Juve, Allegri’s comeback possible for four reasons: from defense to Rabiot

And if in the end Massimiliano Allegri was right? The 3-0 at Bologna relaunched a Juve that, until the break, seemed to be in serious trouble. The defeat at Monza marked the lowest point, with the coach finished in the crosshairs of the fans and confirmed with a sort of timed confidence from the club. Then, however, the break for the national teams allowed Max to recover some injured players (Alex Sandro, Locatelli and Rabiot, all starters in Sunday night’s success) and regenerated some protagonists, from captain Bonucci to Vlahovic and Kostic.

So after a month the bianconeri have returned to win and now even the ranking, although still inadequate, does not seem irremediable. Also because Allegri has several cards to play. After all, he has only one point less than last season and the opponents are not traveling at the same pace as in 2021-22. The Livorno coach preached calm in the post-match against the rossoblùs, but deep down he knows that thinking about the Scudetto comeback is not madness. Especially with four bases to believe it.

The first starts with a fact: 5 goals conceded in 8 league rounds. Like Lazio and worse only than Atalanta (3) in Serie A. Juve has found a certain solidity, the key word for every success of the first cheerful cycle. Against Bologna, Wojciech Szczesny, the starting goalkeeper, is back in goal. Of course, Perin replaced him very well at the beginning of the season, but the Pole remains the first choice and a certainty. De Ligt’s departure was absorbed above all by the inclusion of Bremer, who after some hesitation at the start, especially in the adaptation to the back four, is now rising in tone. On Sunday evening, among other things, for the first time, paired with Bonucci, the Brazilian was employed as a central right, with the captain on the center-left. A move that helped to completely cancel the current Serie A top scorer, Marko Arnautovic. Danilo is one of Max’s trusted men and a long-time guarantee, but with Bologna, Alex Sandro also seemed to be significantly growing. A swallow will not make a spring, but winning helps to win and not conceding a goal gives confidence to the whole team and in particular to the defense and to Allegri.

The second reason is called Adrien Rabiot. The Livorno coach, as mentioned, recovered important players even in the middle of the pitch, naturally waiting for Paul Pogba. Rabiot, another of Max’s passion, seemed to be on the ball. “He has a different engine from the others,” explained Allegri himself on Sunday evening. And in fact the Frenchman, with the other returning Locatelli, gave strength to a median that he had suffered terribly in Monza, even before Di Maria’s expulsion. The midfield is perhaps the department that most missed last season, but with the signings of Pogba and Paredes and the growth of Rabiot, Max is hoping to make a difference. Obviously when everyone is available.

Similar speech for the attack, dragged not only by the goals of Dusan Vlahovic, but also by the surprise Arek Milik. Greeted with some skepticism, the Pole is traveling to a goal every 67 minutes on the pitch. The networks, however, do not tell everything. Milik is proving to be fundamental as Vlahovic’s sidekick and in linking the game: with him on the pitch, Juve produces more and better. Allegri, then, waits for Di Maria and Chiesa to have an attack with great alternatives, as well as stars.

The last point concerns the rivals. If it is true that Juve have one point less than last year, it is equally true that all the teams that finished ahead of them in May are doing worse than in 2021-22: minus 5 points for Inter and Milan, -4 for Napoli. Of course, to get back into the Scudetto discourse, Atalanta (+6) and the others (Rome, Lazio …) will also need to slow down. In Turin they believe in it and do well: there are more than 7 months to go, with a World Cup in the middle. Giving a Juve a few points away for dead in October can prove to be a fatal mistake.