3 hrs ago |
by Proximus
Under Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus were renowned for their very structured play. Too much even sometimes. But since Andrea Pirlo took over the destiny of the Old Lady, the game has changed, adopting a simple leitmotif: go quickly to the front. This Sunday, against Sassuolo (8:45 p.m.), the Turinese will have a little more opportunity to show their change.
In recent months, Andrea Pirlo’s Juventus has adopted a style of play that the late Dominique D’Onofrio would have appreciated: verticality. The well-repeated and somewhat monotonous constructions of the Allegri era and especially of his successor Maurizio Sarri are forgotten since, from now on, the Piedmontese seek to find themselves as quickly as possible in front of the opposing goal.
Obviously, this metamorphosis was not without difficulty and there was some damage. Juventus is no longer (not yet?) The steamroller machine it was and with already 6 shares and 1 loss for 7 wins, it is only 5th. But it is little by little that the bird makes its nest.
A midfielder made for that
Rabiot, Ramsey, Danilo, McKennie. Four names that perfectly personify the new Juventus game. Pirlo wanted an aggressive play, McKennie and Ramsey give it to him by snatching the balls and squeezing the opponent very high. Pirlo wanted attacking football, Rabiot and Danilo give it by distributing the game forward and bringing speed in the head of the Brazilian.
Better, with his defense at 3, Pirlo adds two additional men on the wings to bring overflows and eliminate the game, thus offering even more space to his direct football who likes to play in the holes left by the opponent.
A still hesitant attack
In front, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the spearhead of Pirlo’s offensive armada. But at almost 36 years old, the Portuguese is not a solution for the future even if his performance remains monstrous with 14 goals in 11 Serie A games.
Next to him, Morata has a 10-goal record. And then that’s about it. Without these two men (and Morata is injured), the danger is less, even if Juve slammed 4 goals against Udinese. No wonder in the end that the Bianconeri are only 29 goals away from the league, where Inter are already at 40. If Ronaldo were to get injured, the team would be in big trouble.
The schedule for Matchday 17 of Serie A:
Sunday:
AS Rome – Inter: from 12:30 p.m. on Eleven Sports 1
Udinese – Naples: from 3:00 p.m. on Eleven Sports 2
Juventus – Sassuolo: from 20:45 on Eleven Sports 1
Follow Serie A throughout the season on Eleven Sports channels, available in the package All Sports de Proximus Pickx.
–
