Udinese and the three-card game that Gotti will not have tomorrow at Empoli

Molina and Walace disqualified, Becao injured: with Nuytinck, Soppy and Arslan the coach could re-propose the three-man defense

UDINE

Who knows if he has taken a liking to it, who knows if – as underlined at the Olimpico, after the pyrotechnic draw with Lazio – Luca Gotti will wear the poker face that in recent weeks has led him to use the pretactic weapon more, if even tomorrow in Empoli the Juventus coach will hide his “hand” to try to keep the group on the tightrope, which he previously did not do, also thanks to the tactic, that 3-5-2 that made the choices addressed if not obligatory. The point is that this time he will have to give up three “cards” that are decisive on the chessboard and that these add up to Pereyra’s forfeit, one that already guaranteed a certain flexibility with his presence.

It is useless to hide. Becao, Molina and Walace are key elements. The defender was the most used of the entire squad for outfield players (as we recall on this same page in the in-depth analysis, ed), not only in Udinese, but also in the entire championship. A question of performance, but also of foot. Yes, with his foot, not because the Brazilian from Salvador de Bahia is a juggler, but because he uses his right foot, unlike Nuytinck and Samir. Walace, on the other hand, despite the sometimes trivial errors and the consequent grumbling of a part of the Juventus supporters, is a praetorian of Gotti who has raised him with patience and now proposes him as the central pivot of the median, where Arslan could juggle. Finally Molina, a Molina decidedly in the shade, not very lucid at the Olimpico, given the expulsion remedied, a red that he would have deserved already with Genoa, only to be pardoned by the referee at the beginning of the second half. He paid the bill with Lazio, but he is still an Argentine international, one of the most important representatives in the world, and therefore it is logical that Gotti cannot wait to get him back for the match against Milan.

What will the Contarina coach do in Empoli to mask these absences? Against his colleague and friend Maurizio Sarri he surprised everyone with a 4-4-2, two strong physical strikers like Beto and Success and offensive wielders like Deulofeu and the aforementioned Molina. Behind a “4” defense. But bringing it back with Nuytinck instead of Becao would mean having two left-handed people in the center. Perhaps for this reason he could think of returning to “3” with Perez on the right next to two “left feet”. So Udogie could play higher on the wing and on the other hand Soppy could replace Molina. Then, however, we should think about whether the ownership of Arslan and Jajalo in the center could be enough, or if it is necessary to put Makengo in the engine – down – with the consequent renunciation, however, of one of Deulofeu, Success and Beto. Yep, there’s another good eve for one poker face. —