Ahead of the midweek action in Italy, here are three talking points from the round of games played over the weekend; Juventus on the uptick, Olivier Giroud in the goals and Hellas Verona in deep relegation trouble.
By Matteo Bonetti, US Serie A expert
Juve’s brilliant second half
Juventus came into the their biggest domestic match of the season against Inter with a mixed bag of results. Their Champions League group stage has been a disaster, while they’ve gone on a more solid streak in Serie A. Ever since their 2-0 loss at San Siro against Milan a month ago, the Bianconeri have won four consecutive league matches without conceding a single goal. Once again, the defence kept a clean sheet against an Inter side that did have a few chances in the first half, but was kept quiet in the second.
It was in this second half that we saw glimpses of what Juventus can be in 2023. Federico Chiesa made his first appearance in Serie A in ten months, with Ángel Di María also coming off the bench after an injury of his own. It was the brilliant work of Filip Kostić that made the difference, however. The Serbian winger was once again an assist machine – playing in two wonderful crosses that led to both goals; the second, yet another from the 21-year-old Nicolo Fagioli.
The Italian has now scored in his last two games and looks to be one of the main beneficiaries of coach Max Allegri giving increased time to the youth. Juventus were smart to send Fagioli out on loan last season, where he played 33 matches for Cremonese and helped them get promoted to the top flight. This type of experience in a competitive league like Serie B seems to have served Fagioli well – he’s made the most of his time and looks to have the necessary technical tools to become a more steady part of the Juventus rotation.
With that win comes a newfound excitement surrounding the team. Perhaps Juventus can make a run in the Europa League and Serie A, if they’re able to show that form from the second half against Inter. The team looked dynamic and surprisingly offensively minded even after going up a goal. The so-called “corto muso” style (or winning by a slender margin) that Allegri has joked about in the past seemed a distant memory in Turin over the weekend. Juve were purposeful with their possession and the fans got behind them very quickly. Did I mention that they also have the best defensive record in the league? That’s right, with a backline that only had one natural centre back in Bremer and two fullbacks flanking him, the Bianconeri have only conceded seven goals total in Serie A.
The biggest question now is whether or not they can sustain this level of play given the inconsistencies they’ve shown this season.
Giroud is ageing like a fine wine
Oliver Giroud has become somewhat of a cult hero at Milan. At first, he seemed like an alternative to Zlatan Ibrahimović, but has now cemented his place as the Rossoneri striker with Ibra permanently injured. Giroud has continued to score the important goals – whether it was last season in the Scudetto deciding games, or this campaign in the last two Champions League matches, which booked their ticket to the round of 16.
We shouldn’t be surprised, after all, Giroud has scored everywhere he’s gone. He’s only two goals behind Thierry Henry on the all-time goal scorer list for the French National Team and the latest reports say that Giroud’s performances for Milan this season might have ensured him a spot at the World Cup with his country.
Giroud not only brings plenty of experience on the field, but he’s the consummate professional off of it. Behind the scenes, he’s a beloved teammate that has been lauded for his ability to lead and be an ultimate example for the Rossoneri youngsters to follow. As a player, Giroud is the perfect sidekick to the goalscoring winger Rafael Leão. The French striker is very unselfish, often times giving up a chance to turn and shoot on goal for a simple layoff to the wingers streaking into the box. His intelligence is also evident with his movement inside the box. Giroud does a great job of making himself an option as an aerial threat, or making the right runs with his back to goal to always give Milan an outlet when they’re building from the back. His play has allowed Milan fans to temporarily forget about Ibrahimovic’s absence. Milan was able to win a Scudetto with Giroud leading the line, and now it remains to be seen how far the hitman can take them in the Champions League, where they face Antonio Conte’s Tottenham in the round of 16.
Verona are in deep trouble
Hellas Verona are a mess. Dead last in the standings with eight straight losses in the league, the team hasn’t been able to find any sort of spark even with their new manager, Salvatore Bocchetti. It was always going to be hard for Verona after losing their top goalscoring trident over the summer consisting of Gianluca Caprari (Monza), Giovanni Simeone (Napoli) and Antonín Barák (Fiorentina), who combined for 40 league goals last season in Serie A – the best goalscoring number of any trio in the league. Add to that the loss of their best centre-back Nicolò Casale, who was bought by Lazio and now anchors the second best defence in the league statistically, and you can see why Verona look destined for relegation. The club did their best to try and replace these players with their modest funds, but the results haven’t been anywhere near the same.
Thomas Henry was brought in from Venezia after managing nine goals last season for the relegated club, but he’s only been able to score twice in 13 matches so far. The midfield strength seemed to be enough for be to keep them just above the drop zone during the summer, as Adrian Tameze, Ivan Ilić and Miguel Veloso are still a complementary set of midfielders that are definitely stronger than what their opponents near the bottom of the table have in that department. But the statistics point to a different tale – this midfield unit currently has the second lowest possession percentage in the league and the least amount of completed passes. Adding to the demise when they’re on the ball, the numbers on the defensive end are even more worrying – the club has committed the most amount of fouls and has gotten booked more than any other team in the league.
Despite all of this, it seemed, perhaps, like the club was ready to turn the corner in their 2-1 loss against Milan, as they performed admirably under their new manager, despite the strength of their opponent. However, their latest 2-0 loss to newly promoted Monza suggests otherwise.
Verona is leading the most negative statistics on both sides of the ball. The nervousness of their play hints to a team that isn’t settled behind the scenes and relegation worries on the horizon certainly won’t help calm those nerves.
(Images from IMAGO)
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