Blog: Clueless Del Neri
I have never been a big fan of Gigi Del Neri, as I thought his Chievo dei Miracoli were basically just hard-working counter-attack specialists with a nice back story. It seems after several years in Serie A that the tactician really has not progressed beyond that attitude and does not belong at a top club like Juventus.
The fact Juve have lost seven of their last 11 games is not the issue here, nor that four of those have been on home turf. Their incredibly boring performances with a total inability to create scoring opportunities are disheartening, but again, these things can happen. No, the sign that Del Neri simply must go was to be found in his substitutions.
It’s bad enough he persists with Luca Toni and Alessandro Matri together, but when the side is lacking creativity and needs a spark during a tough match, who should come off the bench but Vincenzo Iaquinta... Long the bane of calcio enthusiasts, this work-horse has been beloved of tacticians for years, inexplicably getting first team football in a misguided attempt at making Italian football more physical. Alessandro Del Piero was granted a mere 10 minutes on the pitch, by which time the team was in its usual spiral into despair.
The piece de resistance for Del Neri, though, was with his final switch. A goal down, chasing the game and with only six minutes to spare, his last throw of the dice was... Leonardo Bonucci. A defender replacing another defender, moving Giorgio Chiellini into the left-back slot. If ever proof was needed that Juventus do not have a Plan B, then this was it.
The 4-4-2 is absolute and unshakable as long as Del Neri is on that bench, regardless of the players at his disposal or the situation they find themselves in. He hasn’t changed from Chievo, where minnows could invite teams forward and hit them on the break. When opponents don’t fall into that trap, Juve continue to sit back and hope against hope that something will happen.
If you were wondering why the Bianconeri have lost three on the trot without scoring a single goal, then there is your answer.