When the story of the 2014-15 season is written for Juventus , a number of decisions taken last summer may be seen in a very different light than they were when the club originally made them. Foremost among those choices is undoubtedly the appointment of Massimiliano Allegri, still viewed as responsible for the complete failure of AC Milan under his guidance.
The continued woes of the Rossoneri under first Clarence Seedorf and now Filippo Inzaghi show the malaise was not entirely his responsibility, although the 47-year-old undoubtedly made mistakes during his time at San Siro.
Fast-forward to today however and Allegri is being rightly lauded for his role in Juve’s continued dominance of Serie A, their 14-point cushion atop the league table a testament to the success he has enjoyed. Add in Wednesday’s emphatic demolition of Borussia Dortmund and the tactical intelligence he has displayed, and any plaudit sent his way is clearly very richly deserved.
That match—reviewed in depth here—was the perfect showcase of his qualities. The team looked fresh thanks to his rotation of the lineup in recent weeks, and was able to shift from a four-man defence back to the three-man defence with ease, whilst also overcoming an injury to Paul Pogba during the first 30 minutes of action.
The man who brought him to Turin was quick to highlight his impact, with Beppe Marotta speaking with Sport Mediaset shortly after the final whistle. The director general told them (h/t Football Italia ):
I am here to give the just tribute to Massimiliano Allegri, who at the start of the season was welcomed with scepticism, yet has continued our winning trend. We are top of the Serie A table and into the Champions League quarter-finals.
He and the squad deserve all the credit for achieving this qualification with hard work. It took courage for Allegri to come here and the club had full faith in him. Antonio Conte won and it is right to remember what he won, but it is also right to underline what Allegri is doing.
The game at the Westfalenstadion also highlighted another of those summer moves made by the Bianconeri, with the impact of Roberto Pereyra almost impossible to ignore. Writing here on Bleacher Report in July, I concluded that Pereyra was “good, but perhaps not good enough for Juventus ,” and I questioned the impact he would have in Turin.
Clearly that was wrong—as discussed here at length—and on Wednesday night the versatile Argentinian once again turned in another excellent performance. Starting the game alongside Carlos Tevez and behind Alvaro Morata, Pereyra spent the first third of the match providing an outlet when the Bianconeri won the ball, then harassing opponents when it was lost.
However, that injury to Pogba and the subsequent shift in approach meant he moved further back, forming a midfield trio with Claudio Marchisio and Arturo Vidal as Allegri sought to preserve their advantage. Pereyra continued to work tirelessly in that deeper role, protecting the defence yet still breaking forward to support the attach whenever possible.
According to statistics from WhoScored.com, the 23-year-old made two interceptions and one clearance as he and Stephan Lichtsteiner ensured the right flank was controlled completely. Once possession was secured, he was similarly diligent, the same source showing he completed 89.2 percent of his passes.
Despite not taking a shot at goal, Pereyra was a threat that Borussia Dortmund struggled to contain, his running on the ball adding a different dimension to the Juve attack that would have been absent had Pirlo started the game.
His best moment came with little over 10 minutes remaining, gathering the ball just inside the opposition half and driving into the heart of the home side’s defence. Panic ensued, with the German side swarming round him, Pereyra had the vision to play in Tevez, and his compatriot would make no mistake in front of Roman Weidenfeller.
The veteran goalkeeper was beaten for a third time and the Argentinian duo had sealed victory for the Bianconeri, one they celebrated joyfully at full-time, with the coach telling SportsMediaset they “can play even better,” (h/t Football Italia ). If they do, Massimiliano Allegri and Roberto Pereyra will be enjoying many more victories together at Juventus and it is nothing less than they both deserve.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1ExRRXg
via IFTTT March 19, 2015 at 05:00AM
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