Juventus Almost Pay Penalty for Massimiliano Allegri's Tactical Error vs. Inter

Heading to the second leg holding a 3-0 advantage, it seemed Juventus had one foot firmly in the Coppa Italia final, only to look on as Inter Milan quickly drew level on aggregate. In a dire display, the Bianconeri eventually triumphed 5-3 on penalties in what was an ugly performance against their bitter rivals.

Given that they had beaten the same side comfortably in the league just three days earlier, the drop-off in performance from the Turin giants came as a huge surprise, even allowing for the heavy rotation made to the starting XI by coach Massimiliano Allegri. 

Indeed, the cup holders made no fewer than eight changes at the San Siro, with Gigi Buffon, Paulo Dybala and Paul Pogba among those dropping to the bench. Underused players such as Neto, Daniele Rugani and Kwadwo Asamoah took to the field instead, each contributing to what was almost an embarrassing exit from the knockout competition. 

Antonio Calanni/Associated Press

An ill-advised pass from the Brazilian goalkeeper saw the Nerazzurri take the lead, although Gary Medel clearly fouled Hernanes in the build-up to it. Asamoah—making just his third start of the campaign—looked off the pace all evening, while Rugani gave away a penalty from which Marcelo Brozovic equalised.

There may have been an air of misfortune to that incident, but captain Leonardo Bonucci was in no mood to make excuses when he spoke to RAI Sport moments after netting the decisive spot-kick (h/t Juventus.com):

"

We made life very difficult for ourselves. Inter had nothing to lose and threw everything at us from the first minute.

As for us, we approached the match in the wrong manner and as much as I hate to say it, this was one of the worst performances I’ve seen since joining the club. Ultimately, we rode our luck to get to penalties and luckily we put them all away.

"

While the 28-year-old defender may have overlooked a few displays from the dreadful 2010/11 campaign, this match certainly ranks alongside those desperate pre-Antonio Conte days, and the current boss must shoulder some responsibility for that. 

Just as he had against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, Allegri opted for what was an overly cautious 4-4-2 formation, a decision that simultaneously handed their opponents the initiative and nullified the best qualities of his own players.

Alex Sandro had less space to make his trademark bursts forward, and Juan Cuadrado also lacked freedom on the opposite flank, but both men improved after a shift in shape during the second half.

Arguably the most creative player in the side, statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com show that only Stephan Lichtsteiner (27) had fewer touches of the ball than Hernanes (30). The Brazilian had looked much-improved in a midfield three recently, but he was often overwhelmed with only Stefano Stuaro alongside him in the central area.

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Meanwhile, the same source shows that the framework—and the subsequent muted attacking prowess it lent to the side—resulted in the Bianconeri managing just two shots on target and a meagre 36 percent possession over the course of 120 minutes. 

It was, of course, expected that they would sit back somewhat given their advantage going into the return match, but the tactical approach removed all semblance of urgency, a rare mistake from a coach who has made very few since arriving in Turin just over 18 months ago.

Thanks to Fiorentina holding Napoli to a draw on Monday night, Juventus are now three points clear at the top of Serie A and once again in the Coppa Italia final, but Allegri must avoid repeating this tactical error if he is to help the Old Lady to a second consecutive league and cup double.