Juventus at a crossroads as Vlahovic, Allegri and young people fluff their lines

Juventus‘ Dusan Vlahovic (left) heads the ball past Napoli’s Alex Meret on Sunday, only to see his effort hit the post.Photo: Alessandro Garofalo/AP” src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/kF7HsynejCMRMz.eZoE_Jw–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3Ng–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/theguardian_763/12e90f3afa9e844445033022c6c2c3c1″ data- src=”https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/kF7HsynejCMRMz.eZoE_Jw–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU3Ng–/https://media.zenfs.com/en/theguardian_763/12e90f3afa9e844445033022c6c2c3c1″/>

Massimiliano Allegri could only find one explanation for Juventus’ 2-1 win against Napoli. “Football was invented by the devil,” he said. “A badly struck penalty but the ball winds up in the net, so [Daniele] Rugani is two meters out at the other end.”

Long-time observers had heard this turn of phrase before; the devil is one of Allegri’s scapegoats. On a weekend that began with Lazio receiving three red cards in a brutal defeat to Milan, he changed from talking about referees.

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Sometimes the Juventus manager is accused of making diabolical football himself. Through the first half of this season, it looked like his Bianconeri trying to win the title in the stingiest way possible. A run of one-goal wins was highlighted by their visit to Fiorentina in November, when they had 31% possession, managing four shots to their opponents’ 25.

Juventus had a similar share of the ball at the Stadio Diego Maradona on Sunday, but their approach could hardly be more different. A starting XI that included 20-year-old Samuel Iling-Junior at left-back and 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz (no, no) showed a willingness to take chances. to Carlos Alcaraz!) on the right side of three midfield. Both were making their first League A start this season.

Napoli, playing their fourth game under new manager Francesco Calzona, are relearning how to build from the back. Juventus acted as if they had no time for such rituals. In the 10th minute, Federico Chiesa blocked a clearance, ran the ball down and took one touch before crossing for Dusan Vlahovic, who headed narrowly wide of goal. A pattern was set.

Time and again Juventus’ breaks ended when Vlahovic was off target. In the 34th minute he ran onto Chiesa’s superb pass and chipped past Napoli’s Alex Meret, only to see his shot rebound off the inside of the far post. In the 45th, Rugani dispossessed Hamed Traorè and ran the ball to Vlahovic on the edge of the box. His first time shot flew just outside the top right corner.

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Between those last two chances, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia gave Napoli the lead: after volleying home Bremer could only half clear Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s cross. This was no grab-and-grab; The hosts played some enterprising football of their own during a wide-open first half, but Juventus went in at the break wondering how they had failed to score themselves.

At full-time, Vlahovic would blame himself, saying that a team like Juventus should be able to rely on their center to do their job of putting the ball in the net. “If I want to take that last step and be who I want to be, I have to take these chances,” he said. “There is nothing else to say, I had important opportunities that could have won this game.”

A more charitable assessment would admit that another striker might not have put himself in those positions to have those chances. Juventus’ decision to invest more than €70m in the signing of Vlahovic from Fiorentina in 2022 has drawn a lot of negative scrutiny, with the striker scoring just 10 Serie A goals last season. Some accused him of not having the finesse that should be expected from such an expensive player.

In recent times, however, the Vlahovic has flourished. He came into this game on an eight-goal run in his last six games. The only problem is that his team’s title challenge has materialized in the meantime.

Internazionale’s defeat in the Derby d’Italia seemed to have dented the faith of a group that was performing beyond expectations. How do you stay motivated to chase an opponent who never loses? Inter are on course for 100 points and have only trailed in two league games all season, for less than 40 minutes in total.

Juventus’ defeat at the San Siro was only their second all season. But they immediately followed it up with a third, losing at home to Udinese, and then drew with Verona. They had collected just five points from five games before Sunday’s game.

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Napoli’s form wasn’t much better, although a 6-1 thrashing of Sassuolo in midweek gave them a boost. Last week’s column covered the terrible series of events that led to Calzona becoming their third manager this season, but there has been a marked improvement.

How much is owed to the manager, and how much for the return of Victor Osimhen? Calzona pointed out again on Sunday that “you can’t do miracles in 10 days”. Giacomo Raspadori said that the main achievement of the new team was to “help us achieve that mental reset”.

Juventus found a way back into the game on Sunday, equalizing in the 81st minute when Federico Chiesa fired through the crowd. Juve then handed the points back to Napoli when Joseph Nonge pounced on Osimhen’s ankle inside their area minutes later. Wojciech Szczesny saved Nigeria’s penalty but Raspadori pushed home.

It was a miserable night for Nonge, 18 years old and only making his second ever Serie A appearance. He was only sent on in the 76th minute but was taken off again in the 90th.

The assessment and development of young talent will be a priority for Juventus in the final chapter of this campaign. Allegri responded to Paul Pogba’s four-year doping ban on Thursday by saying Juventus were “losing an extraordinary player”, although it feels more like they never got him back in the first place – the Frenchman appeared on the park soon. 160 minutes over eight Serie A games since returning in 2022.

This season has always felt like a transitional moment for Juventus, banned from European competition and stripped of another midfielder when Nicolò Fagioli was suspended for gambling. With a squad already short on top talent, Allegri’s choice to prioritize defensive structure and solidity during the first half of the campaign made sense. Despite Sunday’s loss, Juventus are still on target to qualify for the Champions League and have reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia.

Lazio 0-1 Milan, Torino 0-0 Fiorentina, Monza 1-4 Roma, Udinese 1-1 Salernitana, Napoli 2-1 Juventus, Atalanta 1-2 Bologna, Frosinone 1-1 Lecce, Empoli 0-1 Cagliari, Verona 1 -0 Sassuolo

Recent more adventurous performances and team selection could be seen as Allegri’s pitch to stay and take the next steps. His contract is due to expire in 2025, and he said last week that he was waiting for Juventus to let him know their plans for next season. There are suggestions that he will leave if he is not offered an extension.

“Every year around this time, whether Juventus are doing well or badly, the ‘Allegri dilemma’ comes up,” the manager said on Sunday night. “I think now that Allegri’s problem is not there. We have an ongoing season, and we have to focus on achieving objectives that we have not yet achieved.”