to catch them. They were on a roll from the start, leaning on their usual mainstays from years past, with only minor tweaks. However, their style was not as effervescent as in the past, and instead of outplaying their opponents, they achieved victories through strong defense. At some point, the formula stopped working and they went into a tailspin at the end of 2022, causing tension between Gian Piero Gasperini, management and the new ownership. American tycoon Stephan Pagliuca bought half the team last summer, and he’s probably the one calling the shots, even though the previous boss is still somewhat in command.
They have come out of the break re-energized with a different and more brazen approach. Jeremie Boga has resurfaced, giving rise to a tactical evolution that made them much faster and more dangerous in attack, which has unleashed Rasmus Hojlund, who was a regular in his first few months in Serie A. That’s normal for such a young player. coming. from a second-tier league, and the hefty price tag doesn’t mean the transition will be any easier.
He has been a beast in recent games, and his performances are reminiscent of early Dusan Vlahovic, who was tremendous attacking the space behind the defense and finishing with technique. He is impressively fast and gifted for his side. He struggles a bit when he has to go toe-to-toe with physical defenders, and his hard pace wasn’t helping him. It will be interesting to see if they will bet everything now celebrating with Duvan Zapata or Luis Muriel. He has too many forwards since he is not playing in Europe this year. They should, as the two veterans have been pummeled constantly and haven’t contributed much thus far.
Boga had completely disappeared from the radar, but the coach inserted him into the Bologna game and delivered with two assists. He followed it up with a goal and an assist in the Salernitana game, where they went in a pure 3-4-3, a scheme that Gasperini has been trying to implement for a long time but he never had the horses to pull it off. Given that Ademola Lookman, who has carried them while the other strikers were stammering, he has no problem playing second striker or right winger, and is remarkably accurate in the box, they can now use him consistently. Having fewer attackers in the middle also opens up more lanes for Hojlund. The obvious disadvantage is that they are less physical in the trenches as they have one less midfielder. The change could not have worked better compared to Salernitana, who had his own share of pre-existing problems, and he will immediately face a litmus test on this one, should the gaffer dare to confirm it.
In addition to Boga and Hojlund, they have relied more on their youth products, Giorgio Scalvini and Matteo Ruggeri. It was a farce that the first one wasn’t really a hub beforehand. He has yet to be fully completed, which is sometimes a problem, but his insight and skill are well beyond his years. He’s already an excellent defender and just needs a little more preparation. The full-back came out of nowhere during December friendlies having been written off entirely in the first half of the campaign as he has plenty of veteran options. He could simply be a product of the fact that he’s their only left-footed player in the role, but he’s been energetic and a decent center.
They’re still reeling from Robin Gosens’ departure at that position, and Davide Zappacosta, who is their most impactful player there, has missed most of the season with repeated thigh injuries. The boss hasn’t fully trusted Brandon Soppy so far, who had great offensive displays early on but is a bit tricky back, but he probably should because Hans Hateboer and Joakim Maehle are nothing special.
They won’t have Teun Koopmeiners in this one, and that’s a big problem since he’s the brains of the team. They have some alternatives to replace him, but not someone with the same passing skills. Mario Pasalic would be the more aggressive option, Ederson the safer. Both would be starters if they preferred Boga to come off the bench. They can also move up at Scalvini, but that might be too timid, considering how they’ve been playing of late.
Gasperini complained a lot about having too many men at his disposal and being caught between two eras at the club, but he too was part of the problem and did not fully embrace newcomers and youngsters right away. It’s unclear if that happened out of stubbornness or because he thought they weren’t ready. They’ve come a long way once they’ve done that, and they’re back to being the exciting Atalanta of yore. They will be looking for a signature win, which has too often eluded them in their recent history, to build their resume now that the Champions League race has been thrown wide open by the recent ruling.
probable lineup
3-4-2-1: Musso; Toloi, Demiral, Scalvini; Hateboer, DeRoon, Ederson, Ruggeri; pasalic; Lookman, Hojlund.
Missing: Koopminers (suspension), Zappata (thigh injury), Zapata (hip injury).
