Allegri against Zenit has launched a more offensive version of the bianconeri: tomorrow there will be a litmus test against Fiorentina
The Lady has a double personality and it is not true what some therapists say, who in Italy is shy and in Europe is exalted. The question is that Juve-Zenit on Tuesday evening was a game in itself, a world apart. How long had Juve not been so aggressive, did they not kick so much at goal, did they not try to retake after a lost ball? During the season we saw traces of that attitude in games won (Spezia) and ended badly (Sassuolo, Empoli) but the sensation had never been so complete. The graph with the comparison between the areas in which Juve pressed their opponents against Chelsea and Zenit says a lot. Against Tuchel, Juve were aggressive only in their half of the pitch; against Semak, he pushed the pressure to the opponent’s area, taking risks and advantages. In two images, there is the tactical puzzle around which the destinies of Sarri and Pirlo have been played out.
Sarri’s trap
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The question has been in the air for three years: can Juventus defend forward, use offensive pressing to try to steal the ball in the opponent’s trocar? Sarri tried and then, having taken note of the characteristics of Dybala and especially Ronaldo, phenomena that certainly do not defend to death, he made compromises. Allegri, on the contrary, started in the trenches, with that strange Napoli-Juventus as an iconic match: Juve, decimated by injuries and trips to South America, defended themselves in front of his goal that evening. Against Zenit, a weaker opponent, he played with a different attitude. Fiorentina, before the break, will say if a new Juve was born in the middle of the week. It is not a question of spectacle – a Juve that attacks raises the pace of the game but Allegri, concretely the right, this interests soon and nothing – but of the game plan. And of men to be sent to the field.
Training
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Juve is played mainly in midfield. On Tuesday McKennie joined Locatelli in the middle – no Bentancur – and Bernardeschi played wide, almost as a pure winger, a function that Rabiot cannot perform. There is a difference. McKennie is much messier than Rabiot, weaker when it comes to attention but much stronger when it comes to attacking the door. Choosing one or the other changes the games. In the same way, putting Rabiot back on the left would re-propose the “crooked” Juve (copyright Max) of this beginning. Allegri, who slept with the retired team last night, will make his decisions today. Impressions of the anti-eve: Morata is the favorite to play with Dybala in front, Kean also worked separately yesterday and probably will not be in the game, behind Chiellini he could find a shirt in the usual 3×2 of the central defenders. Little good news from Ramsey, who is back to work with the team. The temptation to repeat the attitude of Tuesday cannot but be there.
Four against eleven
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The numbers speak for themselves. Juve on average in the season shoots on goal 4 times per game: against Zenit those shots were 11. Juve normally recovers the ball 35 meters from their goal: against Zenit they did it three meters higher. Juve in Serie A is third from last in terms of re-aggression, that is, attempts to steal the ball immediately after losing it: in the week of the Champions League they were eighth out of 32. Not only that, they never played in the opponent’s area as against the Russians.
A new world
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Juve-Fiorentina, a pre-break match, can be decisive for this. A year ago came before another break, at Christmas, and changed the fate of Pirlo: Juve lost their game and safety. This time it can launch a fascinating project. Allegri has so far walked on familiar ground: he gave rules, he sealed the defensive phase in the winning streak, he gave centrality to Dybala who had already led him to a Champions League final. The limits of Juve, however, have opened the doors to a half-crisis and to this post-Zenit turning point. Allegri now has to decide whether to open up to a new world and focus on a team that risks more, maybe makes mistakes of youth but uses the fuel of enthusiasm. Even tomorrow, the national break, rather than the sadness of the break, would have the joy of a holiday.
November 5th – 07:50 am
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