A SERIES OF AGING MEANS
It may seem strange to pay attention to the match of teams located in fifth and seventh place in the table. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that Turintsy are not far from the European Cup zone, despite the fact that they have been deducted as much as 15 points this season. Otherwise, they would now share second place at Inter.
Well, Roma is interesting because of the figure of Jose Mourinho, who the previous day accused the Turin referee of deliberately causing the dismissal of the coach before the game with the “old signora”. However, Especial led the team in this match off the bench, but this time around he was indicatively calm no matter what.
Photo source: Keystone Press Agency
I’m glad that both teams at this point in the season are getting by almost lossless, so both Mourinho and Maximiliano Allegri had the opportunity to put together optimal lineups. The only sad thing is that they both rely on age players. It is significant that the average age of the main trains was 29.2 years. By way of comparison, Liverpool, who knocked out United at home today, is already two years younger, and for example, Barcelona, who beat Valencia, is three years younger. This is a lot.
It’s still hard to dismiss the idea that age factor would be the norm if accumulated by superstars, which is hard for coaches to reject given their experience and high skill level (like Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini not so much). long ago), but is it really possible to call Nemanja Matic and Juan Cuadrado, 34, Chris Smalling, 33, Jorginho Wijnaldum and Alex Sandro, 32, irreplaceable? Notable players, but no more.
DYBALA VS THE “OLD LADY”
As for the choice of coaches, both deployed very cautious formations with three center backs and a large crowd of players in midfield. The only difference is that the hosts’ attack setup was the Lorenzo Pellegrini – Wijnaldum – Paulo Dybala triangle, while the guests had the main link Angel di Maria – Dusan Vlahovic.
Due to the caution of the coaches and the age composition of the teams, they started the game with very slow recognition: they had about the same possession of the ball, but it is not to say that they were actively playing for a foothold in the middle of field. Rather, they just advanced for the moment (we have the ball), or fell back (they have the ball). The speed is minimal, there are not many martial arts either. Overall, a clear confirmation of the downgrade of the A-series.
Photo source: Keystone Press Agency
The hosts were more active than others, of course, Dybala, but Turintsy did not let him into their own area either, so he had to shoot from afar. The first attempt was blocked, but the second shot, from the corner of the penalty area to the far top corner, looked promising. Who knows, if Wojciech Szczesny didn’t know the habits of his ex-partner, maybe he would have more problems.
MANCINI – SUPERGOAL AND ELIMINATION OF RELATIONSHIP
The guests in the first half had the best moment (Adrien Rabiot ran behind the defenders and headed the ball into the near corner, but Rui Patricio hit the post), but he was the only one. Which, in general, is not surprising, because at such low speeds, in the absence of even a hint of pressure on a target, one can count only thanks to a standard or situational episode. This at the start of the second half reached Gianluca Mancini, who ideally finished off the far corner from 23 meters.
Juve, out of inertia, ran to recover, became more active on the flanks, put pressure on the rival for a while and almost equalized the score, but Cuadrado’s shot hit the post. The fact that in the 63rd minute the yellows got three of the four midfielders is also very significant. Allegri tried to put pressure on this zone, refreshing the composition. From minute 59 to minute 77, Federico Chiesa, Leandro Paredes and… Paul Pogba himself appeared, who this season only spent 22 minutes the previous day against Torino.
Photo source: Keystone Press Agency
Allegri’s substitutions allowed his team to improve. In the end, Turintsy staged a powerful assault at Rui Patricio’s gates, forcing the Portuguese to ask for help several times with all his reaction and skill. In addition to the goalkeeper, the defender Roger Ibáñez was one of the best among the locals, who could not pass neither di María, nor Vlahovic, nor Nicolo Fagioli, and the inside right Lorenzo Pellegrini, who aggravated the game to the maximum with a minimum of marriage.
In the end, Moise Keane made me laugh at the fact that after 20-30 seconds after coming on as a substitute, he couldn’t hold back and hit Mancini from behind in the legs. I saw red and, without even arguing and without looking at Allegri, with a sense of accomplishment, I went to the locker room. From that moment on, the Romans were finally convinced that they would not miss the victory. Thanks to these three points, they have caught up with Milan on points and are now tied with them for fourth or fifth place.
Series A. Matchday 25
Rome – Juventus – 1:0 (0:0)
Goal: Mancini, 53.
Rome: Patricio, Mancini, Smalling, Ibáñez, Zalewski (Karsdorp 64), Cristante, Matic, Spinazzolla, Pellegrini (Belotti 86), Wijnaldum (Bovet 73), Dybala (Abraham 73).
Juventus: Szczesny, Danilo, Bremer, Sandro (Bonucci 46), Cuadrado, Fagioli (Chiesa 59), Locatelli (Paredes 77), Rabio, Kostic (Pogba 77), Di María, Vlahovic.
Yellow cards: Locatelli 31. Matic 33. Cristante 58. Spinazzola 63. Kostic 75.
Elimination: Keane, 90.
Referee: Maresca.
