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HomeNewsOLD LADY STRUGGLE YET AGAIN

OLD LADY STRUGGLE YET AGAIN

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Juventus and AC Milan’s big game of the weekend ended in a 1-1 draw as we saw Juventus dominate the game but bottle it in the end. Both sides would be content with their performances

Juventus have been struggling in the Serie A so far since they haven’t won a single game out of the 3 and had conceded 5 goals against opponents that shouldn’t be so challenging for a side of their pedigree. AC Milan on the other hand were had won all of their 3 opening games and had only conceded once.

Milan faced Liverpool in the Champions League earlier this week and although they had a solid display all around, they lost the game 3-2. Juventus won their opening game in Europe 3-0 against Malmo which was encouraging for their team heading up to the big match of the weekend.

 

 

Juventus got an early goal in the 3rd minute as Morata carried the ball from the halfway line after winning the ball from a Milan corner and the player chipped the ball over Magnian. This was the first time AC Milan have trailed so far this season which surely affected the team’s overall morale.

It is safe to say that Juventus were the better side by a mile. They created more opportunities, had more possession and were just the more confident outfit out of the two. The early goal deeply affected the mood of the game and despite having a good few moments, Milan never got into the game like they usually do.

 

 

AC Milan got their goal finally on the 76th minute from a corner that met Rebic’s head. The player was left unmarked inside the box and Juventus paid the price for it as they fail to keep a clean sheet yet again.  The tide shifted towards the Milan side since their performance in the latter half of the second 45 was overwhelming for Juventus.

AC Milan’s overall performance in the second half was much better than their display earlier in the game but Juventus held fort till the final whistle. Although Juventus were arguably the better side over the 90, both sides walked off the pitch with 1 point each.

 

JUVE BACK IN THEIR STRIDE

 

The sheer tempo in Juve’s game today was enough for Milan to lose their dominance. Juventus kept pressing aggressively and whenever they won the possession, the quick transitional play took Milan’s squad off guard. The pace Juventus has upfront was too much to keep up with and the majority of Juve’s chances was created on the counter.

For the first time this season, we got to see Juventus in their usual self and witness Allegri’s plan come together. If Juventus keep this up in the long run, they can still easily win the Scudetto after missing out last season.

 

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR MILAN

 

AC Milan were not their usual self tonight, especially at the front foot. Milan couldn’t break Juventus’s tight defence and we hardly saw the ball deep into the home team’s box. Oliver Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovic had the physicality and movement off the ball that allowed them to dominate inside the box and make enough space to take the shot.

Milan didn’t score their goal from open play tonight since the Juventus players didn’t give them the space to do so. The aggressive pressing game by the home side was enough to pressurize the Milan attackers to lose their composure and the possession as well.

 

FATIGUE KICKED IN FOR MILAN 

 

AC Milan played Liverpool in a tough and close contested game just 4 days ago and that had a massive impact on the result today. After facing such formidable opponents, the players were too tired to keep their quality up against Juventus as well. Juventus played quick all around and kept the tempo of the game-high that was too much for the tired away outfit.

Kjaer couldn’t even last 40 minutes as he walked off the pitch after a muscle injury he got chasing Juve’s attackers. Even Theo Hernandez who is among the faster players of the league couldn’t keep up with Morata dribbling the ball in the first 3 minutes of the game.

Milan are playing 7 games in 21 days which means this is going to be a constant problem for them over the next few weeks. They would hope all their injured players get back from the treatment table since they could use extra depth in the squad.

Karthik Mudaliar
A Manchester City fan, who idolizes Guardiola. Never blue unlike the team he supports, you will always find him smiling. He spends his free time playing Fifa and watching anime on most days.

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