Every Monday the editorial staff of Tuttojuve.com analyzes the hot topics of our football with one of the most authoritative names in Italian sports journalism, Xavier Jacobelli, Director of Tuttosport. Here is his speech:
“Stefano Pioli is right when he says that Milan-Juve, scheduled for the evening of the Epiphany, will not be a decisive match for the award of the Scudetto, but a match valid for the 16th day of a tournament that counts days 38. However, it is equally true that for Juventus the San Siro match could represent and constitute a sort of watershed for an entire season, because in the event of a victory the Bianconeri would reduce the gap from the leaders also counting on the match to be recovered with Napoli , but in the event of a defeat it is clear that the gap would take on very, very considerable dimensions, damaging the journey of the bianconeri and their comeback. To get an idea of what this Milan-Juve will be, you need to give the numbers: the Milan are the only undefeated team in the main five European tournaments, for the first time they have scored 37 points in 15 games since Serie A awards victory with 3 points for each success; and the last time the Rossoneri did better, always rewarding the victory with 3 points, dates back to 1992-93, then 12 wins and three draws which would be the current 39 points. There are 17 points more than Milan compared to a year ago and Milan are unbeaten in the league in 27 games after the first lockdown, 20 wins and 7 draws, 67 total points. And Milan’s last defeat dates back to 8 March 2020, in Milan against Genoa. In addition, the Rossoneri score at least two goals from 17 consecutive league games, an absolute record for Serie A. And in the five most important tournaments in Europe, only Barcelona with 18 consecutive games managed to do so much, but we are talking about 1948.
On the other hand there is a Juventus strengthened from 4-1 to Udinese, by the umpteenth exploit of Cristiano Ronaldo, who for 15 consecutive seasons has scored at least 20 goals between club and national team and for 20 calendar years has systematically scored in double digit. He has reached 758 career goals between club and national team and above all it is evident that Cristiano Ronaldo has already entered his name in the history of Juventus, because the best Juventus strikers after this first tranche of initial matches – Juve have played 14, recalling how he should recover the match against Napoli – only Farfallino Borel in 1933/34 did better than Cristiano Ronaldo, scoring 17 goals; the Portuguese scored 14. All this to say that the confrontation with Milan is also announced under the sign of Ronaldo. And Juve also hopes under the sign of Dybala, because Pirlo has confirmed that Morata will not be available for the away match in Milan, while the 27-year-old Argentine scored his 98th goal for Juventus and above all showed comforting signs of progress, just on the eve of such an important confrontation as the one with Milan. Juventus seen in action against Udinese revealed a very significant reaction to the heavy defeat suffered against Fiorentina, the worst in the league since the Bianconeri played at the Stadium. Chiesa’s goal reaffirmed how the former viola is increasingly becoming part of Pirlo’s game mechanisms. But in this January, which will certainly give a turning point in the title race, without forgetting how Inter are increasingly fierce, Conte, by capturing the eighth consecutive victory in the league, has equaled the primacy set by Mourinho when he coached the Nerazzurri . It is clear that Juventus’ run-up to the Scudetto necessarily passes from San Siro against a Milan that game after game, and even in the absence of Ibrahimovic, has shown how exciting Pioli’s work is. The confrontation between the Emilian coach and Andrea Pirlo will be another reason of great interest for a match destined to attract all the attention on the day of the Epiphany !.
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