Despite the fact there were two goals in the final quarter of the match, Juventus vs. AC Milan was not the spectacle many hoped for.
La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) write that Chivu’s Inter and Gasperini’s Roma seem ‘miles ahead’ even if the gap is only two points, due to a vastly superior style of play compared to that seen from Juve and Milan last night.
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Juventus found themselves trailing against a Milan side playing a waiting game reminiscent of the Allegri era: relying on a low block and counter-attacks, and then capitalising on Ruben Amorim’s decision to bring Samuel Chukwueze and Alphadjo Cisse on.
They combined to score from the first and only shot on target. Yet, the battle of the substitutions ends in a draw too: Spalletti pulls a desperate move, deploying Gatti as a third centre-forward, and was rewarded during dramatic stoppage time by this unlikely goalscorer.
Juve won on points if it were a boxing match, while Milan proves more pragmatic and somewhat lucky. It is a long road ahead, but right now, Inter and Roma look like Champions League material, whereas Juve and Milan still seem like Europa League sides.
Inconsistency and deficiency
Had the Bianconeri won, however, it wouldn’t have been a scandal. They played with less caution and generated several scoring opportunities in and around the box, some of which missed the target and others straight at Mike Maignan.
Yet, old habits return like nightmares from horror movies. No other team boasts so many wingers capable of one-on-one play, but they tend to drive forward with the ball, see little ahead of them and pass backwards.
There were moments of fluid, vertical play, featuring high pressing and ball recovery, but these were rare. Milan seem more of a work in progress than Juve: while Kolo Muani is squandering chances excessively, Ramos remains an outsider.
Yet, there is a solid defense – anchored by Koni De Winter, who won every aerial duel – and there was Luka Modrić, who at 41 is peerless in managing the ball and the game. Juve lacks a player like that.
Tactical surprises
It wasn’t going to end 0–0 again as it did twice last year since the circumstances were different and both coaches sought to catch the other off guard. Spalletti opted for Alajbegovic on the left, but he made an impact for only 15 minutes.
Furthermore, Spalletti deployed a 4–3–3 instead of a 4–2–3–1, with Nico Gonzalez drifting up and down the pitch and taking on defenders, aiming to create a numerical advantage in midfield.
Amorim countered with an unconventional attacking-midfield duo – Adrien Rabiot and Alexis Saelemaekers – a clear statement of intent to pack the middle of the park. In reality, the tactical setup resembled a 3–6–1 far more than the 3–4–2–1 listed on the team sheet.
Musah, however, pressed the ball-carrier high up the pitch, playing alongside Ramos as a second striker. His bursts of pace caused some concern for a defense that held a high line and kept danger well at bay.
Ruben’s changes
The turning point comes from the Milan bench after an hour. Having managed to hold onto the draw, Amorim decides it is time to take a calculated risk: Chukwueze comes on at right-wing for the debutant Moreira, who was eager but erratic. Cisse moved to the left flank, and Loftus-Cheek acts as the team’s stabiliser.
Juve were caught off guard. They weren’t used to facing opponents who attack the box directly rather than dallying on the ball. It took just one genuine attacking move in 90 minutes as Cisse, shooting from a difficult angle on the left, beat Vicario to make it 1-0.
It was midway through the second half, and Milan hadn’t yet managed a shot on target. Only Rabiot had fired a wild effort high over the bar. The move stemmed from a challenge by De Winter on Kolo Muani. Back at the World Cup a goal against Argentina was disallowed for a similar ‘stamp’.
In the new ‘Orsato system’, apparently, they don’t go back that far. That’s fair enough because football is a fluid game, but this is a precedent that will need to be upheld consistently.
Spalletti’s response
Spalletti countered Amorim’s moves with changes that are less sweeping but more calculated. He had the courage to keep Kolo Muani on the pitch, whereas Jonathan David would have already been in the showers.
He brought on Boga for the wing and Koopmeiners for the midfield, eventually adding Woltemade and Gatti to the attack, so much so that Boga ended up playing as a full-back. The German used his physicality to shield the ball, though he lacks Ibra’s elegance.
Gatti, on the other hand, is a whirlwind. True to form, his sheer force saves Juve: a great cross from Koopmeiners meets a far-post run from the centre-back, who transformed into a striker in the second minute of stoppage time.
Looking ahead, if Juve plays at this pace, they will always be predictable. Crosses into the box will be useful with Woltemade in the middle and Kolo Muani out wide on the left.
Milan cannot afford to do without Cissé and Chukwueze. Things went well against Juve, but against a team with more tangible attacking patterns, they would have found themselves chasing the game rather than defending a lead. Both teams need to offer more if the Champions League is the goal.
Rabiot is just not cut out for this RAM role. He needs to move back to the double pivot position… He is more useful when he roams around. Salad will have to compete with Chuck in the RWB position with Moreira moved to the LWB position…we need to play players to their strength otherwise the talent at hand will waste. Keep Cisse on the left and bring Puli to the right behind the striker. The obsession with a left footed RAM is unnecessary when Puli would be the most logical consideration. I am just afraid that we will waste precious time with this square in a circle approach if we dont have the natural fit for these roles. The only unfortunate problem is casualties with the suggested changes…Musah in particular that is reborned in his role…
Clueless people and their formations and “right positions”. Half of comments here are people that can’t run for 3 minutes explaining how football is played and which player should go there. You are obviously wrong.
Personally, I don’t think we can write off Rabiot’s suitability on that game alone. Anyone can have an off-day and this could be one of his. He has a bulk of work for Marseilles in that position and one poor showing in a difficult away game doesn’t mean it won’t work in other matches. Maybe it won’t, but we don’t have enough evidence to judge on.
Moreira, I’m also a bit confused about, but we seem determined for him to be a RWB instead of LWB. Away to Juventus in a position you’ve never played before… not the ideal scenario for a debut and it showed. Again, we as fans need to show a bit of patience and understanding in this and give them time (and failures) to be able to work it out.
If Saelemaekers is to be a WB, then it’s probably a left-sided one for now.
The ‘which foot in which side’ thing seems a bit overblown – we have been playing RLC on the right and Estupinan/Bartesaghi on the left, so it’s not a complete doctrine.
But, in general, we need to not be overreacting or writing players off for various roles so quickly and give them until January to figure some of that out. There will be losses and some players will turn out not to be suited, but only by going through some ‘sink or swim’ experimentation are we going to work that out.
In your haste to call me out you neglected to enlighten me on your knowledge of the beautiful game. It does not help calling me clueless without pointing me in the right direction. So your accusations are planted in mid air smarty pants….not much help either. In the land of the blind…
One shot on Goal?? However, the coach keeps one of our best playmakers on the bench?? I think there
is more going on here with Pulisic besides fitness.
The coach is not being completely honest??
I watch juve – milan games since seri A 1997 + uefa champions league finale at old Trafford. Both team play more tactical + psywat than spectacular game. Much more 1-1 / 0-0… This is calcio …