And after lights of Sanremo, here are those of Bentegodi. Juve are looking for 3 very heavy points in key to the Scudetto on the Verona field (20.45 pm), the revelation of the championship so far, and clinging, as usual, to goals from Ronaldo, the protagonist of a rather unusual week, at least for him. In spite of the enormous media aura that accompanies him, in fact, the Portuguese hasn't accustomed us to being talked about much for what he does off the pitch, loyal as he is to the almost "monastic" life of the typical athlete. So logical that his presence at the Festival has aroused curiosity and some (small) controversy, especially just two days before a delicate race like the one in Verona.
“I haven't seen Sanremo, I preferred to watch a film – replied Sarri at the press conference. – Knowing Cristiano however I am sure that he slept the right hours and that he is in splendid condition as always ”. In fact, the numbers speak for him and make any type of inference difficult: in fact, what to say to someone who has scored 9 goals in the last 14 games? But Juve cannot and must not limit themselves to CR7 alone, otherwise Sarri's work, with all due respect, would make very little sense. His hand can be seen in flashes and tends to accentuate after the defeats, as reaffirmed by the performance (net of the controversies) against Fiorentina. The curiosity therefore lies in understanding whether the team will follow up on the progress, or will go back to stammering like in Naples: the Champions League match with Lyon is still 20 days away, all right, but it's time for Juve to really start to accelerate.
Douglas Costa could trigger the right gear, the last weapon dropped by Sarri in an attempt to make the black and white 4-3-3 more insightful, without however losing the defensive balance. “There is a double thought on this: it could be useful to have a striker who attacks deep as one who comes towards – glossed over Sarri. – We have to decide which of the two solutions to favor, but it is clear that with Douglas it's easier to make a 4-3-3. A difficult match awaits us, against a very dangerous and well-trained team, as we also saw against Lazio. Having the right approach will be fundamental but I don't even think it's appropriate to repeat it, it would be like underestimating the intelligence of the kids…”. In short, maximum attention, also because Hellas is actually in an excellent moment and is ready to do anything to give itself the scalp par excellence.
At any rate Juve remains clearly superior, as demonstrated by the tactical dilemmas of Sarri, grappling with the usual great doubt: Dybala or Higuain? It will almost certainly be the first one tonight, in a 4-3-3 that will see Szczesny in goal, Cuadrado, De Ligt, Bonucci and Alex Sandro in defense, Bentancur, Pjanic and Rabiot in midfield, Douglas Costa, Ronaldo and, indeed, Dybala in attack. Juric's doubt, on the other hand, is whether to rely on a role striker (Borini) or to favor the "false nueves" of the last few games: the latest exit polls favor this solution, therefore 3-4-2-1 with Silvestri in goal, Rrahmani, Gunter and Kumbulla in the back department, Faraoni, Amrabat, Veloso and Lazovic in the midfield, Zaccagni and Pessina behind Verre. A success against Juve, among other things, would also have the flavor of Europe, especially after yesterday's defeat by Roma.
In fact, the 2-3 draw by the Olimpico against Mihajlovic's Bologna risks radically changing the balance in that bracket of the standings, with a whole series of teams ready to take advantage of it to get back into the game not only for the Europa League but even for the Champions League . Of course, if the Giallorossi were to go on like this they would soon come out of any discussion of this type: just think that their 2020, apart from the Italian Cup (where they were eliminated in any case), sees the measly booty of 4 points collected in 6 games. In short, a disaster that seriously risks compromising all the good done before, when Roma were even singled out as a possible surprise in terms of the Scudetto. Then something broke and not only in a metaphorical sense: it is evident, in fact, that the numerous injuries (Zaniolo above all) have created various problems, even if the causes must also be sought elsewhere.
The feeling is that Fonseca only knows one score, but it is a pity that this cannot be done without certain players: the result is that the team struggles to build, but above all it suffers unacceptable goals for those with high-ranking ambitions. “The team blamed the defeat against Sassuolo a lot – sighed the coach. – We have done many good things this season, my job is to work on the players and make them believe that we can do much better than that. The problem is primarily emotional, but we also make many defensive mistakes. I am primarily responsible and I have to think about what to change and improve”. It was understood from the beginning that it would not be an easy evening, with Sinisa's Bologna dangerous several times, until the inevitable goal of the lead signed by Orsolini, quick to take advantage of Smalling's sleep and beat Pau Lopez for the first time (16').
It wouldn't have been the last, because after Roma's momentary (and rather casual) equalizer on Denswil's own goal (22'), it was once again the Rossoblù who found the way to score, thanks to Barrow's simply amazing evening. The 21-year-old Gambian, who arrived in the winter market from Atalanta for 19 million, took center stage with a 2-1 shot (26', Santon's deflection was decisive), but above all with the splendid personal action that gave the teammates scored the third goal (51'). The Giallorossi, on the ropes like a beaten boxer, tried to get back up more with pride than with ideas, however finding the 2-1 point with Mkhitaryan (72'), before Cristante (sent off for a foul on Orsolini) and Skorupski (two decisive saves on Dzeko) decreed the end of the games. At Guida's final whistle, the Olimpico exploded into a forest of boos, children of anger, of course, but above all of fear for a completely unforeseen crisis and therefore even more difficult to solve. Fonseca has the task of succeeding before it's too late...
