If he needed a physical dude, he could have used betancourt or even sorryass sturaro to partner pjanic and khedira. At least he would have tackled and and run after peeps. Which was what we needed.
Juve needed control in the match. Sturaro offers none of that. Bentancur is 19. He immediately comes in and gets booked. Marchisio hasn't played three matches in a row in forever. Simply put, with Dybala, Matuidi, Cuadrado, and Barzagli (in a back three) out, Allegri had very poor options.
The idea that Sturaro or Bentancur over Bernardeschi would have saved Juve isn't likely at all. I think with those players, Juve cap their attacking potential and gain very little.
We have come to find out that without Matuidi Juve struggle defensively because of a lack of midfield pressing. Unlike Sturaro, Matuidi has a pass completion percentage of 90%. With him, Khedira and Pjanic aren't totally alone centrally. Obviously, Dybala was a huge huge miss at home where he usually comes good (he is usually pretty passive on the road).
So injuries played a major role. It's tough to think that Sturaro or Bentancur would have been saviors.
The only thing that is annoying with this team's mentality is that once they went up 2-0, they all sat back way too deep for too long. They just stopped pressing high as a group. With so many attackers on the field, they aren't built to simply absorb pressure. I just wish they went for it more. That and some very poor finishing are the reasons why this tie is open.
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According to the usual suspects before the game, our LW was supposed to dominate the Tottenham fullback with his height and workrate. It tells you something about how out of touch some of our fans are, when we seriously think that this is great tactics.
There’s still the return game at Wembley. If we play 433 with Matuidi in midfield and Dybala/Costa flanking Higuain, we will go through. If we play 4231 or have Mandzukic on the wing, we will go out.
Agree here. Costa, Dybala, Higuain up top with Matuidi, Pjanic, and Khedira/Marchisio/Bentancur (whoever is the best physically on that day) could be the best line up. Mandzukic can come on in place of Khedira/Marchisio if Juve need a goal in the 2nd half.
Juve have great attackers. They have quality CBs. They have very good LBs. They have two solid GKs. Their midfield depth is thin and RB situation is iffy. Even if Juve pass Tottenham, it feels like Juve are a summer away from being complete. Right now they are too dependent on the health of Matuidi and Dybala.
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So basically Tottenham had almost 70 percent of the ball, and this was in Turin. Really pathetic. How are we supposed to turn this in the next leg?
Tottenham had the ball for 70% of the game (say 60-65 minutes to Juve's 30-25 minutes) yet created fewer chances inside the box than Juve. Tottenham had the control, yet it was Juve's poor finishing that cost them a potential 3-0, 3-1, 4-1 score line. Essentially Juve had two goals and 4-5 additional clear chances inside the box. That works out to a chance every 3-5 minutes. If they can repeat that but with more of the ball and better finishing, then they should be confident. Matuidi and Dybala in place of Mandzukic and Bernardeschi should up Juve's possession since they each are good against the press and pass at around 90%.
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We need to go there with only one aim. Win the game regardless of score. 1-0; 2-1; 4-3; 7-1. What ever. Just win.
Yup like Allegri said, this has turned into a one-off final. They just need to win or tie while scoring at least three goals. Since they advance with a 1-0, 2-1, 3-2, 3-3 score line, the bias is to score. Even if they are down 1-0 early nothing really changes in that regard.
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Well that was ... interesting.
Half-time in the tie and the scores are level. Slight advantage to Spurs with the away goals, but I don't think we'll start counting our chickens just yet.
How do you see the 2nd leg playing out - cautious 4-3-3/4-5-1 from Juve, packing the midfield, restricting passing lanes and looking for that 1-0 win that will take them through? Or a bit more pressing and attacking, going for the jugular?
Both teams to score. I could see it being 1-1 or 2-1 or 2-2 with the game in the balance going into the second half. In real CL KO ties (not Porto vs Liverpool, or Basel vs City), it should come down to a few huge moments in the 2nd leg to decide matters. This is setting up to be the tie of the round.
In a way, Juve can't go in with the idea that they will be able to get away with defending for 90 minutes while nicking a goal. Tottenham will score at home. Juve need to unleash their attacking potential with a mixture of countering and possession. It's time for this team to shed their conservative mentality.
Under Allegri Juve have had some notable performances away from home in very hostile conditions.
2014/15 @ Dortmund 3-0 W to advance to QF
2014/15 @ Real 1-1 advance to final
2015/16 @ Man City 2-1 W group stage opener
2015/16 @ Bayern 4-2 L in extra time after being up 2-0
2016/17 @ Sevilla 3-1 W to finish 1st in the group on the 2nd to last match day
2016/17 @ Barca 0-0 advance to SF
2016/17 @ Monaco 2-0 W