The fall of the Gods. At the 20th game of the season even Juve knows the bitter taste of defeat by an amazing Lazio, now very launched not only towards Europe that matters but also for something more. In addition to Simone Inzaghi, of course, Antonio Conte smiles, who thus sees the point with Roma transform into another "brick" of advantage over the more listed rival. For Juve the bad moment continues and it doesn't matter that this was the first defeat of the season: the hints of a collapse had already been there on other occasions and only the episodes had curbed the consequences.
Yesterday evening, however, they ended up condemning her, in particular in the 69th minute: the expulsion of Cuadrado, directed by the Var after Fabbri had initially opted for yellow, unbalanced the forces towards the biancocelesti, at that point perfect in make the most of the moment and win the game, despite a penalty missed by Immobile, for once anything but relentless. Juve, who took the lead in the first half with Ronaldo (25') and then joined in the 45th minute by Luiz Felipe, thus found themselves under a man and in the presence of a team loaded with spring, determined to go for broke in order to bring home the 3 points.
The right play arrived in the 74th minute on the Luis Alberto-Milinkovic Savic axis, the first author of a splendid throw and the second of a running shot control to peel his hands. The biancocelesti then had the ball to make it 3-1 but Immobile, who ended up on the spot after a desperate foul by Szczesny on Correa, let himself be hypnotized by the Polish goalkeeper himself, very good at rejecting the penalty and even better at neutralizing the subsequent retaliation. In full recovery however Caicedo, after yet another authorial intervention by the Juventus number one, this time on Lazzari, threw the ball into the net for the third goal, sanctioning the victory of his and Juventus' first defeat of the season.
“We had an excellent first half, however conceding the goal at the end: it was important to go into the break with the lead – Sarri's analysis. – In the second half, at a time when the match seemed to be in a stalemate, the episodes conditioned the result. We have to be more careful, as in the case of the sending off, although I don't completely agree with the clear scoring chance because the ball went outside. It seemed to me that a yellow card, as the referee had decided, was the most just sanction…”.
On the other hand, Simone Inzaghi was in the opposite mood, delighted with the home victory over Juventus and with an increasingly solid third place, so much so that he could afford to aim even for the second, moreover occupied by the Lady. “We are in a very good moment, we suffered the right thing against Juve but we created a lot – the satisfied comment of the coach. – We have to think game by game looking upwards. A round of applause to these guys who have done something extraordinary, it is right to be ambitious even if we know that judgments vary based on the results".
Those who just can't find a smile again are instead the Napoli, forced to postpone again the appointment with the victory that has been missing for 7 games now. The away game in Udine could have been a good opportunity to dispel the taboo, but instead the Azzurri were stopped on a draw which, with the standings in hand, smacks of defeat. The 1-1 draw at the Dacia Arena, in fact, definitely satisfies the hosts much more, certainly not a team called to redeem the defeat against Bologna and back from a week of training camp which, in theory, should have made them bad at the right point. Instead Napoli, after a colorless half hour, even found themselves down by a goal (Lasagna in the 32nd minute) and thus forced to chase, in an attempt to unhinge a tightly closed defense like that of Friuli.
Luckily for Ancelotti that Zielinski, in the 69th minute, found an equalizer with a fine shot, avoiding at least a defeat that would have been very heavy for the coach, who has now reached the point of no return: either he passes the Champions League round against Genk or says goodbye to the blue bench. “Slow and convoluted team in the first half, the moment remains complicated but I remain positive, on Tuesday we have an important match and the spark to unblock us could arrive – commented Ancelotti. – The rumors about Gattuso in my place? I trust De Laurentiis…”.
Milan are also looking for important points, determined to find another away win after the one in Parma. This time, however, the opponent will be Mihajlovic's Bologna (at 20.45), in turn eager for redemption after the defeat by Udine which cost them their elimination from the Italian Cup. In short, at the Dall'Ara there is a prize for a nice piece of the season for both, but it is clear that it is above all the Rossoneri who have the most to lose: the standings are crying and Parma's success, however important, was certainly not enough to make it better.
“We are the ones who have to look for an important opportunity in every game – explained Pioli -. All of our races are weighted above three points, we are looking for trust and conviction. The team is doing well mentally, physically and is improving tactically, but now we have to bring home some heavy points. The win in Parma didn't allow us to climb much in the standings, so we need to keep winning."
Improving your placement isn't just a matter of pride: the idea is to close 2019 with maximum points, and then hope for the January transfer market and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, now on everyone's lips. “Santa Claus arrives on December 25th, instead you've been talking about it since October – glossed over the Rossoneri coach. – If I think of a gift today, I think of the three points with Bologna, and in any case I repeat that there is no Piatek case". Maybe, but certainly the Pole's goals (only 3 since the start of the season, 2 of which from a penalty) are terribly missing, which is why tonight we can expect a signal from him as well.
Pioli will confirm Parma's 4-3-3, therefore Donnarumma in goal, Conti, Musacchio, Romagnoli and Hernandez in defense, Kessié, Bennacer and Bonaventura in midfield, Suso, Piatek and Calhanoglu in attack. Usual 4-2-3-1 also for Mihajlovic, who will respond with Skorupski in goal, Tomiyasu, Bani, Danilo and Denswil in the back, Schouten and Poli in the midfield, Skov Olsen, Dzemaili and Sansone behind the lone striker Palacio.
