Ninth equal in 15 matches: the Bianconeri are struggling, yet against Bologna the team fought tirelessly
All things considered, the disappointment of the draw prevails. Comeback, from 0-2 to 2-2 against Bologna, respecting one of the house mottos, until the end, but we’re talking about the ninth draw in 15 days, an absolute record in the history of Juve, something like this has never happened at this point in the season. We are beyond the draw, we are at the “ovosode” of Virzì’s film of the same name, that egg which, like a draw, “goes neither up nor down”. Thiago Motta is increasingly Mister X, his revolution is indecipherable for now. Juve is seven points behind current leaders Atalanta, but will slip to within eight points of the top if Napoli beat Lazio tonight. It’s best not to talk about the scudetto anymore, it’s better to concentrate on qualifying for the Champions League, the red line below which there will be talk of result-driven failure and game-driven rejection.
JUVE UNDEFEATED, BUT…
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Nine draws and six wins in 15 days, Juve has never lost in the championship. Unbeaten is a great thing, but in this case it risks becoming a fig leaf, useful to cover the planning difficulties of Thiago Motta, the coach hired to dress the Lady in clothes suited to modern times. In this respect, yesterday’s match was emblematic: for long stretches Bologna played as we expected Juve to play, with aggression, frowns and codified movements. Juve was panting and struggling, they couldn’t handle so much boldness. For Motta, who coached Bologna until last spring, it was a nemesis, a mocking punishment. There was enough of his idea of football in the Bologna that raged at the Stadium; several of his former players backfired on him. And then the Conceiçao paradox. The Portuguese winger’s dribbling and acceleration were for long stretches Juventus’ only asset. The individual who makes up for the lack of collective harmony. A short circuit in Motta’s world.
INJURIES: THE LATEST HAS CHANGED
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There was also bad luck, in the form of yet another accident. This time it was Andrea Cambiaso’s turn to leave and anyone who follows Juve knows how important the blue winger is. Cambiaso is perhaps the only Juventus player today who knows, understands and best interprets Motta’s principles. The coach indoctrinated him in a good way during the year together with Bologna. Cambiaso out, Rouhi came in, an immature Swedish full-back, perhaps suited to the B team. A change that disconcerted us: as serious as the emergency is, with Cabal covering that role and then breaking his knee, it’s possible that Is there no one between Cambiaso and Rouhi, an intermediate figure or someone to adapt? However, Motta is not a compromising coach, he makes clear and strong choices, he doesn’t hesitate to throw in kids. In the case of Mbangula, another young man with great hopes, he was right, yesterday the Belgian gave him the 2-2 goal with a “delpierato” shot. Motta works for the future, but at Juventus the present cannot be ignored. Motta’s future will pass through this temporal balance – between the maximum that there will be one day and the minimum that must be there immediately – and through the January transfer window, which will bring with it indispensable reinforcements.
AND NOW THERE’S THE CITY
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Not everything can be thrown away in the 2-2 draw with Bologna. Compared to the 1-1 draw a week ago against Lecce, the path was reversed. In Puglia, Juve got caught in recovery. In Turin they went back from 0-2 to 2-2, with the second goal almost over, a sign of a strong soul. It may be that some players don’t understand Motta, but they all fight tirelessly for Motta’s Juventus. Yesterday the team was one step away from sinking, but they remained clinging to the raft. Then the growth of Koopmeiners, certified by the great ball with which he freed Vlahovic in front of the goalkeeper and by the goal he scored himself. Unlike Zirkzee, this can become Koop for Motta, and that would be a lot. On Wednesday in the Champions League, Juve will receive Manchester City, fresh from a 2-2 comeback against Crystal Palace, more or less like the Lady yesterday. It will be a crossroads of similar opposites: in Guardiola’s kingdom there is an air of sunset, in the principality of Motta we cannot see the dawn.
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