Juve puts the arrow. The tiring 2-1 against Brescia, in fact, is worth the first place in the standings alone, albeit awaiting the match between Inter and Lazio (at 21), which could overturn the hierarchies again. In the meantime, however, the bianconeri have made their mark and this is worth a lot, especially since the evening at Rigamonti was far from easy. Corini's swallows gave Sarri a hard time, forced to chase after just like against Verona, then concluding the comeback with the same result as on Saturday. A constant that is difficult to reconcile with the recent past, when scoring against Juve was damned more difficult than today but which, at least for the moment, is not preventing us from putting some hay on the farm, obviously waiting for better times .
That the bianconeri are still far from top form can be understood from many things, starting with the lapses in concentration: how else to define the mistake of the rearguard (Szczesny above all, but also Alex Sandro) who, after just 4' , led to Donnarumma's goal? Not even time to warm up and it's already 1-0 Brescia, with the Lady forced to push on the accelerator on the only night in which Ronaldo is missing.
To further complicate things, Danilo's injury in the 19th minute, yet another muscular woe that adds to those of De Sciglio and Douglas Costa, a pretty big indicator of an athletic preparation that obviously needs to be reviewed. It seems like a really bad evening, but Juve, in their own way, are getting out of it minute after minute. The Ramsey-Higuain-Dybala up front is sought and found, also because the Argentine, coincidentally on the evening when CR7 is missing, finds inspiration and plays, missing the goal only by a matter of centimetres.
Rabiot and Khedira also participate in target shooting, while on the other side Balotelli tries with a free-kick that forces Szczesny to redeem himself. However, the draw came on the dirtiest occasion, namely a corner unfortunately deflected into his goal by Chancellor (40'). The joke is big and Brescia accuses it even at the beginning of the second half, when Juve takes the field and the ball of the game. Rabiot came close to scoring again, then in the 63rd minute Pjanic made a decisive play, very good at coordinating with his right foot and beating the innocent Joronen.
At that point Corini's team returned to show up near Szczesny, creating some dangerous opportunities and, at the same time, allowing spaces that the black and whites were unable to exploit. At Easter's final whistle, Sarri exults nervously: he won, all right, but maybe he didn't think he had to sweat it out so much either. “It wasn't easy in a game where you go down after 4 minutes, against a lively team, in an environment full of enthusiasm – commented the Juventus coach. – I saw good personality and good dribbling, but we still need to make progress in the defensive phase, here too we conceded a goal that could have been avoided".
The ball now passes to Inter, who will play it against Lazio tonight in what, without any doubt, can be considered the big match of the fifth day. Delicate match at San Siro, between two healthy teams returning from two good victories, albeit in very different contexts. In fact, it is undeniable that the Nerazzurri's success in the derby has left an enthusiasm without comparison, so much so that now many are even talking about the Scudetto. The speech, obviously, applies above all to the fans, because Conte, in perfect harmony with his character, does not even want to hear certain things.
“We have to think match after match, today is certain, tomorrow not – glossed over the Nerazzurri coach. – Let's focus on Lazio who also won the Italian Cup last year… Stay away from praise, otherwise we won't understand anything. We have to reset everything quickly, we are only on the fifth day. I see too many claims after just four games but I have the right experience to understand that it's all artfully created to give us a good "saccagnata" soon. Napoli are mentioned very little, but they are a very strong team, Juve even more so. Then let's consider the other teams, including Inter…”.
Tension is always high, just like at Lazio, where the San Siro match is seen a bit like a graduation exam. The success against Parma, in fact, is not enough to erase the fluctuating performance of the first days, in which we have seen good things but also mistakes not to be repeated. Even in Sunday's 2-0 there was room for the quarrel between Inzaghi and Immobile, demonstrating an unpredictable environment, just like the team.
“He had already apologized after the match and he did it again on Monday in front of his teammates and the club, there is no case – the Biancoceleste coach glossed over. – Now we have to think only about the match against Inter, we will face a very strong team and a busy environment. Unfortunately we trained little but we studied the opponent, the important thing will be to be humble and down-to-earth”. In short, he speaks to the field, for a match that promises sparks.
Conte should confirm the 3-4-2-1 of the derby, net of some inevitable concessions to the turnover, therefore Handanovic in goal, Godin, De Vrij and Skriniar in defense, Candreva, Vecino, Brozovic and Biraghi in midfield, Sensi and Politano on the trocar behind the lone striker Lukaku.
Usual 3-5-2 also for Lazio, who will respond with Strakosha in goal, Luiz Felipe, Acerbi and Bastos in the back, Lazzari, Milinkovic-Savic, Lucas Leiva, Luis Alberto and Lulic in the midfield, Immobile and Caicedo in attack .
