Well, this certainly didn’t pan out to be a classic Derby d’Italia, but the final outcome could have been much worse for the Old Lady.
Juventus put their recent win streak on the line against Inter away from home, but they found themselves trailing for the majority of the match, as the hosts fiercely defended their 1-0 lead.
Luckily for the Bianconeri, VAR noticed Denzel Dumfries’ challenge on Alex Sandro just inside the penalty box, allowing Paulo Dybala to score a late equalizer from the spot.
So here are three takeaways from Juve’s 1-1 draw against their arch rivals.
Head Over Heart
After 15 minutes of play, Federico Bernardeschi sustained a shoulder injury that saw him falling to the ground in agony.
While Rodrigo Bentancur was preparing to enter the pitch, the winger asked Max Allegri to give him few more minutes to recover before making the substitution.
The former Fiorentina man was unable to continue, but the delay allowed Edin Dzeko to put the Nerazzurri in the lead while they Bianconeri were temporarily down to 10-man.
Allegri later claimed that even with a man down, the team shouldn’t have conceded a goal this quickly. And while he’s right in his assessment, delaying the substitution was obviously the wrong call, and it cost his side dearly.
Even though Bernardeschi should be lauded for his courage and determination to go on, he was visibly in no state that allows him to do so, and the manager should have made a swift and wise decision rather than pay the price for his player’s irrational request.
Time Running Out for Kulu
Thanks to his Champions League winner against Zenit, Dejan Kulusevski earned a rare chance to start in a top encounter while Federico Chiesa was deemed unfit and Paulo Dybala still fresh from his latest injury setback.
While all the circumstances played in the Swede’s favor, his underwhelming performance means that Allegri will find it hard to justify his selection ahead of Dybala, Chiesa and even Kaio Jorge in the upcoming matches.
This is unfortunate for the youngster who absolutely needed a big outing to reignite his stint in Turin and preventing it from fading further.
Opposing signals
Gaining a point away from home against the defending champions should by all accounts be considered a decent result for Juventus.
Nevertheless, the bland performance may have left a feeling of discontent amongst the fans, as the Bianconeri struggled to threaten Inter’s goal for the majority of the match – although their display improved following the introduction of Chiesa and especially Dybala.
But on a more positive note, this is exactly the type of matches that would have seen the Old Lady leaving the pitch empty handed at the final whistle last season.
Therefore, Juve’s ability to somehow escape with a point should be admired, and it proves that Allegri’s work is beginning to bear its fruits.
