As always, the final rounds of the season never fail to deliver some funny results. This time around, Juventus were at the bottom end of the joke.
Following a largely uneventful first half at the Luigi Ferraris, Paulo Dybala’s strike gave the Bianconeri the lead at the start of the second half.
Following a series of missed goal-scoring opportunities, coupled with poor defending, Genoa mounted a stunning late comeback with goals from Alfred Gudmundsson and Domenico Criscito.
So here are our three takeaways from the Old Lady’s unexpected defeat at the hands of the struggling Grifone.
No Break for Allegri-Ball
After sealing qualification to the next edition of the Champions League, one might imagine that Massimiliano Allegri would be willing to abandon his cautious ways and tell his players: “Let’s play some entertaining football, lads!”
But of course, the Livorno native wasn’t planning on putting a show for the viewer. While Genoa rightfully decided to sit deep in the first half, Max was more than happy to hold fruitless possession for an entire half, resulting in a total snoozefest.
Well, values are important after all.
In Moise Defense
After wasting half a dozen chances, Moise Kean became the target of the supporters’ wrath after the final whistle. Fans and observers alike chastised the young striker following his poor performance, and perhaps rightfully so.
But in the player’s defense, let’s just remember that we’re talking about a young striker who’s been shipped from one club to another in the past four seasons.
Moreover, he was the one who provided the assist for Dybala’s opener. while also insisting on finishing the match despite sustaining a knock in the final minutes.
Regista in the Making
During the first half, Arthur Melo had little impact when it came to building play. Of course the Brazilian isn’t the sole person responsible for the team’s feeble effort, but he didn’t help the Old Lady’s cause either.
Following his exit in the second half, Fabio Miretti took the reigns in the middle of the park, and for a short period of time, the Bianconeri’s performance visibly improved, with the teenager dictating the play and finding the strikers with some pinpoint long balls.
While some argue that he’s mainly a box-to-box midfielder, the teenager might have all the makings of a formidable Regista.
Allegri was trying to manage his roster more than the match yesterday, and ultimately it backfired in terms of the result. But few understand the toll that the injuries have taken on the rest of the squad. DeS would have never played 90 minutes if the result mattered yesterday. He played to rest Danillo and Chiellini for Coppa Italia final. Cuadrado didn’t have 90 minutes in him. And he wanted to rest Dybala and VL7 for the final. None of that is rocket science. Kean may have moved from team to team over the past few years, but the goal is till in the exact same spot on every pitch. He literally botched chances that were harder to miss than score. Inexcusable!
My criticism of Allegri yesterday would be this: If he was going to start Miretti again, why not start him as the registra? Arthur is horrible in that role. He may be the worst Brazilian mid I’ve ever seen in Serie A. When Max took him off and let Miretti move to the playmaker’s spot Juve looked quite good. My understanding is he pulled him off because he had cramps. How an 18-year-old gets cramps is entirely beyond me.
The truth is Juve has been creating plenty of chances to win matches – quite comfortably, but the y are not converting them. When defenders mark VL7 tightly there is going to be space for others. Be it, Kean, Moratta or Dybala, they have to convert those opportunities. You can hate Allegri until Christmas but he didn’t eat those chances yesterday.
Btw, the Haters’ act is getting old. If Juve beats Inter, the Coppa Italia will mean nothing to them. They glorify Pirlo for winning Coppa Italia and the Super Coppa – with Ronaldo. Really? They try to compare point totals from year-to-year? Really? We had to wait for Napoli to collapse on the final day of the season to secure a CL spot last season. Are these people serious? Or, do they just have nothing but venom in their heart.
I remember clearly, Max warning people that winning five straight Scudetti “non e normale.” He was right then. Just as he was right when he told Agnelli the roster needed to be rebuilt two years ago. Instead he got fired, Paratici and Nedved signed a the likes of Ramsey and Arthur. We were supposed to challenge on multiple fronts with those two playing key roles in midfield? One couldn’t stay fit and the other does nothing but pass backwards. Juve hasn’t had a legitimate registra since Pirlo went to MLS. Pjanic was never, ever going to direct this team to a CL title. It seems like a big ask to hand that job to Miretti, but Arthur is not that answer. And, Rabiot, Locatelli or Zakaria do not look to have the stuff to be a director, either.
At the very least we need replacements for Chiellini, Alex Sandro, Dybala and most likely, Morata along with a registra.
I’m still convinced Max is the right guy for Juve. But without filling a minimum of those five key spots, Jesus won’t win with Juve.