Spalletti complimented his team on Dall’Ara’s victory and did not hide his satisfaction: “Now they can’t go back: it was a fundamental test.” From the approach to verticality: here’s what worked against the rossoblù
From “embarrassing situations” to “good” and “responsive”, it was a short step. Less than a hundred hours passed between Luciano Spalletti’s criticisms of his Juve after the suffered success in the Champions League against Pafos and the Juventus coach’s own compliments to the team for the victory in Bologna, which could turn the season around. “Now they can’t go back: it was a fundamental exam”, commented the Tuscan coach, hoping that the spark has finally struck. But how were Locatelli and his companions really different compared to previous releases?
Bologna-Juve, what went well for Spalletti
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First of all the approach: the match against Napoli and then the first half of the match against the Cypriots had shown a team that was first submissive, then scholastic, gripped by the fear of making mistakes and, thus, limited to the task of sterile ball possession. At the Dall’Ara, however, right from the start (with the exception of the double chance by Pobega and Orsolini resulting from a free kick) Juve were aggressive, at times even dominant. Spalletti’s team controlled the match, often looked for through balls and vertical passes, “stressing” Bologna’s defensive line with the depth of David (and then Openda), the cuts of Yildiz and Conceiçao and the movements of Cambiaso and McKennie. And then, to return to the words of the Juventus coach, we saw a reactive team, capable of responding blow for blow to Italiano’s pressing and man-versus-man game, without ever getting into difficulty and appearing to be at the mercy of the opponent. For the entire ninety minutes, as had not happened in the past.
Juve, the turning point match in Bologna?
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Of course, some defects remain: too many lost balls (130) and selection errors in the last pass, as well as wasted chances to close the game (two from Openda). But a fact remains that should not be underestimated: the one against Bologna was the fifth victory in Juve’s last six outings. And for the third time in the last four matches the Bianconeri finished with a clean sheet. In short, beneath the psychological fragility of a team that up to now has seemed strongly conditioned by the weight of the shirt, we are starting to notice a semblance of continuity. But whether the turning point has really come at Dall’Ara will only be understood after the next “test” against Roma.