Sensational in Turin! Reigning champions Juventus lose on their debut against Udinese, suggesting that this, rather than a triumphal ride towards the fifth Scudetto in a row, risks being a season full of risks and pitfalls. A fall that makes noise that of the Lady, above all for historical reasons. In fact, the Bianconeri had never lost their first home game of the championship, a negative record that Massimiliano Allegri would have gladly done without.
“It's a pity to lose on the first day but we have the whole championship to recover – sighed the coach. – The goal came from Udinese's first shot on goal, we didn't deserve the defeat but in football, if you don't score, this too can happen. We have to learn to be patient and not stretch too much, with the knowledge that we can score at any moment”.
It's right not to sound too alarmist, God forbid, but of course Juve had accustomed us to very different departures. It must also be said that Allegri has more than one justification: in fact, it is difficult to do without Marchisio, Khedira and Morata, very important players and sure starters. However, the feeling is that the heaviest absences are those of Tevez, Pirlo and Vidal, undisputed drivers of the last triumphal seasons and now emigrated to other shores.
That's why now the ball passes to the club, "forced" to move on the market before it's too late. In this sense, Marotta has already been busy: today, in fact, the arrival of Cuadrado will be made official, taken from Chelsea on a one-time loan deal, and the gifts might not end there. “We still like Draxler even if the negotiation with Schalke is difficult – admitted the Juventus general manager. – But the market is still long, we'll see what happens”.
In France they also write about a lady who is very interested in Mario Lemina, a Marseille midfielder born in 1993, who could arrive for 12 million euros. Allegri will never admit it but he sure hopes so. In fact, it is difficult to guarantee the levels of the past with this squad, as young and competitive as you want but deprived of some indisputable points of reference.
Yesterday afternoon Juve could have won but they never gave the sensation of dominating their opponent as in the past. And so Udinese, after having risked going under through Mandzukic and Padoin, picked up the joker in the 78th minute: Kone's cross from the right, Lichtsteiner's sleep and Thereau's winning tap-in.
The final saw a tired and drained lady, almost in shock from the goal conceded and not at all revitalized by the entry of Dybala, initially on the bench by virtue of Coman, and indeed it was Udinese that came close to doubling several times. It would have been too likely, in any case the defeat remains and it hurts even if the results of the other big names (Inter apart) end up watering it down a bit. But next Sunday there will be Roma and you can't go wrong there. Otherwise the alarm bell will become a real siren.
