By beating Sassuolo Max can regain the top spot at least for one night: “A stimulus, we have to believe in it.” The same anti-Lazio eleven will play in Reggio Emilia
Mountain air is healthy, we know. Massimiliano Allegri plans to breathe it again this evening at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia, where he had some great moments as an ex and some less so with Milan (the 4-3 with Berardi’s poker which cost him his sacking in January 2014) and Juventus (the defeat of 2015-16 and that of last season, with the same coach as today, Alessio Dionisi, on the black-green bench). “Being in the lead while waiting for Inter (who will play tomorrow in Empoli, ed.) would be a stimulus, because we must want to get into the top four.” This is the maximum that the Juventus helmsman allows himself in a press conference in which firefighter phrases abound, from “there is too much euphoria” to “the key is always balance”. However, the ranking says that behind Inter, indicated by Max as one of the three “best equipped” teams compared to the Signora together with Napoli and Milan, there is Madama, with two points less than the European vice-champions who started with 4 wins out of 4.
THE CALENDAR
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The word scudetto has been abolished from Allegri’s vocabulary for 2023-24, perhaps also to avoid burdening too much responsibility on a rejuvenated group with less zest than a year ago, but this does not mean that no one thinks about Continassa, especially after the sprint start. Three rivals that are accessible on paper (Udinese, Bologna and Empoli), then the first test against a direct competitor for the Champions League, Lazio, which injected a generous dose of self-esteem into the Juventus veins. After Sassuolo between now and the break the calendar includes Lecce at home (Tuesday), Atalanta away and then the derby, which is never a match like the others. In theory, two soft tasks and two with a significantly higher difficulty coefficient. In the following two and a half months there will be matches with the two Milanese teams and Napoli, so the objective is to take advantage of the moment to stay connected to the leading team.
EUROPE AND REDUCED TURN OVER
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Juve will then be able to take advantage of the advantage of not playing in Europe, which will allow them to have a whole week to prepare for the match, limiting turnover. It is no coincidence that after the 112 different formations in 112 matches, today the Juventus that will take the field in Reggio Emilia will be the same one seen against Lazio. “I don’t know if not playing in the cups will be an advantage or a disadvantage – said Max -. I know that next year Juve will have to play in the Champions League because it will be an advantage on a technical and economic level”.
THE ROSE
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The other benefit is having changed very little compared to a season ago (only Cambiaso and Weah) but at the same time having recovered Vlahovic’s killer instinct and Chiesa’s talent, the two most valuable players in the squad. Saved by the market and revitalized by Max, who after having had them both for a year on a part-time basis due to physical problems, now enjoys them full-time. “We will see if at the end of the year we will be fourth, third, second or first and we will understand how much we have grown – concluded the coach -. This team certainly has a future and will be able to obtain satisfaction in the coming years”. Who knows, maybe we can’t start from the present.
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