UDINE. In summer football you must not be influenced by the result. Well, starting from this premise, Udinese’s defeat with two goals at the Friuli stadium, on the evening of Friday 29 July, against Chelsea cannot be satisfactory.
The result does not tell the truth, it could have ended and many more goals against a few and Udinese, apart from some individual flashes, aroused more than a few perplexities. On the other hand, Chelsea, who will make the Premier League debut with Everton on 6 August, is a team that makes the ball sing but that must be more bad at shooting.
For the first of the season at the Friuli stadium, the Juventus coach Sottil, partly by necessity and partly by choice, fielded a completely new defensive trident made up of Benkovic, Bijol and Masina (three poles all a little too slow), the others eight elevenths are those of last season or almost with Silvestri in goal, Soppy and Udogie outside, Pereyra, Walace and Makengo to compose the central package and Success and Deulofeu to form the attacking couple. In Chelsea, which won the Champions League two years ago, there is Koulibaly’s debut as a starter and in front of Sterling, former City, looking for a season as an absolute star.
The tip of the blues immediately triggers a personal duel with the Juventus goalkeeper Silvestri who denies him the goal on two occasions. That Chelsea played the match and Udinese had a wait-and-see attitude was predictable, but not up to this point. “In football there are categories – the Juventus coach Allegri likes to say -: the good ones, the good ones and the poor ones”.
Here, let’s not go so deeply into the merits of the matter, but between Udinese and Chelsea there is an abyss of quality and intensity, cleanliness in the passages and consequently speed of maneuver. The bianconeri are struggling and put together three passes in a row, in the first 45 ‘they manage to build two restarts in the open field including that of the goal.
For the rest, the scene is silent. Speaking of categories, the Catalan and the Argentine are the only Bianconeri who can hold their own against their opponents. The defense dances, collects two goals, in the first 45 ‘, but they could easily have been double also because they are not protected. Walace plays a horror movie game for how much he gets caught up in his neighbors: to be bad you could say that he is ready for the Brazilian championship more than for a European championship.
Before the break Udinese has the strength to halve the disadvantage. Guess who with: right, the Pereyra-Deulofeu couple. Solo of the Tucu ended with a right on which Mendy is not faultless: “Deu” thanks and with a tap-in makes 1-2.
After the interval Sottil does not bring back Deulofeu, puts Samardzic and make the mezzala and Pereyra advances on top. The script does not change: Kantè continues to joke Walace (the preparation is an alibi that holds up to a certain point), the English perhaps lack a bit of incisiveness in front of goal, the same one that Success lacks, which fails at game time the 2-2 ball.
A turn of hands after Sterling hits the post against Silvestri beaten. The Juventus goalkeeper is still exalted on Havertz, Nuytinck, just entered, gives a colossal opportunity to the blues who in the final drop the trio with Mount. Moral? Behind there is a lot to record, in the other departments too. No surprise, this is simply a confirmation.
UDINESE – CHELSEA 1 – 3
UDINESE (3-5-2) New Year’s Eve; Benkovic, Bijol (23′ st Nuytinck), Masina; Soppy, Pereyra, Walace (38′ st Lovric), Makengo (38′ st Nestorovski), Udogie (42′ st Ebosele); Success, Deulofeu (1′ st Samardzic). All. Sottil.
CHELSEA (4-3-2-1) Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Koulibaly (27’ st Hudson Odoi), Alonso; Kanté, Jorginho (38’ st Gilmour), James (27’ st Palmieri); Mount, Sterling (38’ st Kenedy), Havertz (27’ st Vale). All. Tuchel.
Referee Blacksmiths of Ravenna.
Markers At 20 ‘Kante, at 37’ Sterling, at 40 ‘Deulofeu; in the second half at 45 ‘Mount.