April was a month through which Juventus was so, so near perfection.
The Bianconeri performed 4 video games, conceded zero objectives, scored 5, and earned most factors in all however one sport. Despite the fact that it has been one other disappointing season, ending it with such momentum is essential for guaranteeing that subsequent season won’t be one other wasted one.
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It provides us hope that we have now one thing to construct on. On condition that we have now gained so little silverware recently, what else do we have now however hope?
So, let’s look again on the penultimate month of the season, one which gave me as a lot hope for this staff .
Hope
As a lot as I hate (footballing) clichés, it was a sport of two halves within the first sport of the month in opposition to Genoa. We had been fully dominant within the first half and took a deserved two-goal lead due to objectives from Gleison Bremer and . The primary objective got here after a little bit of head tennis from a nook kick resulted in Bremer blasting the ball into objective after latching onto a flicked header from his fellow defender . The second objective got here after a slick counterattack led by the speedy , who laid the ball off to McKennie to complete within the far nook.
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The sport fully modified within the second half. Apart from ’s cracking strike in opposition to the publish, Genoa dominated proceedings because the Bianconeri fully took their foot off the fuel. The guests gained a penalty kick after a foul by Bremer was first judged to be outdoors the field however a VAR overview confirmed it was narrowly inside the realm. , who got here on in half-time to interchange the injured , not solely brilliantly saved the ensuing penalty from Aarón Caricol however he additionally shortly bought up and saved the rebound. On paper, it regarded like a cushty 2-0 victory but it surely may have simply gone mistaken within the second half.
An important away match in opposition to was up subsequent. Then once more, at this stage of the season each sport is a ultimate to safe Champions League qualification for subsequent season. Juventus executed a corto muso masterclass as we scored a splendidly ugly objective within the forty eighth minute by means of after which… mainly defended for the rest of the sport. Atalanta had loads of photographs (16 to six) however not often gave Di Gregorio a lot work to do in objective (3 photographs on the right track). A large 1-0 victory and one step nearer to the Champions League!
What a beautiful month it was for our protection. Within the subsequent sport, at dwelling to , we secured our third consecutive clear sheet and victory. David glanced in a tidy header within the second minute from an amazing cross and the Bianconeri fully dominated from there. Nonetheless, it appeared like we had been falling into the identical entice that we have now fallen into so regularly this season: failing to kill off video games. Fortunately, made positive that the sport was properly and actually over when, surrounded by three Bologna defenders, he headed in a cross from previous goalkeeper . Bologna nearly staged a late comeback when slammed a shot in opposition to the skin of the publish after an hour performed however everybody within the stadium breathed an enormous sigh of reduction when the ball went away from objective. Closing rating: 2-0
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We ended the month with a match that was so low in motion that I’m impressed . We performed a goalless draw in opposition to a faltering who went from combating for the title to nervously defending their spot within the prime 4. The largest probabilities got here from , who blasted a fierce shot straight at Di Gregorio from the sting of the field, and , who crashed a shot in opposition to the crossbar after a pleasant passing transfer from Milan. The Bianconeri’s greatest probabilities got here from the livewire Conceição, who performed so properly that Allegri substituted , who merely couldn’t deal with the Portuguese winger and was booked after 38 minutes, at halftime for Pervis Estupiñán, who then additionally acquired a yellow card within the second half! Closing rating: 0-0.
Juventus Girls
Simply two video games to report for Juventus Girls in April. First, Juve beat 2-1 in a hard-fought away sport. Lindsey Thomas scored a header on the far-post after an amazing cross from . However Fiorentina equalized simply earlier than halftime by means of a objective from Iris Omarsdottir. We nearly regained the lead in first-half stoppage time however cleared ’s header off the objective line. scored the profitable objective within the 58th minute when she diverted a shot from Lia Walti into objective following a nook kick.
Sadly, we fell to a 1-0 dwelling loss in opposition to Roma within the month’s different sport. The objective got here within the second half when beat goalkeeper Larissa Rusek. The Bianoncere fought laborious however the closest we got here to the equalizer was when hit the crossbar within the second half.
Protection was the secret final month. We conceded not one, not two however … zero objectives in April. As soon as once more, it brings us again to a well-liked dialogue of the previous couple of seasons: is higher off taking part in a extra “progressive”, “fashionable” fashion of soccer that emphasizes assault extra or are we greatest positioned to stay to what we have now historically achieved greatest, specifically to defend first and rating later?
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As you all know, I was within the first camp. After the immensely disappointing finish to the Allegri 2.0 period, I assumed it was time to evolve and transfer with the occasions. However for quite a lot of causes, it simply hasn’t labored out and, extra importantly, not felt just like the true Juventus.
Unusually sufficient, we’ve come nearer to taking part in “attractive” soccer when not making an attempt to take action. On the time of writing, we’re the third-highest goalscoring staff ( 80, 59, Juventus 57) and have the joint-third greatest protection (Milan 27, Como 28, Juventus and Roma 29) of the league. We’ve scored a very good quantity of objectives (regardless of the variety of wasted probabilities we have now) and have tightened up the protection considerably on the identical time. Maybe it reveals which you could (nearly) have all of it. You could be a staff that desires to assault and rating but in addition one which places protection first.
A month like this — one through which we didn’t concede a single objective — brings extra pleasure to my coronary heart than something. It reveals me that that is essentially the most pure match for this membership. It’s the closest to our true DNA: to make defending as joyful as attacking.
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Scandal
I’ll shut with a completely miserable bit of reports that I’m positive everybody has heard about. One of the extremely esteemed referees in , Gianluca Rocchi, has suspended himself after being accused of . Andrea Gervasoni, the VAR supervisor, can be below investigation.
As I discussed in , it’s tough to say a lot about this case on condition that there are few definitive info in the intervening time. The issue, nevertheless, is that one can argue that the reality at this level doesn’t even matter. What folks suppose the reality is issues.
And what do most individuals (possible) suppose the reality is? For followers and followers of Italian soccer, plainly folks suppose that that is affirmation of what they all the time considered refereeing in Italy. Particularly, that it has all the time been biased, low high quality, and maybe even corrupt.
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For individuals who are followers of soccer however don’t know a lot about Italian soccer, it’s likewise a affirmation of their present beliefs; refereeing corruption is a characteristic, slightly than a bug of calcio.
Because of this, I might argue that regardless of the consequence of the trial/investigation is perhaps, it’s too late to alter anybody’s thoughts about Italy, Italian soccer, and referees in Italy. The reputational harm has already been achieved. A darkish time in calcio, each on and off the pitch, turns into even darker.