Giorgio Chiellini and Hernanes at Fault as Juventus Draw with Gladbach

For the second time in two weeks, Borussia Monchengladbach held Juventus to a frustrating draw, the 1-1 final score merely the latest in a season of disappointing results for the Bianconeri.

That first encounter—analysed in detail here—ended scoreless, with the attacking prowess of the Italian giants called into question as statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com showed they managed just two shots on target, despite dominating almost the entire game.

That was certainly not the case this time around as Juventus gave a much improved all-round performance, only to be let down by two veteran players who should have too much experience to make the kind of mistakes seen at Borussia Park.

After some stale midfield displays in recent weeks, Massimiliano Allegri opted to start Hernanes, with the Juventus coach hoping the Brazilian would bring some much-needed creativity both in open play and at set pieces.

The 30-year-old failed to do so, however, with WhoScored showing he completed just 16 passes and took three shots, all of which failed to hit the target.

After 53 ineffective minutes, Hernanes ensured his impact on the game was even more harmful with a senseless move.

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Inexplicably launching into a two-footed challenge on Alvaro Dominguez, Hernanes gave the referee no choice but to send him off, and Allegri deemed that moment to be the turning point of the game.

“We had the feeling that the game was in hand and we could win,” the coach told Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia) shortly after the final whistle. “But the dismissal changed the match and considering the circumstances it went well.”

Gigi Buffon made crucial stops from Granit Xhaka, Lars Stindl and Thorgan Hazard, but otherwise Juventus were able to limit Gladbach’s chances despite their numerical disadvantage.

Indeed, had it not been for a Giorgio Chiellini error in the first half, the Bianconeri could have been protecting a lead rather than preserving a point.

The game was just 18 minutes old when the German side crossed the ball and, rather than make a simple clearance, the defender somehow passed the ball directly to Raffael instead. The Brazilian quickly found Fabian Johnson, and he made no mistake with an angled drive beyond Buffon.

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GOAL | Monchengladbach 1-0 Juve What was Chiellini thinking? The Germans have been gifted the lead. Courtesy: BT pic.twitter.com/O3LNlqiKS7

— fanatix (@therealfanatix) November 3, 2015"

What makes matters worse is that Chiellini, 31, was only returning to the side after sitting out Saturday’s Turin derby due to suspension, banned for one game following an equally mindless red card against Sassuolo.

Given the form of Andrea Barzagli and the presence of Daniele Rugani in the squad, Chiellini’s continued presence in the starting XI must now be highly questionable. His importance to the team over the past few years cannot be understated, but for now, a spell on the bench is perhaps best for all concerned.

There were some positive points to take from this display, and those should not be forgotten. Paul Pogba continued his recent good form, while the significance of Stephan Lichtsteiner’s return must also be noted.

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Netting a wonderful equalising goal, the Switzerland international—who had been sidelined for a month after cardiac surgery—was as reliable as ever defensively, but he, too, was disappointed that he couldn’t help the Bianconeri claim all three points.

“No, I wasn’t dreaming of a comeback like this, I wanted to win. Given how it went after we went down to 10 men, we’ll take it,” he told the club’s official website, going on to discuss his return to fitness. “I’m pleased, even though I’d only trained twice, it was important to get straight back into action at full tilt.”

With Juventus now sitting in second place in Group D, those errors from Hernanes and Chiellini prevented the Old Lady from securing qualification with two games to spare. Juve will return to Champions League action after the international break, needing to take points from Manchester City and Sevilla to achieve that aim; a task now made more difficult than it needed to be.