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Serie A, Juventus, Pirlo’s swerve from San Siro to San Siro

First the ashes of the knockout with Inter in the league. Then a new team arose. The Juventus coach made use of the three t’s: head, starters and tactics. Not everything works, but the bianconeri are in the running on three fronts and in the last two years, with Allegri and Sarri, it had not happened. The next month will be decisive

The dress will not make the monk, but even with the teams he does not joke: unreliable. The old San Siro saw eleven players wearing the same black and white shirt twice, but quickly realized they weren’t the same. A bit for the surnames written on the shirt: eight out of eleven owners changed. A bit for the attitude: the Juventus of the Coppa Italia was not the same as that of the league.

THE THREE KEY MOMENTS

Everyone saw the result, on the scoreboard of the stadium and in substance: Pirlo from Inter to Inter made a U-turn. The bad night of 17 January, when Inter dominated a Juve without character and without clear ideas, it was canceled in three acts. First decisive moment: the Super Cup with Napoli came early, just three days after the shock. Juve did not convince but, thanks to a very shy Napoli (and that penalty missed by Insigne), they got away with it, took a little confidence, went from convalescence to rehabilitation. Second moment: the return of Chiellini and defensive solidity – four consecutive games without conceding a goal – has restored ancient sensations of solidity. They had been missing for a long time, too long. Third moment: the double Young-Bastoni mistake that scored Inter-Juve. Before Ronaldo’s two goals, Inter were not in control of the game but, one goal ahead, they had one foot on the game. In the second half she created more but never managed to score a 2-2 that would have changed the qualifying percentages. Now Juve knows they are not perfect – not even close to perfection – but they look around and …

THREE CUPS PLUS ONE

Juve looks around and discovers that they are in the running on three fronts, with a Super Cup already on the bulletin board. In the league he had missed passes but, when he won, he almost always did so with two goals. The exception, the derby. In the last two years, with more points, this rarely happened. In the cups, even better: in the Italian Cup, Juve will play a second leg semi-final at home in which they can lose 1-0 and qualify, in the Champions League they expect to go and play in Porto on February 17. For an eighth-final, it could have been worse. In recent years, however, it was different. Allegri in 2018-19 dominated in Serie A but lost early in the Italian Cup (bad night in Bergamo with Atalanta), Sarri in 2019-20 went on the run in the league but made a bad impression in the Super Cup against Lazio. Pirlo has to face the difficulties of those who have chosen the most complicated path – to change a lot in a year in which, due to Covid, one cannot basically train – and for now he has three paths open.

HOW DID HE DO?

Yes, but how did Pirlo steer in 17 days? Lukaku and Hakimi had an impact and not even a little, but Juve did their part. Even though February 2nd is Groundhog Day – seen the movie? -, Juve did not experience a photocopy match, they did not repeat the mistakes of San Siro in the league. It has changed in the head, in the owners and in the tactics. Head: she was more mentally present, more attentive, more determined. Owners: among the many, inside McKennie, one of the three men of the trio McKennie-Bentancur-Arthur, not seen two nights ago but became the central body of Juve. Tactics: in the Cup he risked much less than in the league match in which Juve was always late in aggression and Inter, with Brozovic as pivot, played easily, always found the man free and lined up the scoring.

CARNIVAL JOKE

Saturday against Roma Szczesny, Bonucci, Chiellini, Danilo, Arthur, Chiesa and Morata will return, on Tuesday against Inter the turnover will be reviewed but Juve risks having taken a double advantage. In the Cup, a 2-1 to defend. In the league, an inferiority complex with Inter nipped in the bud and the conviction of being able to run for the Scudetto. The rest will be done by the evolution of Pirlo and the unforeseen events of a calendar that puts Rome, again Inter, Naples and Porto in four consecutive games between 6 and 17 February. Basically a carnival joke.

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