Juventus' Negativity Once Again Proves Costly in Champions League
Everything was there for the taking. As they prepared to take on Olympique Lyonnais on Wednesday night, Juventus knew a victory would secure their place in the knockout stages of this season’s UEFA Champions League.
Furthermore, it would put them in control of the group and closer to that all-important first-place finish. The Bianconeri fully understood the importance of that, last year’s runner-up spot seeing them drawn against Bayern Munich in the last 16.
Keen to avoid a repeat, coach Massimiliano Allegri selected an extremely strong starting XI, switching to a four-man defence and including Miralem Pjanic behind his front two of Mario Mandzukic and Gonzalo Higuain.
They dominated the early stages, earning the breakthrough when Lyon gave away an entirely avoidable penalty. Higuain drove forward with the ball before making a neat pass to Stefano Sturaro, who was barged over clumsily in the box by Mouctar Diakhaby.
The Argentina international stepped up and coolly converted the spot-kick, putting Juventus into a lead they looked set to protect with ease. He should have doubled the advantage just five minutes before half-time, Mandzukic robbing the ball from Lyon and rolling it to Higuain, who somehow blazed his left-footed shot over the bar.
Given his deadly accuracy in front of goal over the past 18 months, the miss was astonishing, but the Bianconeri still seemed on course for victory. However, as the second half unfolded, Allergri made a series of baffling decisions that ultimately saw his side throw away two points.
A double substitution in the 67th minute was somewhat forced upon him, Leonardo Bonucci needing to go off with a thigh injury. Replacing him with Medhi Benatia was no problem, but the coach also opted to bring on Alex Sandro in place of Pjanic and reverted to the usual 3-5-2 formation.
The Brazilian wing-back almost made an immediate impact, tearing down the left flank and creating a chance for Higuain, but his shot was deflected harmlessly wide. Andrea Barzagli was then called upon to make two crucial blocks, doing so with the same immaculate timing that has become a hallmark of his Juve career.
But the home side would not hold out. A deep free-kick from Rachid Ghezzal saw three Lyon players lining up to finish the chance, Corentin Tolisso getting there first to head past a helpless Gigi Buffon.
It was, as Opta noted below, the first goal the Bianconeri have conceded in the Champions League this term, their excellent defence unable to secure a fourth consecutive clean sheet.
From there, Lyon seemed more likely to win the match, and Buffon needed to deny Alexandre Lacazette in stoppage time after the striker had sprinted past Barzagli. Speaking at his post-match press conference, Allegri hinted at the negative approach that almost saw his side lose a match they should have comfortably won:
"We played well in the first half but we sat back too much after the break. Lyon came into it more as we dropped off. We tried to force things too much. We shouldn't have done that because the aim was to come away with the win.
We wouldn't have had those problems if we'd been a bit tidier at the back. We were controlling the game well but then we conceded the goal and let them have a number of counter-attacks. That's something we must work on.
"
Undoubtedly the most disappointing part of that is the coach's recognition that the team "dropped off" given it was his tactical changes that prompted the players to change their mindset.
Allegri had the weapons to maintain the pressure on Lyon at his disposal—the likes of Sandro, Juan Cuadrado, Hernanes and Moise Kean all in reserve—but also withdrew Higuain as the clock wound down.
The latter of that quartet is the most promising youngster to emerge from the club’s youth setup in years, yet for the sixth consecutive match, the 16-year-old remained an unused substitute.
His quality was discussed at length in this previous post, but there is little point continually including him in the matchday squad if he merely gets to watch the action. He deserves an opportunity, and Allegri must be bold enough to maintain the pressure when Juventus are playing so dominantly.
The Champions League rewards bravery, as the Juve boss should know all too well. In guiding the side to the final in 2014/15, he dropped Fernando Llorente in favour of Alvaro Morata and moved away from the three-man defence that had long been a feature of this team.
With the younger striker’s pace alongside Carlos Tevez, the Bianconeri were a dangerous counter-attacking side, and the Old Lady has similar talents in her current squad, yet the coach continues to overlook them or negate their potential impact.
Juve have the weapons to carve open defences such as Lyon's, as Cuadrado proved in the first leg, yet Allegri opted to holster his big guns and hope for the best. The Bianconeri play Chievo on Sunday. Was he really taking out Pjanic and Higuain to rest them for the trip to Verona at the expense of Champions League progression?
With Sevilla once again handily dispatching Dinamo Zagreb, the Italian champions need to go to Spain and defeat a team in the ascendancy. If that sounds familiar, it is because just 12 months ago, the Bianconeri—having twice defeated Manchester City—headed to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium needing a result to top their group.
They lost 1-0, with Llorente ironically netting the only goal of the game. It is a position Juventus should not be in again, but they have only themselves to blame. As he left the field on Wednesday evening, Patrice Evra was visibly angry, making his feelings clear as he spoke to Mediaset Premium.
"It’s a shame that in the last 20 minutes we lacked character and lost confidence, but that is the truth," the Frenchman said (h/t Football Italia). "Fatigue and other issues are just excuses. We have to be honest. We are a team that has faith in our abilities, but at that moment, we went too deep and lost control of the game."
It is impossible to argue with his opinion. Yes, the squad might be missing one extra midfielder who could make the difference, but a failure to sign Axel Witsel or Blaise Matuidi this summer did not lead to this disappointing draw.
Responsibility for that rests with the coach and team, who should have taken all three points here and came close to doing so, only to collectively choke with the game on the line.
It has been 20 years since the Bianconeri could proclaim themselves champions of Europe, and if they approach the Champions League with this negative attitude, that long wait will only continue.
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