Juventus ended a miserable Champions League campaign with a 2-1 loss against PSG in Turin, here are Lorenzo Bettoni‘s instant reactions from the Allianz Stadium.
Juventus have somehow made it to Europa League, finishing level on points with Maccabi Haifa in Group H, with a better goal difference. But what did we learn from tonight’s Champions League clash against PSG?
Commitment and pride
It has to be said that this was not the most motivated PSG, as the Ligue 1 giants arrived in Turin with a ticket to the Round of 16 already in their pockets. Leo Messi & co. are accustomed to a higher intensity, but still showed glimpses of quality in their win in Turin. Juventus, on the other hand, had 12 players out of action and Max Allegri threw in many youngsters throughout the match, including Fabio Miretti and Nicolò Fagioli, who started in the middle of the park.
Miretti had two decent chances in the first half and the ball moved quickly when it passed from Fagioli’s feet. It is no coincidence that the No.44 was the most applauded player replaced by Max Allegri in the second half. Overall, Juventus played a decent match, showing pride and commitment and were cheered by the crowd after the final whistle.
Chiesa’s return
Local hero Federico Chiesa made his return after nearly ten months, playing in the final 15 minutes, replacing his compatriot Miretti. As expected, he received a warm welcome from the crowd. Not many expected to see Chiesa on the pitch tonight, given that Allegri had claimed on Tuesday that the Italy international was still not ready to play a competitive match.
The former Fiorentina winger was vibrant on the left flank and appealed for a penalty kick minutes after his introduction. Juventus’ first No.7 since Cristiano Ronaldo created a couple of goal-scoring opportunities showing encouraging signs ahead of the second part of the campaign when Juventus will need his unpredictability to climb the table and go ahead in Europa League.
Miserable European campaign
Tonight’s match put an end to a miserable campaign for the Bianconeri, who lost five games from six and ended third level on points with Maccabi Haifa. It is the first time that Allegri faces elimination in the group phase and the first time for Juventus since 2013-14.
Juventus lost against each one of their opponents, managing a 3-1 win against Maccabi, which was instrumental to their third-place finish. This is surely not what the Bianconeri expected at the start of the season, but it’s a fair result considering what they produced during the group stage. Given the opponent, tonight’s match was probably their best display in Europe this season, although against a soft PSG.
Top
Nicolò Fagioli – Has been struggling with playing time so far this season, but his winner against Lecce last week may be the beginning of a new season for the Italy international, who put in quality and quantity in the middle of the park tonight.
Leonardo Bonucci – Not the best-ever defensive display, but the Italy international scored the equaliser and gave much-needed personality to a three-man backline that had a shaky start with an extraordinary goal from Mbappé in the early stages.
Manuel Locatelli – Showed personality and fought hard. He was not always accurate with passes, but his commitment was great.
Flop
Federico Gatti – It’s never entirely your fault when you play against a certain Mbappé. The France superstar immediately showed what he is capable of by sprinting past the Italy defender, who could not even drag him onto the floor. Both PSG goals came from the right.
Filip Kostic – Quite disappointing down the oppsite flank. The Serbia international did have the space to put some good crosses in but struggled to find his teammates inside the box, wasting a few good attacks on the left.
How does Kostic show up as a flop and not Cuadrado? Holds onto the ball way too long and his defensive positioning is atrocious.
The take way is this. Put the CL format into one league like this proposed super league and the results are clear. The part timers are in the relegation zone with Celtic and Rangers. No shame as they have never been a big club outside the village.
The take away is this. Put the CL format into one league like this proposed super league and the results are clear. The part timers are in the relegation zone with Celtic and Rangers. No shame as they have never been a big club outside the village.
I had the feeling Juve were just a bit more dangerous on the right, he was also involved in the goal but aside from that, he didn’t produce much more than Kostic.