Empoli wins easy at the Stadium. Allegri stopped at one point
It is easy to say that without Ronaldo you play better. The marriage between the lady and Cr7 may not have been a great love, but the departure of the Portuguese, who also lightens the company’s balance sheet, deprives Juventus of 101 goals in 134 games. And in the match against Empoli (which conquered Turin with full merit and without great worries), the first after the sensational transfer to United, the lack of the champion was felt all right: low offensive weight, no one to collect air balloons and a certain lack of personality. Juve hopes that the inclusion of the young Kean (today medical examinations and signing on the contract), returning after his experience in Everton and PSG, can help solve some problems. But the feeling is that much more is needed to fix the team (but the market ends in just two days), lacking in other departments as well. In midfield, for example, trusting that Locatelli (on the pitch only in the final part) fits well after a promising European.
Juve started like a rocket: in the 3 ‘Alex Sandro on the counterattack needed Chiesa, good at breaking through from the left, but imprecise in the conclusion, on Vicario. The former Florentine is frenzied: on 11 ‘he sowed half a defense from Empoli and only a splendid deviation by Vicario avoided the Juventus advantage. Empoli, however, did not watch and on 20 ‘surprised Juve with a very elegant action on the Bandinelli-Bajrami axis, closed with the decisive thrust of Mancuso (jersey number 7, a mocking sign) in half overturned : 0-1. Juve felt the pinch and a few moments later Cutrone almost doubled from outside the box. Allegri’s team suffered terribly from the lack of a player in the area: Alex Sandro, Cuadrado and Chiesa searched and found the flanks, but then no one was able to materialize. The freshness of Empoli complicated the task of the bianconeri: the trio Danilo-Bentancur-Rabiot struggled in the median to make the game. At the beginning of the second half Allegri, unnerved by the lack of offensive weight, inserted Morata in place of the bewildered Mc Kennie. At 54 ‘out also the disappointing Rabiot and in Bernardeschi. Kulusevski was also on the field shortly after. Moves that have been of little use: Empoli defended themselves with order and Juve, frenetic but disconnected and without ideas, made confusion without producing real dangers at the Tuscan door. Thus ended in a sea of boos: on the second day Juve has just one point and with the prospect of having to meet Napoli and Milan after the break for the national teams. –