Empoli scrambles a Juventus psychologically devastated by the new -10. The real game now is only off the field, in a situation that Allegri has defined as “oozing”.
– Being able to talk about technical content after such a defeat – that of Juventus, it goes without saying – it turns out quite complicated. The news of the penalty received a few minutes after the kick-off has a psychologically catastrophic value, which affects a performance that smacks of abyss, of total collapse. One wonders, beyond the fairness or otherwise of the penalty, whether it is correct to hit such a heavy “sledgehammer” just before the match;
– Juventus are lucky enough to find an Empoli in front of them that is already safe. If he had faced a team with still achievable goals, the result could have been even rounder, given the softness shown by the players chosen by Massimiliano Allegri. That famous armor of which Allegri had spoken is definitively torn apart: this time the news off the pitch insinuated itself into the heads and legs of the black and white eleven. Apart from the initial quarter of an hour in which Juventus also hits the crossbar and has opportunities to take the lead, for the rest we see cosmic nothingness beyond the usual effort to materialize;
– It would be wrong not to talk about what happened on the pitch. For its part, Empoli doesn’t even have to try too hard. He finds a goal from Caputo and immediately after the doubling of Luperto and at this point he only has to administer defensively a Juventus who in any case tries to reopen the dispute. Allegri’s ultra-offensive substitutions in the interval try to shake things up, but the number 9 from Empoli’s trio has the flavor of surrender. From that moment on, every attempt appears in vain: the goal is to get to the end of the game as soon as possible. Even Chiesa’s goal didn’t serve to play the charge to save face, ruined by the 4-1;
– In the surreal climate of Castellani, Vlahovic seems drained of all power like MJ in “Space Jam”, but it’s just a name like any other. What must really frighten is the body language of many players, definitively emptied and not focused on the technical events of the match. It is also difficult to think of being able to claim the opposite. One wonders if the team will be able to at least save the honor in the last few games that are missing;
– What future? Still in Serie A, deservedly, for Empoli, who has been able to launch many young players of absolute value and who will almost certainly continue his journey with Zanetti. And for Juventus instead? The real game will be played off the field. The technical future of the club, the coach and many players depends on this. Dark years and downsizing are probably expected, and it is not excluded that many big names may also say goodbye. Only time and sporting justice will determine these possibilities.
The article Scattered considerations post Empoli-Juventus (4-1) comes from Sportellate.it.