Legendary Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi explains the Juventus meltdown against Udinese from a psychological standpoint.
The Bianconeri lost a direct Scudetto showdown against Inter last weekend at the Giuseppe Meazza by one goal to nil.
But while that result was hardly shocking, few expected Max Allegri’s’ men to suffer a defeat at home at the hands of Udinese.
Juventus looked short of ideas as they failed to reply to Lautaro Gianetti’s opener. Udinese managed to maintain their slim lead until the final whistle.
For his part, Sacchi believes that Juve’s two recent defeats are intertwined with one another.
The 77-year-old argues that the Bianconeri felt inferior to Inter in last week’s Derby d’Italia, prompting a psychological meltdown, as evidenced by their hollow display against Udinese.
“Did I expect Juve’s collapse? If I say yes, I’m being presumptuous,” said the former Italy and Milan coach in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport via IlBianconero.
“But I have to admit that the defeat against Udinese, in my opinion, is the result of the defeat at San Siro against Inter a week earlier. So, something could be felt in the air.
“At San Siro, Allegri’s boys gave their all and understood that they were inferior to Inter.
“These are matches that leave their mark on you, both physically and morally. Once you understand that winning the Scudetto is unlikely, they perhaps let their guard down a little.
“Furthermore, Juve have a very young team with little experience. They don’t have leaders. This is a factor that takes its toll in the long run.
“I am not inside the Juventus dressing room, so it is difficult for me to judge. However, I will say, that the defeat at San Siro had a significant impact.
“Inter, on that occasion, proved to be stronger and managed to demoralize their opponents.”
Juventus are now trailing the Nerazzurri by seven points and have played an extra match.
The Bianconeri ought to look behind them, with only one point separating them from Milan who lie third in the table.
