If there was a need for further proof of the mediocrity of Juve, of the players who make it up, of the coach who guides them, this one came from Venice where, despite the 1-0 lead at the end of the first half and at the height of at least four wasted opportunities, Allegri’s team caught the most melancholy of draws.
Obviously, those who have the goodness to read and follow me know that my opinion on Juve is lapidary. If Pirlo’s was led by someone who is not a coach, this is made up of elements that can at most drag it to the middle of the table.. In fact, in addition to being at a sidereal distance from the top, Juve has dropped to sixth place, two points below Fiorentina and can be reached, between tomorrow and Monday, by Rome and Lazio, perhaps the most disappointing clubs in Serie A.
What Allegri himself has to say in his defense is still mysterious. What is certain is that, if he were honest, he would admit failure well in advance, as the ineffable Andrea Agnell should doi: in three years he changed three coaches and the last two (Pirlo and Allegri), the ones who did worse, were his brilliant idea.
And if last year, thanks to Napoli’s suicide on the last day (1-1 with Verona), fourth place came as a real gift, this year Juve risks seventh place, the good one for the Conference League.
Sure, read the training that Allegri had set up for the trip to the lagoon, it is legitimate to ask whether, after all, he has not sought it. But no. The coach’s fault is not who he puts on the pitch, but how he plays them, the indications he gives him, the game solutions that accompany the movements, the general idea of what a collective should be. All requirements that Allegri either lost (as I think) or never had (the baddest say so).
Then, unfortunately, the problem is to discover that Pellegrini has become better than Alex Sandro (an ectoplasm), that De Sciglio is worth the injured Danilo, that Bernardeschi is almost a player (but not from Juve), that Rabiot, since he doesn’t know still how good he can be (Allegri dixit), remains an element without quality, which Cuadrado no longer skips anyone (and misses a few too many goals). Last but not least, Dybala is always injured. Wednesday, with Malmoe, he was not well, yesterday he felt a pain in his knee. Can an alleged champion of the genre ask for a net salary of twelve million without playing so little and not always so well?
When he left, another unknown object entered, namely ithe very young Kaio Jorge whom Allegri took away out of desperation a quarter of an hour from the end. Kean took over (thirty million to get him back) and never took it.
Is this the Juve of the future? Are these the purchases by Cherubini, after those, disastrous, by Paratici?
Yet a minute after (13 ‘) entering the field, Kajo Jorge had the opportunity to score, but his subnet turn (de Ligt’s aerial assist from a corner from the right) ended up high.
After another corner kick, this time from the left, with Bonucci anticipated by a whisker, Venezia (20 ‘) entered the opposing area with a personal initiative by Toerset Johnsen, thwarted with skill and timing by de Ligt. The neroverdi, encouraged by some balls won in the midfield, began to put balls in the area, above all thanks to the combinations of the attacking midfielder Aramu (Zanetti lined up with a 4-3-1-2) with Crnigoj (two high shots) and Henry (big movement).
However, the control of the game was all of Juve who attacked on the left thanks to the push of Pilgrims. Before (27 ‘), one of his actions put Morata in a position to serve Kajo in the middle of the area (but the Spaniard preferred to shoot). Then, again thanks to a half-height cross from the former Roma player, Morata scored with an advance of his right foot.
It was 32 ‘and the game seemed wide open in favor of the bianconeri, so much so that three minutes later, Morata again, this time served well by De Sciglio, concluded weak and central.
But the most sensational opportunity came when time was up (46 ‘) in Locatelli’s counterattack for Cuadrado. The Colombian’s solitary gallop ended, however, with a cross shot out of nowhere, rather than with a passage to the highly unmarked Morata or to Locatelli himself who had followed the action.
Those who know the latest Juve began to suspect that that missed goal would end up being indigestible. In fact, just nine minutes into the second half, Locatelli countered too weak Haps who served Aramu to the limit. The attacking midfielder started his arched left and Szczesny, covered by Bonucci, only put his right hand into it without deviating.
The bianconeri went into confusion and a minute before the hour of play only an amazing defensive diagonal by Pellegrini took the ball away from Henry, after a good combination in the Busio-Aramu area.
Having said that Ampadu was to be expelled for a second yellow card (treacherous foul against Cuadrado), Juve at the end had only one opportunity to win (65 ‘) with a shot by Bernardeschi, from inside the area, beautifully deflected by Romero.
Until the end there was ball possession and, in the last ten minutes, a convulsive assault from the bianconeri. But ideas, as always, zero. A torment which, after 93 minutes, the referee Valeri put an end to, one to retire as soon as possible.
THE TABLE
Venice 1-1 Juventus (first half 0-1)
Marcatori: 32’pt Morata (J), 10’st Aramu (V)
Assist: 32’pt Pellegrini (J), 10’st Haps (V)
Venice (4-3-1-2): Romero; Ebuehi (from 34th Mazzocchi), Modolo, Caldara, Haps; Ampadu (from 19’st Tessmann), Crnigoj (from 34’st Peretz), Busio; Aramu; Henry (from 34’s Fort), Johnsen (from 12’s Kiyine). Herdsman Zanetti
Juventus (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; De Sciglio, De Ligt, Bonucci, Pellegrini (from 31st Alex Sandro); Rabiot, Locatelli (from 42’st Soulé); Cuadrado, Dybala (from 12th Kaio Jorge) (from 31st Kean), Bernardeschi (from 31st Bentancur); Morata. Herds Allegri
Referee: Valeri
Ammonites: 15’pt Pellegrini (J), 41’pt Modolo (V), 5’st Caldara (V), 17’st Bernardeschi (J), 45’st Peretz (V)
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