Villarreal 1-1 Juventus, all postponed to the second leg. The draw at La Catedral, net of the new rules introduced by UEFA on away goals, leaves the qualification discourse completely intact, postponing any sentence to the match in Turin on 16 March. That evening, in fact, one of the two will necessarily have to win to move forward, unlike what we saw yesterday evening, when the no-contest was convenient for both.
Villareal-Juve: the analysis of the match
On the eve we predicted a tactical match, with little entertainment and just as many goals, but we risked being sensationally proven wrong after less than a minute. Yes, because it took Juventus 32 seconds to take the lead and, ça va sans dire, they punched the card Vlahovic, for a dream debut in the Champions League. The goal, born from a launch by Danilo and aimed at the great by the Serbian, once again certifies the great purchase made in January, because it takes very little for the former viola to score, in the light of his great technical skills combined with a mix of physicality and malice typical only of champions.
However, it is fair to reiterate that such a talent deserves a custom-built game, which is currently lacking from every point of view. Yes, because once again Juventus, just like in the derby, once they took the lead didn't try to hit their opponent again, but chose to withdraw the center of gravity and defend the 0-1. Cortomuso's tactic, as respectable as you like, but very dangerous in a historical phase in which the solidity of the back department is not the rain it used to be, and in fact Villarreal, as a stunned boxer, found courage and projected themselves into the midfield black and white. Describing a siege would not be correct, but in the meantime the Spaniards have struck a sensational stake with Lo Celso and created some thrills with Danjuma, while the Lady limited herself to some sporadic restarts, however poorly managed.
The block opened in the 66th minute when Rabiot lost Parejo: 1-1 and ball in the center. The Frenchman then continued his bad evening by making a very bad foul on Chukwueze, punished by the referee with a yellow that smacks of grace, especially since the Var, inexplicably, decided not to intervene. Juve? All in a shot by Vlahovic (who else?) saved by Rulli, almost as if a draw were the only result available. Not that it's to be thrown away, mind you, but the 1-1 will force the black and whites to attack more in Turin, with the risk of discovering themselves and giving Villarreal the spaces they most aspire to. The real shadows on the evening, however, come from the infirmary, in particular from McKennie who fractured the second and third metatarsals of his left foot (a two-month break is feared) and from Alex Sandro, who came out at half-time with a hardening of his left calf (exams today).
The voices from the changing rooms
“Now it becomes like a final, there's no other solution than to win the second leg – he confirmed Allegri – We had the game in hand and we were light, when we get cute then we're less bad. Better to have an ugly and successful Juve than a beautiful and loser. The mistake on the goal conceded was decisive, we left Parejo alone in the middle of the box, Villarreal always looked for the holes, we were six against one and we stayed put. For the rest, we played a good game and had several chances."
It may be, but on social media there are many, among the Juventus fans, who do not appreciate this scholastic and predictable football, even more so now that there is a purebred striker like Vlahovic up front.
"Goal in the Champions League is a dream come true, but I'm not happy because we didn't win and instead we wanted to do it - commented the Serbian – Let's look ahead, we did things as we said, but the opponent also played well. I personally have already forgotten this match and I'm only looking forward, I'm trying to improve every day and keep my feet on the ground."
“We have shown maturity, experience as players and group, as a collective – the satisfied analysis of Emery – These allowed us to understand that anything can happen with these teams: we were able not to get demoralized. Juve remain favourites, but we want to demonstrate our skills and try to get through."
All postponed to March 16 in Turin, when a draw, whatever it is, will only lead to extra time: in short, to go to the quarterfinals, you can't make calculations but only win.
