Juventus-Bologna 3-0: Kostic, Vlahovic and Milik

Massimiliano Allegri was heard. On the eve, he had spoken of “a season that must start against Bologna” and the team did not disappoint him by clearly beating Bologna. This time, no short-nosed victory or final mockery in the form of Var: the success, expected over a month, was indisputable and deserved even for the indisputable detractors of Max. The difference was made by the offensive players, from the inexhaustible Kostic, author of the 1-0, to the rediscovered Vlahovic, who unlocked after four fasting matches, passing through Milik, a fundamental purchase to shock the attack. The Lady had also won 3-0 on the first matchday against Sassuolo, when the nightmare September problems were not even on the horizon. It remains to be seen whether the match against Bologna will be true glory: was it all thanks to the bianconeri or did the rossoblù facilitate their task with a worrying fragility in the middle of the field and a lack of incisiveness of his tips? More than from Wednesday’s Champions League match against Maccabi Haifa, doubts will be dispelled by Saturday’s big match at San Siro against Milan. Bonucci and his teammates will arrive at -4 from Pioli’s formation and -7 from leaders Napoli, but with a completely different morale compared to two weeks ago. Not a minor detail for a formation that still has Pogba, Chiesa and Di Maria outside.

DISPUTE AND RETURNS

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Without the suspended Fideo, but with the recovered Szczesny, Alex Sandro, Locatelli, Rabiot and Milik in the field (the latter in Monza was out for the expulsion remedied against Salernitana), compared to the pre-break defeat the Lady has not only changed the shirt (from black to pink), but above all the tactical suit: the back four confirmed, but space for 4-4-2 at the expense of 4-3-3. Clear objective: to cure Vlahovic’s offensive loneliness by supporting him with the former Napoli and Marseille and kicking more towards the opponent’s goal than in black September. Thiago Motta responded with an unprecedented pair of central defenders (Bonifazi and Sosa), but above all with the 4-2-3-1 that had Soriano behind Arnautovic to create dangers between the lines. The fiery environment, with protest outside the J Hotel and not very nice choirs from the Curva, pushed Bonucci and his teammates to attack from the beginning and Bologna, rather than restarting, had to think about occupying the spaces. Bonucci and Bremer kept the line high to stem the dreaded Arnautovic, but also not to stretch the team. Despite this, however, Bologna were not forced to the ropes because the pace was not high and almost all the initiatives developed on the left wing, with Kostic as protagonist. Few balls for the two strikers and so in the first quarter of an hour the only danger came from a central header by McKennie.

SERBIAN DUET

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It was clear that Juventus needed an episode to light up and it was no coincidence that it was Milik, one of the most positive in this complicated start to the season, who provoked him: the Polish striker in his own half tore the ball away with a slip from the median. Samson and triggered a deadly counterattack, well led by Vlahovic and finished by a winning diagonal from Kostic, on his first goal in A. If the Serbian winger had served the 1-0 assist to his teammate in Tuesday’s victory in Norway , yesterday it was paid off. The network did not satisfy Madame’s hunger who always arrived first on the ball, she won almost all the duels and took advantage of the many mistakes in the passages of the rossoblùs to restart. The dribble was never spectacular, but Milik still came close to 2-0, on a cross from Alex Sandro, without Thiago Motta being able to find a solution for the clear superiority between Locatelli and Rabiot. The guests forced Szczesny into the parade only with a not so insidious pumpkin from De Silvestri and returned to the locker room without ever having frightened the opponents.

SHOW BY DUSAN AND AREK

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The same formations have returned from the locker rooms and the tactical score has not changed. Milik gave another sign of his presence with a shot from the high limit, just to make Bologna understand that his evening would also be complicated in the second half. The rossoblù have gained a few meters on the pitch, but they only succeeded because it was Juventus who “called” them out of their shells, to hit them on the counterattack. Perfectly successful plan with the 2-0 born from a deadly restart, with McKennie’s cross for the head of Vlahovic, back in goal after four matches without cheering between A and Europe. Allegri entered Cuadrado for McKennie and Paredes for Kostic (Rabiot moved to the left), Thiago Motta responded with Medel for Dominguez, Cambiaso for De Silvestri and Vignato for Sansone. Those of the former Spezia coach were in vain because a few seconds after the triple change, Milik closed the match with a frightening blow from the edge, on the development of a corner kick rejected badly by the rossoblù defense. The rest of the match was a training session in view of the Champions League, with Vlahovic who touched the brace, Bonucci who headed the post and Allegri who closed with the three-man defense to keep his goal undefeated, a “feat” that failed from 2-0 at La Spezia on 31 August. That was also the last victory, then a September to forget that now seems a little further away.