2013 starts with a bang. Juve's fall makes noise, not to mention a stir. The bianconeri were beaten by Sampdoria after leading by one goal, with an extra man to boot. The Stadium match was a perfect spot for the unpredictability of football: woe to taking a result for granted until the final whistle! Especially if there is a certain Icardi on the pitch, who grew up in the Barcelona youth team and landed at Sampdoria almost by accident. The Argentine was supposed to leave for the Under 20 World Cup, but was instead blocked at the last minute by Delio Rossi, and given the results, it's no surprise.
But Juve's defeat was born also, if not above all, from black and white demerits: keeping an almost closed game open was an unforgivable crime. “I struggle to metabolize the defeat, but it's part of the game – declared Antonio Conte bitterly. – It was not a performance that we will gladly remember. We were rightly up by one goal, and with 11 men against 10. It's a match that should make us think, and we need it to grow. It's annoying to lose this type of game, on the counterattack. Sampdoria did well in closing, they were also lucky, however I congratulate them. But I am very disappointed. They are games to be won. Our results are the result of work, self-sacrifice, ferocity”.
The bianconeri have undoubtedly been affected by some important absences, above all those of Chiellini (Peluso needs to be reviewed), Vidal and Vucinic, who only entered during the match. “These two months will be delicate due to the injuries and bruises we have – admitted Conte. – It's one thing to play with two or three out, with four or five it changes the subject. We'll have to grit our teeth and give it our all."
The coach then pointed his finger at the referee Valeri, guilty of not having conceded two sacrosanct penalties to Juve, moreover when they were leading by one goal. “The one about Matri was rigorous, flawless. Then Gastaldello belted Bonucci in the area, and that too was a penalty. He will mean that from today we are in credit… ”.
And to say that the match had started quite well. The bianconeri had immediately pressed on the accelerator and in the 24th minute they had gone ahead with Giovinco, cold and precise in converting a penalty earned by Marchisio. In the 31st minute Berardi's expulsion (second yellow card for a foul on Barzagli) seemed to have definitively paved the way for the Old Lady, then the tide changed. At the beginning of the second half Icardi took advantage of a counterattack and beat a guilty Buffon, rather awkward on the Argentine's right foot. But the surprise came in the 69th minute, when the "usual" Argentine put the Juventus goalkeeper on his post.
There the light went out on Juventus and its forwards, in particular on Vucinic, author of a crossbar and a mistake with an unguarded goal. The problem of the goalscorer does exist, in fact the bianconeri are looking around. “It is mandatory for a club like Juventus to do so – admitted Marotta. – However, it is evident that there are not always opportunities that can be reconciled with the economic logic of each company”. The message is clear: yes to the top player, but only for certain figures. Understood Drogba?
