The match of the year is here, where the number one team in
the league hosts the team that started off the season in relegation trouble and
has made an extraordinary comeback to sit four points clear on either side in
third place. Otherwise known as Juventus vs. Milan. What makes it the match of
the year is the bitter
acrimony of last season and also the fact that Milan won the initial
fixture this season due to a controversial penalty awarded us. Also, that Milan
currently enjoy a 14 match unbeaten streak, the best in Serie A this season,
while Juventus enjoy an 11 point lead at the top of the table. So win, draw, or
lose, someone is going to taste the pain.
Juventus’ season has been filled with ups and downs, yet in
a season they should have dominated due to underperformances of the other
clubs, they’ve dominated despite some underperformances of their own. Certainly
if they want to claim that Milan won the Scudetto in 2011 because there was no
real competition, the argument could be made that Juventus made their own and
only competition this season by choking when they should have dominated. That
said, however, after a 1-1 draw with Napoli, they have won their last five
matches, and pretty convincingly, even if they were even more dominated by Bayern in the Champions League Quarterfinals during this same time. So we will face the dominating version of
this year’s future Scudetto winners. And by future, I mean they could wrap up
the league next week if they win on Sunday and then against Torino in the Derby
della Mole next week.
Despite our vindication
in our victory in November, something else we face on Sunday that is
different is Conte. Having served his lengthy ban in the Calcioscommesse farce,
he took another brief vacation or two after accosting referees this season, but
will be on the bench to face his polar opposite and nemesis, Allegri. Where
Conte subs and employs actual tactical changes, Allegri valiantly refuses to make tactical
changes, going down with the ship for it on so many occasions. When Juve score,
Conte erupts into a ball of emotion, whereas when Milan score, Allegri grimaces
as if he’s just passed gas. When things get intense, Conte screams and
gesticulates and menaces and intimidates the refs, whereas Allegri at best will
scream “Dai Dai Dai!” or likely his more recently preferred “Calma Calma
Calma.” One of these managers is likely to taste the pain on Sunday.
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| Hey, stranger. Did you miss us? |
Speaking of the managers, in their 2-0 victory over Lazio,
Conte lined up Buffon; Peluso, Barzagli, Bonucci; Pogba, Pirlo, Asamoah, Vidal,
Lichtsteiner; Marchisio; and Vucinic in a fresh 3-5-1-1 that makes a lot of
sense for the team whose strikers haven't been able to score well. I expect him to mix it up
a little for Milan, if for no other reason than nostalgia, but to stick with
the newer formation. Chiellini was meant to be out for 2 weeks, but is rumored
to be struggling for match fitness for Sunday. It is hard to know which
strikers Conte will use, as they all struggle to score, especially when it’s
important. Coming off of his brace on Monday, Vidal will hopefully act like an
excited puppy, but perhaps with the accuracy of our own Boateng, as he is prone
to do after a big performance.
Meanwhile, Allegri’s got some ‘splaining to do about his
lineups last week against Napoli. Many believe it was his
bizarre lineups and substitutions that cost us the win, he saw the glass as
one point full. Certainly, it can be said that Allegri follows the Forrest Gump
theory of lineups: Lineups are like a box of chocolate, you never know what
you’re going to get. I never know if he’s trolling the fans, trolling the players,
trolling the other teams, or if he simply delusional, but after so much
consistency in the wake of his mind-numbing level of inconsistency that saw
such a poor start to our season, it seems like he is back to his unpredictable
ways with a vengeance.
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| Whether or not he is even there, you can bet there will be racist chants for him |
Also unpredictable: as of this writing, it is unknown
whether Balotelli’s extended 2 match ban will be upheld or overturned in his
appeal. So that unknown (which is supposed to be decided today) puts Allegri’s
lineups into even more question. Certainly, no one will argue that his presence
or lack thereof will be a gamechanger, one way or the other. Having left out El
Shaarawy in the starting lineup for Napoli, sitting Niang more often than not
lately, and continuing to play the mezz’ala Boateng as a striker, surely
Juventus have no idea what to prepare for. Allegri said last week that Robinho
would be an important player for us in these last six matches. However, he
didn’t indicate if that would be from the bench, from Brazil, or what.
He will most certainly start Montolivo in the middle, as no
one burns players out better than Allegri. And Ambrosini is rumored to be fit
again, which is good timing after Flamini’s spectacularly sophomoric tackle
last week that sees him banned for this match. But will he play the underperforming
Muntari or the underperforming Nocerino on the left? Or perhaps actually
put Boateng where he is most effective? I’m not holding my breath on that one.
I would say that Abate, Mexes, and Zapata are the most likely candidates to
start in their respective positions. But will he prefer the “more physical”
Constant at left back? Or the kid, De Sciglio, who bossed Asamoah previously but recently gave up a penalty to show his inexperience?
Given that Asamoah has hardly been any kind of threat this calendar year for
Juve, that question probably doesn’t need to be answered.
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| Let's hope this is the most camera time Signor Banti gets. |
If the referee, Signor Banti, and his crew, don’t play a
deciding factor in this match, Juventus’ home stadium will. The one certain
thing is that, whether or not he is even there, Balotelli will be the victim of
racist chanting. Because despite Juventus’s motto that “winning isn’t
everything, it’s the only thing,” let’s face it, racist chants are what they do
best. And considering that they have abused Balotelli at nearly every other
match Juventus has played, home or away, since he returned to Serie A this
season, why would they stop their monopoly on stupidity now? My only hope is
that if Balotelli does have his ban overturned, he stays calm and answers them
on the pitch. With goals. Plural. I want those idiotic racist fans to taste the
pain. And ironically, most of the Juve fans I know really want them silenced,
too, even if it’s not necessarily with a defeat.
Milan are fighting for Champions League qualification,
something that was only a dream in November. Juventus want to get their
Scudetto wrapped up before they choke and give up any more points. With the
pride and the history and yes, the acrimony between these two teams, it will be
an intense spectacle to say the least. Twenty-two players will enter the pitch,
but how many will be sent off? Will the referee take the spotlight, or will the
game be one to remember for the actual football? At the end of the match, I
hope it is the latter. And if someone has to taste the pain, please, dear gods
of football, can it please just be Juventus?
This post inspired by the music of
the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Juventus vs. Milan
Sunday, April 21 • 20:45 CEST (2:45 EDT)
This match will be broadcast on RAI and BeIn Sport in the U.S.
(check comments for stream links before the match)