There was a summit in Serie A when the table four Atalanta visited Juventus on Saturday night. Before the match, Juventus had eleven points up to league leader Napoli and were therefore in need of a victory so as not to lose ground in the battle for the Scudetto.
Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri once again chose to start with Dejan Kulusevski on the bench. Instead, Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata gained the trust together at the top.
Away at Juventus Stadium, Atalanta were the better team in the first half and after barely half an hour played, the guests took the lead. Pigeon Zapata broke through the Juventus defense and shot in 0-1 via the crossbar.
– The finish is world class. That surface, that opportunity can not be offered to Duvan Zapata, says commentator Christoffer Svanemar in C More’s broadcast.
Juventus played up after the break and grabbed the game. The home team chased feverishly for an equalizer and managed to create several half-chances. The closest to getting a dividend was Paulo Dybala who had a free kick in the crossbar in overtime.
But the goals were missed and Atalanta defeated the Italian big club 1-0 away. Despite Juventus chasing an equalizer in the final stages of the match, Dejan Kulusevski remained on the bench throughout the match.
– We gave Juventus big problems in the first half, and after the break we went out a little lower. What was important is that we took home the victory today. We played really well against a good opposition, says goal scorer Duvan Zapata to Dazn according to Football Italia.
– It is a tough league with many different types of matches. It was important to keep a clean sheet against a team as good as Juventus. In addition, Atalanta have not won here in Serie A in many years.
The loss was Juventus’ fifth of the season and after 14 matches, Turinklubben is in eighth place with only 21 recorded points. The league start is the club’s worst since the 1998/1999 season.
– We are Juventus and people seem to think that it automatically means that we are favorites for Scudetton. What we need to do is keep working, try to calm down and score more goals. At the moment we are struggling with the goal scorer and the reason for that is, in my opinion, because we have lost the feeling of calm and confidence, says Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri to Dazn and continues:
– There is a little anxiety. The players are stressed and do hasty things. We must continue to work on our achievements and try to win matches to regain confidence.
Allegri does not think Juventus will challenge for the league title this year.
– We must be realistic. If we are in this position after 14 rounds, it means that this is what we are worth right now. It’s a long wave to go. As soon as we are realistic, we can get rid of pressure and work better in a calmer environment, he tells Dazn.
The coach also explains the choice to keep Dejan Kulusevki on the bench throughout the match. This is not a claim for damages.
– Kulusevski is OK. We had Chiesa, Dybala, Morata, respect for the opponent is required. Rabiot finished the match well, it is a solution we can use later, Allegri says to Dazn.
Startelvor:
Juventus: Szczesny – Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Sandro – Chiesa, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot – Dybala, Morata.
Atalanta: Musso – Toloi, Demiral, Djimsiti – Zappacosta, Freuler, De Roon, Mæhle – Pessina, Zapata, Malinovskyi.
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