Good observation @Falc Sarri ball is not working, however he is putting the team in the right spot to win games. Can’t fault the guy too much, he has a system and so far it has been getting us results. Do I think his system sucks? Somewhat but it’s getting us the results at the end of the day, I’m sure we would be in the same position with Allegri. Also let’s not forget under Allegri we had some stinkers too. We do need to play better from the midfield, our wing play had been average, that’s why our attackers have been struggling. Id give Ronaldo one more year before declining and that massive contract, we will need to invest for the future, and it’s time we rebuild our midfield because it has been a point of concern.
I think we are winning despite his system, that individual play is what is getting us the wins. We are still seeing poor midfield play but Sarri continues to use the same players Allegri had despite the fact that he got the addition of Ramsey and Rabiot. For me, Pjanic and Khedira are not the problem individually but they do not belong together. We give up too much defensively when they are paired together in a 3-man midfield. In fact, I would experiment with Khedira in a trequartista role and make better use of our other midfielders.
I agree, Khedira is old and has lots of miles so midfield is just not where I want to see him play anymore. I am honestly surprised we resigned him with Can in there and Ramsey and Rabiot..
This team is at its best with Dybala, Higuain, and Costa on the field together. Why we have to wait to be losing 1-0 to switch to it is frustrating. But at least it got done with enough time to change the game.
You mean having CR7 in the squad is overrated? Just curious... Meanwhile..... Le pagelle di Atalanta-Juventus 1-3: Higuain
It’s never over until it’s over! Non è finita finchè non è finita! #EC23 #iCan #WeCan #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/tqqZbHv84a— Emre Can (@emrecan_) November 23, 2019
That's what I'm saying. The team has better flow and movement when CR3.5 is not sucking all the oxygen out of the attack.
When would be the proper time to stop the Bernardeschi experiment? It is very clear for all to see that it is not working. The whole midfield was the weakest link. But I expect Sarri will start with the same lineup next game. To end on the positive note though, what a game from Higuain and Dybala. They seem to be really enjoying themselves this season.
It’s time we sell Berna, he has regressed so much this year it’s not even funny. We should do a fire sale imo. Also what’s the status of Mario going to England this winter transfer window?
I've always retained making the move for Ronaldo wouldn't move the needle all that much. At least not in the Serie A where he will have never scored half of the goals as he did in England or Spain. Especially not at 34-35 years of age. He may make a difference in the Champions League but win or lose that tournament , I think this will be his last year in a bianconero uniform.
He brings more attention to the club, the Juve brand is growing because of him, jersey sale, kit, I think this move was more to improve the Juve brand. Sure he is up there in age but the guy takes the game very seriously and still can make a difference. I don’t think having him for another year. Big names like him also attract other big name players.
Oh for that stuff , I agree. There is no doubt he has made the world watch Serie A again. When it come to winning and losing though, they won before CR7 and I’m sure they will win without him.
God this midfield is horrid (for a top 5 team) We will NOT be winning UCL with Khedira Pjanic Matuidi as starters....and the others on bench arent that much better. Cant believe 3yrs past Cardiff and we still havent upgraded this area. This will continue being our problem
I’m not so sure that the midfield is as bad as we are all making them out to be. Looking at this sequence in October against Inter with Rodrigo Bentancur, Juan Cuadrado , Emre Can , Ronny back to Bentancur to Higuaín , it was picture perfect. It looks like something out of a textbook. The goal in real time looks like it is happening in slow motion but it also looks perfect with great combinations. I'm not sure if they are ready for the Champions League and maybe the mids aren’t consistent, that fast or defensive but I think the expectations are too high. With a little more work and games together, they will come around. For Italy anyway, I don't think there are many clubs can match Juve's midfielder's.
That was a cheeky play by Papu. He kicked that ball at his hand. The handball rules have jumped the shark. Gasp has had the best take on the absurdity they have created I have seen from anyone: "....There were several contentious decisions, such as a VAR on-field review for Emre Can handball that did not lead to a penalty, as it was deflected off his shin and hit his arm, which was in front of his face. “I saw a few replays, but there is so much confusion nowadays on handball. For example, the penalty we were awarded was the kind of challenge I’d have been furious to see given against me. “The confusion is there, it continues to be confusing, there are completely different interpretations between coaches, referees, players, fans and we need some clarity on what these rules are. “I am convinced there will always be errors, even with VAR. The problem here is that even when viewing it again, we still can’t seem to agree on what is handball and what isn’t. “There cannot be such vastly contradictory unbiased opinions, otherwise handball becomes a lottery and that’s precisely what we are meant to avoid.....” https://www.football-italia.net/146783/gasp-best-atalanta-season
They had more players in the MF than we did and they played very aggressively. Khedira is to old to handle that kind of game. Can is at least physical and gets stuck in as the Brits say against a team like this. You have to tip your hat to Gasp for the job he has done with that squad given the financial constraints he works under.
That was on the midfielder not covering the back stick. Cuadrado had to move more central as Atalanta flooded the box.
This is really true. Makes you wonder how we would have done last year if they had kept him around. His hold up play and working back on D, together with his passing ability makes him a very valuable player even when he is not banging in 20+ goals. He was instrumental in all 3 goals yesterday.
Sarri ball can work when the teams give you time. When they are pressing everywhere like Atalanta does, not so much. I give Sarri some credit though cause yesterday he abandoned all that stuff and let the GK boot the ball up the field esp. in half 2, which allowed us some quickness on the counters. That to me is one of our weaknesses. We have a break, and we end up pulling it back far too often instead of going for the Chaos on the counter which often results in a goal, esp. given the quality of attacker we had on the field at the end of the game yesterday.
They were all in a Ronny coming in and they told Higuain he is gone as soon as CR7 got there. They won the scudetto anyway but I'm thinking he could have made a difference as an extra tread against Ajax in the UEFA Champions League Quarter-finals. I think Sarri learned that booting the ball upfield in England. I rarely saw that tactic much when he was at Empoli or Napoli. Of course he never had great players at either club. At least not as good as Juve has. A better defense will help that. I'm thinking if and when Chiellini gets back , he will relieve pressure off the midfield and can even assist on both offsense and defense. That will certainly help the mids.
Why do we have to either play like shit for the better part of the game or go down a goal before Sarri puts on the players that should be playing from the first minute? The front three should be three of Ronaldo, Higuaín, Dybala and Douglas Costa. In midfield, you flank Pjanic with a ball-winner type (Bentacur, Matuidi, E. Can) and a player who is actually good on the ball like Rabiot or Ramsey. Going on to the positive, Higuaín was brilliant as has usually been the case this season. Dybala has seemed to regain his form under Sarri. De Ligt was brilliant. And even though he isn't so popular around these parts, Bonucci has really played well of late. Cuadrado continues to be one of the best players we've had this season as a converted fullback which was initially thought to be a weak spot. Most importantly, we remain the only unbeaten side in any of the top leagues, top of the league, and went away against difficult opposition to get a win where we played poorly for most of the match. If we start seeing more of the team we saw the last 20 minutes (which I suspect was largely influenced by the players we had on the pitch) this team will compete for the CL trophy.
A mark of a true champion is overcoming adversity. Having a team like Atalanta , who has been exceptional in the Serie A, dominate for an hour and then coming form behind to score three goals. Nobody in Italy can do that presently.