A nightmare start. Juventus regains the Champions League just over three months after Cardiff and the result, up for grabs separately, is substantially the same. In short, a disaster, made even more bitter by the awareness of having taken many, too many, steps backwards compared to the recent past. Of course, facing Messi's Barcelona is always difficult and only a few deluded could think of repeating the night of last April, when Buffon was practically in no danger, but there is a way and a way to lose and this doesn't suit those who say (with good reason of course) wanting to aim for the final victory.
However, it must be said that the final 3-0 is very large, not to say exaggerated, compared to what was seen on the pitch. Barça deserved to win, all right, but for almost a time Juve was seen above all at the Camp Nou and this despite the very heavy absences of Chiellini, Mandzukic, Khedira, Cuadrado and Howedes, who forced Allegri to revolutionize the typical training. The initial 4-3-1-2 worked for at least 40', even if Ter Stegen only risked a shot from distance by the revived De Sciglio, dusted off due to force majeure (to which we must add the inexplicable decision to exclude Lichtsteiner from the UEFA list) after the Super Cup in August.
Barça seemed to be in trouble as in last season, then at the end of time the most awaited man woke up, that Messi who had had to "suffer" the comparison with Dybala on the eve. La Joya will grow up, there's no doubt about that, but at the moment, however, Pulga is still in another category. His left foot that struck Buffon was spectacular (45'), as was the one that closed the match in the second half (69'). In the middle, Rakitic's winning tap-in (56'), a post from the usual Messi and little Juve, capable of reacting only in the final match substantially compromised.
Bad for a team that until a few months ago, in these parts, had legitimized a European ride that would then take them to Cardiff with only 3 goals conceded in all of the Champions League, the same scored yesterday in just over an hour . To underline the poor mental strength of the group, literally zeroed after the one-two at the turn of the times, and the bad performance by Higuain, still out of shape in an almost inexplicable way. Il Pipita is a diesel, all right, but in late September a decidedly better physical condition is required and then this is just the last European cue in a list that is too long for those who, with goals in hand, can aspire to the podium of the majors strikers of Europe.
“He started well, then got lost but he needs to be more serene when he plays these matches because he has important qualities – Massimiliano Allegri's bitter comment. – These matches are based on balance and mental strength, you can't think of dominating Barcelona, it would be a presumptuous thought. The lads had a good first half, we had to take advantage of our chances. At the first they punished us, they have someone like Messi who changes your games. It would have been essential to stay in the race, unfortunately we didn't succeed".
The race to the final in Kiev therefore starts badly and decidedly uphill. Sporting Lisbon will arrive in Turin in 15 days, victorious in Athens (3-2 over Olympiacos) for what, classification in hand, will already be the first in or out of the season. Moments that sooner or later have to be faced if you want to go to the end of the Champions League, all right, but which at Juve they hoped to postpone much, much later.
