Chiesa, the injury worries Juve: there is a fear of breaking the crusader

Juventus are less than 3 from Atalanta’s fourth place but don’t pay attention to it: it’s an optical illusion. Juve will actually go on the field again today, when there will be a response on the exams of Federico Chiesa, who came out after half an hour for a problem in his left knee. Juve made known, through the words of Marco Landucci, the first diagnosis: “Left knee sprain. The exams will be done tomorrow (today, ed). It is the only discordant note of the evening”. What cannot be in the diagnosis is fear: the fear that there is an involvement of the ligaments, with the worst hypothesis, the rupture of the cruciate. The concern, in this sense, is very strong and concrete. The Chiesa season with that hypothesis would obviously be over and Allegri for 2022-23 should raise sacrifices to the Roman gods of the knee: here at the Olimpico, in January 2020, Merih Demiral returned home with an anterior and associated cruciate ligament injury meniscal injury.

ALSO THE NATIONAL …

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The response would obviously affect Juventus’ spring projections which, with their fragmented football, depend so much on the individual initiatives of Morata and above all of Dybala and Chiesa, the only ones who can change games with technical or athletic talent. The injury, however, comes at a particular time, shortly after returning from a muscle problem in the left leg flexor. Federico, in the midfield area, tore to sprint forward and stopped, immediately touching his leg. Around him, concern and tense faces, continue when he made the rounds of the field – step by step, escorted by the doctors – to return to the bench. Arrived under the guest sector, Chiesa greeted the fans who applauded him. It seriously risks being a greeting also to the national team, which will play for the qualification for the World Cup in March.

NO CUADRADO AND DE LIGT

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Juve, net of the result, saw all the fears of the eve materialize. The risk of disqualification for Wednesday’s Super Cup against Inter was in fact one of the topics on Saturday. Juve had only one warning available, Juan Cuadrado, and it was Cuadrado himself who received a yellow card for an avoidable foul: a sliding intervention to anticipate Felix. Panita arrived late and got a “2 for 1”: not the ball, but man and card. The few Juventus players who did not know have reviewed the regulation: yes, the disqualification remedied in A is served in the Super Cup. At the end of the game, at 4-3, the second bad news: the double yellow of Matthijs de Ligt, another suspended for Wednesday. Inter, already favorites, widens its advantage in the predictions.

WHO PLAYS THEN?

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So Juve for the Super Cup is to be imagined… with a little imagination. In front of Szczesny, Rugani and Chiellini will probably play, because for Bonucci it will be very complicated – not impossible, but very complicated – to go on the pitch. “There is also Danilo, who has already worked with us”, Landucci said yesterday at the conference, opening up to a complex hypothesis for a player who has been watching his team-mates since 20 November. More likely, as full-backs, we see De Sciglio and one between Alex Sandro and Pellegrini. Forwards, however, the use of Morata and Dybala, who will have the offensive phase in hand, is discounted. For the rest, turn to Allegri, who has often done his best in the most difficult situations in his career: if you have to prepare a one-off match against a strong opponent, night lighting is more likely.