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Dusan makes a mistake, but with this system he receives few balls: what could happen while waiting for Milik's return
TURIN - Dusan Vlahovic is not a coincidence, at least according to Thiago Motta 's statements after the sensational substitution at the end of the first half. And yet we have to scratch a little beneath the veneer of official statements to try to understand, and then humbly explain, what is happening around the Serbian centre-forward. In the meantime, he is maintaining a confirmation from last year: he is first in terms of number of "big chances" (big occasions) missed in Serie A. Last season he finished second, behind Kvaratskhelia, despite... Yes, despite. Only that it would be even comforting if the small Vlahovic case (mess?) was limited to the lack in the goal area.
It's not just Vlahovic's fault
No: it's that he can't get into the game and become key (only half of the passes were successful and just 6 touches of the ball), an even bigger problem than the goal, in the "Guardiola" 4-1-4-1 that Motta is using (with very little turnover, moreover) in this period. And, moreover, deciphering Motta's words one can understand that the problem was tactical, rather than realization: "Why Weah? We needed more depth" . Which Dusan, with his rarely congruent movements, couldn't guarantee. Then, be careful, it's not just Vlahovic's fault because it's undeniable that, after the first two victorious games, the black and white game has regressed and has struggled in the face of opponents who are more attentive in the defensive phase.
Juve sterile: lots of possession but few chances created
The statistics, in fact, show how Juventus is the team that makes the most passes in Serie A, but the second to last for number of assists and number of shots taken. The clear picture of a sterile and, lately, also slow ball possession that allows opponents to take appropriate countermeasures: even against Napoli, in fact, the solution was often to look for the play from the wings, but these too were well blocked by the Azzurri who only allowed a few crosses (and never from the edge) that were easy to read for Rrahamani and Buongiorno who, in fact, only had Vlahovic to control in a penalty area never crowded with Juventus players. The feeling, in short, is that Thiago Motta has not yet managed to adequately extend the Juventus blanket: to guarantee an effective defensive phase, as attested by the zero goals conceded in five games, the team struggles to become dangerous in attack.
Juve not very dangerous: the possible solution
To the point that the need for a “plan B” has now become clear, allowing for greater unpredictability in the maneuver and a denser density in the area, a problem that the coach himself underlined in the post-match against Napoli. An issue that affects Koopmeiners above all , who in his seasons in Bergamo has shown an effective ability to insert himself. But also Yildiz who seems a little sad there, wide on the wing where he alternated with the Dutchman: a waste indeed. Not to mention that, while waiting for Milik to recover , whose absence is taking on increasingly mysterious contours, the number 10 could become the heart of the “plan B”, that is to say the false center forward to play in place of Vlahovic in the center of the attack. A “Zirkzee-style” role to build a phrasing and open spaces for insertions. Let's be clear: we are not at the same tensions that led to the split first with Nzola at Spezia and then with Arnautovic at Bologna, but Motta has shown that he does not give discounts, especially to centre forwards.