LAST CHANCE Juve
The Coppa Italia remains Juventus’ last chance to win the trophy this season. Even without it, after the World Cup, he lost a lot, and then sanctions for financial fraud noticeably knocked the team down. So the meeting with Lazio, who had not lost five games in a row, was shaping up to be one of the key ones in the spring stretch of the season.
Massimiliano Allegri has been under incredible pressure this season due to poor results, but looking at Juve’s line-up, it’s hard to imagine he could compete for anything serious. Federico Chiesa – Dusan Vlahovic made a couple of strikers against the Romans, but there is no one to feed them balls. Well, the “old lady” leadership does not expect Filip Kostic and Adrien Rabiot to do this regularly.
Lazio don’t have a phenomenal selection of players either, but these players fit Maurizio Sarri’s philosophy very well. Luis Alberto himself, due to his intellect, manages the team’s game very well. The Romans, of course, have a terrible age team (the average age of the starting lineup is 29.3), so this team will not live long in this form, but here and now in Italy it can spoil anyone’s mood. .
KOSTICH PLOW FOR TWO
Turintsy went to the game very angry. The sensational loss at Monza (0:2) at the weekend probably played a role in this, but it is also important that they understood that if they lose today, the season can be completed. So it is not surprising that from the first minutes they took possession of the ball and began to besiege Luis Mashimiano’s penalty area decently (17 crosses per time is a lot).
Kostic especially stood out, who played on the left side, without paying attention to Manuel Lazzari. In the first half hour, he hit three times. The defenders managed to block two of them, but the third had every chance to become productive if the goalkeeper had not brought the ball from the far corner. Kostic became complicit in the scoring episode just before the break, when with a well-aimed shot he found Bremer’s head in the penalty area, ahead of Mashimiano, who had unsuccessfully jumped over the goal.
In general, “Lazio” can still be satisfied with the result of the first half, since he himself did not know how to offer the opponent anything and could lose more. It is significant that in 45 minutes the guests made only three shots (against eight from the opponent) and never hit the target. Everything could have been worse if it weren’t for the activity of Danilo Cataldi, who made life difficult for the rivals in midfield. He managed not only to interrupt other people’s attacks, but also to initiate his own with long passes.
SARRIBOL STILL FAR AWAY
After the break, Turintsy handed over midfield without a fight. In theory, it’s standard practice for top-scoring teams, but in Juve’s performance at home, it looks depressing. Although Allegri, of course, can be understood, because after the humiliation in Naples, his players never managed to keep the door intact.
The hosts held on to their own penalty area and nearly doubled their lead when substitute Moise Keane nearly slipped past Patricio Gabbaron. The defender was forced to tug at his opponent’s sleeve, but he was so ready for the goal that he remained on his feet. It is true that he at the same time he skidded away from the gate and missed the chance to score.
In general, Allegri did better with substitutions. Or Sarri is worse. For example, during the second half, Don Maurizio completely replaced the three central midfielders, but each entry of a new player, even Sergei Milinkovic-Savic, only weakened the pressure on Mattia Perin’s penalty area. Nothing more than long-range attacks, the guests could not offer. As a result, with the final whistle, Lazio’s lead came to naught and they completed their Coppa Italia performance. And Juve will play at least two more games in the semifinals.
Italian Cup. Quarter finals
Juventus – Lazio – 1:0 (1:0)
Goal: Bremer, 44.
Juventus: Perin, Danilo, Bremer, Sandro, Cuadrado (de Sciglio 88), Fagioli (Miretti 64), Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic, Chiesa (Di Maria 78), Vlahovic (Kin 63).
Lazio: Mashimianu, Lazzari, Gabbarone, Romagnoli (Casale 78), Marusic, Vesino (Milinkovic-Savic 59), Cataldi (Basic 75), Luis Alberto (Marcos Antonio 75), Felipe Anderson, Zaccagni, Immobile (Pedro, 46).
Yellow cards: Cuadrado, 65. Zaccagni, 68. Perin, 79. Danilo, 83.
