Unsurprisingly, Massimiliano Allegri survived the break, even though the performance against Monza couldn’t have been more dismal, with the players not reacting at all and seemingly giving up. From the technical point of view, there were all the premises for a dismissal, but the economic aspects obviously outweighed them. Considering the extra busy stretch ahead, there won’t be another window to pull the trigger without making a mess until the November holidays. The next 12 games will be key for the coach’s future and, more importantly, for the outlook for the season. Pregame feedback was a little better than usual, as he finally acknowledged poor performances rather than dismissing any self-criticism outright.
The start has been almost horrible, especially in the Champions League, but there is still room to come back in both competitions. Seven points is a huge hole in Serie A, especially considering that it was played out in just seven games. However, it is still very early days, and while other teams have performed much better, no one has looked perfect or a giant.
A positive series of results would catapult the Bianconeri back into the top positions, but the question now is whether they have the ability to right the ship. The problems piled up before the break, not allowing them to regroup, and the players arrived exhausted and confused at the finish line. The next race will be similar, with the difference that there will be more challenging fights in Series A. So far, the damage has been mostly self-inflicted against inferior opponents.
Since things can’t get any worse, they’ll probably get better, if anything, because of the many injury returns to come. Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot and Alex Sandro will return for this one. Even Federico Chiesa and Paul Pogba could reappear relatively soon, although expectations will have to be tempered at first. With a nearly full roster, it will be more apparent if the guys are still behind the coach, and if the absences were the main factor behind the preceding problems, or if they have turned on him. There were no reports of executives speaking to locker room leaders during the crisis, which was a bit odd but also a sign that a coaching change wasn’t really considered.
Now it will be up to Allegri to find a scheme to rely on consistently, giving him time to oil the mechanisms. It didn’t take two great performances for Italy to discover that Leonardo Bonucci is much more comfortable in a three-man defence. The pairing of Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik should be the way forward with Angel Di Maria sidelined. It shouldn’t just be up to the latter to connect the lines, even though he is more polished, to be a bit more unpredictable and keep the Serb engaged. The returns of Locatelli and Rabiot may allow one less man to be used in midfield thanks to his work in the passive phase, which could come in handy when the Argentine saves his suspension. There are some cutting edge tactics that would suit the team, but would be something new to the manager.
As for the XI; the South Americans are the main question marks, since Juan Cuadrado and Leandro Paredes could initially be saved after long flights. One is clearly more disposable than the other, but there are more options in midfield now, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable. The scheme will be fluid, as it could also be a 4-4-2 with Weston McKennie on the flank, which isn’t particularly appealing.
likely alignment
3-5-2: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Bremer; De Sciglio, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; It belongs, Vlahovic.
Absences:
Di Maria (suspension), Pogba (torn meniscus), Chiesa (torn ACL), Kaio Jorge (torn patellar tendon), Aké (fractured malleolus).
It seems that Bologna were waiting for an excuse to fire Sinisa Mihajlovic, who had gone a bit stale, and the slow but not terrible start provided it. It was unfair considering the big hits they took over the summer and the fact that she had yet to properly scout the newcomers. Perhaps he and the higher-ups weren’t on the same page about the team’s trajectory. Avoiding the descent with ease multiple times in a row is nothing to scoff at. If they didn’t make progress during his tenure, it’s not the foreman’s fault, it’s the lack of investment from a very rich estate.
They were replaced by Thiago Motta, who proved to be a capable coach at Spezia last season amid a series of difficulties. That wasn’t a given, considering how his brief stint in Genoa had gone. He progressively softened the wilder elements of his formations while maintaining his fluidity and boldness. He inherits a better squad than his in Liguria, and they should be on their way to another serene campaign. However, if they want something more, they would have to stop taking advantage of their best collaborators and have to constantly replace them, and newcomers will inevitably need time to fit in and flourish.
They parted ways with three of their brightest prospects, Aaron Hickey, Arthur Theate and Mattias Svanberg. The replacements look pretty good, but they’re unlikely to have the same roof. They’re probably hoping that more tactical creativity and chutzpah will elevate them, and it could, but the previous boss didn’t rest on his laurels or innovate over the years. Ultimately though, he didn’t think his main attackers could appear together without severely hampering the overall balance. Since they’re not the most consistent players, he could routinely bench them without looking foolish.
Motta quickly switched to a four-man defense, moved Gary Medel from the baseline to midfield and went 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 depending on where Roberto Soriano plays. You can switch between the roles depending on how the game goes. Despite the defeat, they had a very good performance in the coach’s debut against Empoli.
They will often have to outgun opponents for this build to pay off, especially considering their defensive phase was a problem even when they were running 3-5-2. They have yet to keep a clean sheet, and Lukasz Skorupski, reeling wildly for a goalkeeper, hasn’t been at his best so far. His rear is almost completely new. Jhon Lucumi and Stefan Posch form a strong and well-stocked duo on the back, as they both combine physicality and agility. On the other hand, his full-backs would be better off as full-backs. Denso Kasius is making the jump and has been a factor, and Juventus loan Andrea Cambiaso is at his best when he gallops forward and a bit too cavalier when he has to handle the ball. They have two more defensive veteran alternatives, Lorenzo De Silvestri and Charalampos Lykogiannis, but would lose a lot of juice with both in the lineup.
Medel, Jerdy Schouten and Nicolas Dominguez are two defensive powerhouses in midfield, and that should make up for the likely lack of work-rate on the wings. Musa Barrow and Riccardo Orsolini are two forwards in their own right. They will have to break their tails too; otherwise they could easily be split down the middle onto opposing tiles. On the other hand, the scheme could limit the playing time of its midfield additions, as Lewis Ferguson and Nikola Moro show promise on paper but are apt to play box-to-box. The coach will be very busy juggling everyone’s playing time.
The gambit can succeed if the attack hits. Marko Arnautovic has been doing it in spades so far, hitting the net in every possible way and showing off his full arsenal. They had previously simplified his strategy to channel the ball to him constantly. At least one member of the supporting cast has to join him as a regular scorer for them to be prolific enough to make up for predictable back issues. Soriano fell off a cliff from that standpoint the past two seasons, but he has it. Barrow and Orsolini are quite similar, albeit with different strong feet. They both like to have the ball and cut back, as their best skill is shooting from distance. But they will have to improve on the easier plays and the little things. The former is out of this one, but things don’t change drastically as he will be replaced by either Nicola Sansone or Emanuele Vignato. They don’t have the same perks but they do have similar characteristics, and the veteran is actually a nuisance when he’s healthy due to incessant hacking from him.
As the Monza match made clear, opponents smell the blood of a wounded Juventus, and there is no intimidation factor at all, which is a sad state to be in. If Bologna manage to be intense and ferocious during the 90 minutes and limit their defensive problems, the Bianconeri are in for another long match. After all, they were outplayed by the worst team in the league up to that point, so there are no easy games.
likely alignment
4-2-3-1: Skorupski; De Silvestri, Posch, Lucumi, Cambiaso; Dominguez, Schouten; Orsolini, Soriano, Sansone; Arnautovic.
Absences:
Barrow (foot injury).
