TURINJuve beats Milanwhich regains its defensive solidity: Sportiellocatapulted onto the pitch suddenly after Maignan’s adductor injury during the warm-up, is the best on the pitch with four decisive saves and a fearless exit, but in Pioli’s team he also shines Thiawwho cancels Vlahovic by continuously anticipating him and four minutes from the end, under the desperate pressure of the Bianconeri, he saves Rabiot’s shot off the line.
The Lady has to settle for 0-0, which leaves the gap with the Rossoneri unchanged, 5 points ahead. The Allegrians deserve more, but they are guilty of having given away a half, the first, played like their rivals without conviction. Until half-time the match was a misery. Juve and Milan, largely unexpressed, they drag it forward with suffering. Then in the second half the Bianconeri shook themselves up, rebelling against the initial torpor and coming close to taking the lead several times. Allegri, on his three hundredth bench for Juve in Serie A, helps his team, revolutionizing the attack: When Chiesa enters he is uncatchable on the flanks and Milik functions as an offensive point of reference much more than Vlahovic who, replaced after an hour, takes a lot of anger at the substitution, throwing a severe glare at his coach and throwing away a bottle as he leaves the pitch.
The will, however, is not enough. More intensity and coldness would be needed. Door for everything: Vlahovic’s free kick before the break, then blocks his goal on Kostic, Danilo, Milik. He looks like the best goalkeeper in the world. Juve misses the opportunity to get closer to second place and risks being caught today by Bologna, who are playing Udinese at home. The goal of the Champions League is well within reach, but Madama’s slow progress makes the second round of the only anti-Inter of the season disarming and transforms the chase for the European goal into a kind of ordeal. 13 points in 13 games and third draw in a row, the meager haul of the Juventus band.
Milan, after the beating in the derby, took a hot broth which, given the cold temperature at the Stadium, was good for them. If Atalanta were to lose to Empoli at home today, Pioli would be certain of handing his club the Champions League for next season, the minimum objective.
The Devil’s game isn’t a great one. But he finds his balance again, precisely on the day of the greatest emergency, with Calabria and Theo Hernandez, Tomori and the long-term patient Kalulu out. Fragility has slowed down the growth of Milan who, in the last four games with an open goal, have conceded eight goals. This time he plays with a different spirit, humility, ferocious attention inside the areathe merciless markings of Thiaw and Gabbia, the attention on the external lanes thanks to the adapted Musah and the expert Florenzi. However, Pioli lacks offensive danger, the other side of the coin. His team doesn’t scratch, doesn’t bite, doesn’t even try. Leao, with the captain’s armband on his arm, was indolent until the break and in the second half, slightly more combative, he did the best things by helping his teammates in their own half of the pitch, without taking advantage of the spaces that Juve, projected forward, left in the thirty meters in front of Szczesny. Rafa bad, Pulisic bad, Giroud non-existent. The result is mortifying: not even a shot on target and only a half-chance, a right-footed shot from Loftus-Cheek near the post. But the draw applies to Milan more than to Juve. Allegri’s assault on second place failed.
