Lorenzo Bettoni at the Allianz Stadium takes a look at some of the major talking points in Juventus–Fiorentina and names Angel Di Maria as the best player on the pitch.
The Bianconeri got away with a 1-0 in Turin, thanks to a goal from Adrien Rabiot in the first half. Here are the major talking points and the best and worst performers in the game.
Juventus ‘super trident’
It was the first time Massimiliano Allegri started Angel Di Maria, Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic in a front three. “At this moment, also because there are few midfielders available and the forwards are in good shape, that gives us more of an opportunity to play with three upfront. In any case, the team must always maintain a balance and have the right approach,” the Bianconeri boss told DAZN before kick-off.
So, how did they do? Chiesa started on the left flank with Di Maria on the right, but they quickly switched positions in the first half. They didn’t play the game of their lives also because they didn’t always get the support they needed from midfielders. Vlahovic scored in the second half, but it was disallowed for offside after a VAR check, while the two wingers tended to play in a more central position to build the attack. Di Maria left his mark with a decisive assist for Adrien Rabiot.
Semi-automated offside
Both sides had a goal disallowed in the second half with two of the closest VAR decisions of the season. Serie A adopted semi-automated offside at the start of 2023 and while Vlahovic’s goal was disallowed because the top of his head was slightly beyond Nikola Milenkovic, Fiorentina’s late equalised was ruled out not for a foul of Luca Ranieri but because one of the feet of the Tuscans’ defender was inches beyond Manuel Locatelli. Fans have been discussing the semi-automated offside since Lautaro Martinez’s disallowed goal in the derby last week and there will presumably be more controversy in the coming days, especially on whether the new technology should allow a wider margin for similar incidents.
Tension
It was such a tense game even if barely 100 fans turned out at the Allianz Stadium from Tuscany. Fiorentina players frequently argued with their former teammates Vlahovic and Chiesa and the game was often stopped because of tension between players. Vlahovic didn’t even celebrate after scoring his first goal against his ex-club, which was eventually ruled out. In the end, there were seven yellow cards, five for Juventus and two for the Tuscans, plus one for Allegri.
Tops
Angel Di Maria (Juventus) – In such a poor game technically, El Fideo’s class was easy to spot and it’s no coincidence that the Argentinean delivered the assist for Rabiot’s winner in the first half.
Bremer (Juventus) – The Bianconeri didn’t face many shots on target mainly due to the Brazilian defender who nullified Fiorentina strikers thanks to his physicality.
Gaetano Castrovilli (Fiorentina) – He had a great impact for the Tuscans after coming off the bench in the second half. He scored a late equaliser, but it was disallowed after a VAR check. Nico Gonzalez also deserves a mention.
Flops
Alex Sandro (Juventus) – An underwhelming performance from the Brazilian defender who made several errors, especially in the first half, leaving the Old Lady’s defence exposed and getting a yellow card.
Dodo (Fiorentina) – Didn’t offer much in the final third and didn’t put in a solid performance defensively. Juventus were always quite dangerous on the left flank.
Jonathan Ikone (Fiorentina) – Fiorentina had more possession than Juventus but didn’t create enough. The French winger was too static and didn’t show his quality with his passes and crosses.
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