How did Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic do? Why was the Allianz Stadium half-empty? Lorenzo Bettoni in Turin breaks down the key talking points of Juventus–Lazio in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
Gleison Bremer’s goal minutes before the half time break helped Juventus beat Lazio 1-0 and qualify for the Coppa Italia semi-finals where they will face Inter. Here are the initial talking points and the tops and flops from the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
Not the same Lazio
With Sergej Milinkovic-Savic initially starting on the bench and Luis Maximiano between the sticks, Maurizio Sarri highlighted where Lazio’s priorities lay. The intensity of the Bianconcelesti was nowhere near the levels we’ve enjoyed in their big games this season. Ciro Immobile started his first match in almost one month and was subbed off during the break. SMS was only introduced midway into the second half and although Lazio pushed Juventus inside their own half after the break, Sarri’s men were never able to cause real trouble to the Bianconeri who, in turn, wasted a few promising counter-attacks.
Vlahovic-Chiesa link up
The former Fiorentina strikers started their first game together in Turin, but it wasn’t an exciting display from both to be honest. They are working on getting back in shape and it looked pretty evident from the stands. Vlahovic’s first touch was often inaccurate and Chiesa rarely played close to his strike partner, giving his best when running down the left flank or when Lazio left space for counter-attacks. Surely, Angel Di Maria has more quality to play in a central attacking position and feed Vlahovic. The real challenge for Allegri going forward will be to field El Fideo, Chiesa and Vlahovic together in a front three.
Stadium almost empty, why?
The Allianz Stadium looked almost empty and it was undoubtedly one of the lowest attendance of the last few years, excluding COVID, of course. Juventus confirmed 21,274 fans attended the match from the stands, including 307 from Rme. The lower tiers of the two Curvas were crowded as usual, but the upper tiers were almost empty and the same is true of the central stand, opposite to the touchlines. The question is: are Juventus fans abandoning the team? Not really. The game’s timing was not ideal as many Juventus fans come from outside Turin and generally from all Italian regions. The match was also broadcasted for free on Italian TV and the cold weather in Turin on Thursday night convinced many to stay home and watch the game from their sofas. Juventus ultras provided strong support to the team, signing for 90 minutes, something that hasn’t happened quite frequently over the last few years.
Tops
Gleison Bremer – Not only the matchwinner. The Brazilian defender put in a solid performance both against Immobile and Pedro. He won all headers – not too tricky against the ex-Barcelona and Chelsea forward – and was never caught out of position.
Manuel Locatelli – Didn’t start well, with a few poor passes that left Juventus exposed in midfield. He improved throughout the game not only technically, as he fought hard helping defence.
Adrien Rabiot – His physicality helped Juventus win the game in the middle of the park. He started a few counter-attacks that deserved a better finish from his teammates.
Flops
Maximiano – Where did he go? The Portuguese keeper was caught in no man’s land at the end of the first half, paving the way for Bremer’s winner. He started his Lazio career with a straight red card six minutes into his absolute debut for the Biancocelesti this season and it’s not continuing well.
Mattia Zaccagni – Probably Italy’s best winger in the first part of the campaign, the Italian took a night off in Turin and disappeared in front of Cuadrado and a well-organised Juventus defence.
Dusan Vlahovic – Not at his best. He didn’t have clear-cut chances, but his passes were often inaccurate, and his first touches were rough. Hadn’t started a game since October, so he has time to get back in shape and improve.