Right here we’re within the final two months of the 2025-26 season.
The title race fully handed us by months in the past, and sadly that has develop into customary process in the previous couple of years. After the super run of ends in January had us considering of a cushty spot within the high 4 in Serie A, the crushing actuality of February and, to some extent March, made us notice that at the moment’s Juventus staff is barely/merely adequate to hold across the outskirts of the fourth, fifth and sixth positions.
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Final month had slightly little bit of (nearly) every little thing — dramatic comebacks, last-minute objectives, crushing victories, penalty misses, and corto muso performances.
Let’s get began.
Falling into the Europa League?
We began the month with a blockbuster 3-3 draw away at Roma. After a good first half, the hosts took the lead simply earlier than the break when Brazilian wingback Wesley lower inside from the sting of the field and curled a beautiful right-footed shot into the highest nook and simply previous Mattia Perin’s fingertips. We equalized instantly after the break when Conceição scored with an unimaginable half volley that just about ripped the web in half.
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A ten-minute spell then turned the sport firmly into Roma’s favor. Evan Ndicka barged his well beyond Andrea Cambiaso and volleyed house from Lorenzo Pellegrini’s nook kick. Then, the reborn Donyell Malen obtained an unimaginable move from Manu Kone, beat the offside lure, and chipped the ball over Perin who was too gradual to return off his line. (And I believed sweeper-keepers had been overrated …) Jeremie Boga introduced us again into the sport when he scored with an amazing volley after Edon Zhegrova’s deflected cross fell to him. His aim was the start of an incredible run of video games he had in March.
The sport had a dramatic conclusion within the 93rd minute because of our beloved bricklayer Federico Gatti. As soon as once more, Zhegrova was the catalyst as his cross from the free kick created havoc within the field. Gatti pounced (ha!) on the unfastened ball and smashed within the half volley to disclaim Roma the victory in a superb sport of soccer.
We returned to profitable methods with an enormous 4-0 house win in opposition to Pisa. Remarkably, all objectives got here within the second half and, curiously, after Spalletti switched to a 3-4-3 with Boga/Yildiz as a false 9. Cambiaso scored the primary aim when he headed in from an incredible chipped cross from Yildiz. The second got here rapidly afterwards: Manuel Locatelli’s pinpoint shot hit the put up and the rebound fell to Khephren Thuram who tapped the ball into an open aim.
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The objectives saved coming. Yildiz collected a move from Conceição, slipped previous the defender, and blasted the ball into aim. Boga put the cherry on high with a aim in stoppage time after he obtained an ideal by way of ball from Locatelli, rounded the goalkeeper, and scored within the empty web: 4-0!
Boga continued his nice month by scoring the sport’s solely aim in a good 1-0 victory over Udinese. Kelly performed a incredible lengthy ball to Yildiz, who charged into the field and crossed low to Boga. The Ivorian held his run excellently and, in consequence, was within the good place for the straightforward tap-in. The Bianconeri managed the remainder of the sport and doubtless ought to have scored extra to place the sport to mattress, however in equity Udinese posed such little offensive menace that the victory was by no means unsure.
The ultimate sport of the month in opposition to Sassuolo was the one which, in my eyes, ended our possibilities of qualifying for subsequent season’s Champions League. Remarkably, goalkeeper Perin created the primary aim when his wonderful lengthy outlet move launched Conceição on the counterattack. He dribbled his approach into the field and squared the ball for Yildiz, who scored with a low, correct shot.
As has occurred time and time once more this season, Juventus conceded from its first (and solely!) shot on track. Sassuolo performed a pleasant little bit of one-touch passing on the sting of the field and the ball got here to Berardi on the best wing. The winger squared the ball for Andrea Pinamonti who, after bullying Gleison Bremer of the ball within the buildup to the aim, ghosted previous the Brazilian defender to poke the ball into aim from Berardi’s low cross. The Bianconeri gained a really smooth penalty after Jonathan David’s cross hit a defender’s arm, however goalkeeper Arijanet Muric caught Locatelli’s extremely weak penalty kick. It ended 1-1 and we fell additional behind within the race for Prime 4.
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Juventus Girls
Juventus Girls opened the month with a strong 2-0 victory over Fiorentina within the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal. Chiara Beccari scored within the ninth minute because of a pleasant help from Ana Capeta. The Portuguese ahead then capped a match-winning efficiency with a aim within the 51st minute after latching onto Viola Calligaris’s nice by way of ball and scoring with a shot on the close to put up.
It wasn’t an incredible month of ends in the league, although.
AC Milan beat the Bianconere 1-0 because of Thea Kyvag’s aim early within the second half, however the deciding second got here only a few minutes earlier in stoppage time of the primary half. Kay-Lee de Sanders fouled Capeta within the field however goalkeeper Sandra Estevez saved Emma Stolen Godo’s penalty, leading to a disappointing 1-0 loss. We adopted that loss with a irritating goalless draw in opposition to bottom-of-the-table Genoa.
Fortunately, Juve ended the month on a excessive word with a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina within the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal. Capeta ended a incredible month with two objectives on this sport. The primary was an exquisite curled shot from the sting of the field that went in off the put up and the second a header from a nook kick. Iris Omarsdottir scored from a rebound after a nook kick resulted in Katla Tryggvadottir hitting the put up. Juventus cruised to a 2-1 victory (4-1 on combination) over Fiorentina and can meet Roma (who else?) within the last!
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New begins with false 9s?
Throughout the winter switch window, the massive story was Juventus’s try to get one other striker, doubtless on a short-term deal. Dusan Vlahovic has since solely just lately returned from harm and nonetheless hasn’t prolonged his contract that expires in a number of months, Arek Milik has risen from the lifeless after lacking almost two seasons as a result of harm, and Loïs Openda and Jonathan David haven’t labored out the best way we thought they might.
Determined instances name for determined measures, and Spalletti has tinkered accordingly to discover a answer whereas his strikers discover their function in life kind. He has tried two options: enjoying Weston McKennie as a striker and enjoying a false 9. Remarkably, McKennie was truly fairly good in that place — is it nonetheless a shock that McKennie performs nicely in every single place on the pitch? — however we’d like him extra urgently in different areas.
The false 9 experiment started catastrophically when the assault was horrible within the first half of the primary sport in opposition to Napoli. However the experiment has just lately as a mix of Yildiz and, extra importantly, Boga have performed fairly nicely as false 9s. The Ivorian, specifically, appears to be a superb match for the place as he’s quicker and extra bodily dominant than the Turkish ahead and extra snug along with his again to aim.
However as I discussed earlier, Milik and Vlahovic at the moment are (absolutely?) match, which signifies that Spalletti has one other drawback on his palms: who do you play/drop? Boga is in incredible kind, Yildiz is the staff’s high contributor in assault, and McKennie is among the most essential gamers within the staff. Conceição is cold and warm, however we don’t have many gamers snug on the best wing.
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It’s an essential query to ask as a result of, regardless of having the third-best assault within the league, we’re remarkably wasteful in assault. Now we have 12 photographs per sport in comparison with Inter’s 13 photographs per sport, however the league leaders have scored 14 objectives greater than us, highlighting the numerous distinction within the groups’ effectiveness in entrance of aim. To emphasise this even additional, the 2 groups have basically the identical variety of photographs per goal (185 for us, 184 for Inter).
So what’s the new energy rating for the Bianconeri’s attackers? Let’s discover out after the worldwide break.