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Juventus and AC Milan failed to deliver anything close to an entertaining spectacle, drawing 0-0 at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday night.
After a cagey first half with very little in the way of chances, there was at least a change in pace for the second 45 minutes. Juve had the first major chance when a cross fell to Federico Gatti a few yards out, but Mike Maignan made an amazing reaction save to deny him.
At the full-time whistle, though, it was Milan who will have felt like they should have come away with all three points. Christian Pulisic failed to convert a penalty that Santiago Gimenez won – missing the target entirely – and Rafael Leao squandered some big opportunities too.
It is another game without defeat at least and another clean sheet to add to the growing list this season, though top spot has been relinquished. What did we learn from the stalemate? Below are five things.
1. Defence continues to impress
Let’s start with the positives. The defensive display against Juventus was indeed on the needed level, with the only big chance for the hosts being a shot from close range. It probably should’ve been a goal, but Maignan was having none of it, and he made an incredible save to keep a clean sheet.
Speaking of clean sheets, this is the fifth in the last six games, with the only goal conceded coming from a penalty kick against Napoli. So, effectively, the Rossoneri have not conceded from open play in over 540 minutes.
The back three did well to contain Juve, which shouldn’t be underestimated given the Bianconeri’s attacking form this season. Down the flanks, Alexis Saelemaekers and Davide Bartesaghi also did well to limit the impact Yildiz and Conceicao had.
Overall, it was yet another defensive masterclass by Massimiliano Allegri and his men.
2. Winning the midfield battle
It was fairly even for the majority of the game, but Milan’s midfield was definitely more impactful. Especially with Luka Modric, who, again, dictated the game throughout the 90 minutes.
The Croatian played a lovely long ball into Santiago Gimenez that resulted in a penalty kick – the Mexican was taken down – then, later on, Modric should’ve gotten an assist too. However, Leao wasn’t clinical enough in front of the goal.
Despite the missed chances, it was evident that the Diavolo had more impact in the middle. It’s just a shame that it didn’t result in more than a point.
Adrien Rabiot and Youssouf Fofana were also solid in the middle. Whilst Rabiot was a bit quieter on the night, he still managed to help a ton defensively and in possession. One thing he lacked a bit was the final pass, but overall a solid game.
3. Gimenez improving
The Mexican got his first goal of the season against Lecce, but he has failed to continue that in Serie A.
His performances have improved drastically, though, and the lack of goals is a bit deceitful now. In the first half, Gimenez had a chance where he dribbled past the whole Juve defence inside the box, but his shot ended up in the keeper’s hands. Regardless, the confidence shown and execution was near perfect.
In the second half, he was unlucky not to score from a header which went inches past the post.
From an overall perspective, the Mexican pressed really well, putting a lot of energy into the game. He also shielded the ball on numerous occasions and was a facilitator on the night, as he also won the penalty.
He is seemingly putting in the work, and Allegri is giving him confidence. So, don’t be surprised if the goals start pouring all of a sudden.
4. Pulisic miss and penalty issue
We have to talk about that missed penalty. Unfortunately for Christian Pulisic, he’s the flop this time around, after being the main man for the last few weeks.
The attacker did well before that penalty, and the miss itself was just poor; he didn’t make good contact with the ball. You at least expected the penalty taker to hit the target, and chances are the keeper is diving the other way. So, hypothetically, the ball goes into the back of the net without needing to be in the corner.
The reaction after the miss was positive by Pulisic, who dribbled past a few Juve players and fired a low, driven shot that was saved by Di Gregorio. However, we just can’t pick positives out of this attacking performance, and Pulisic needs to do better from the penalty spot going forward.
The other issue here is that the Rossoneri have been missing too many times from the spot. Four misses last season from nine attempts. Now, one from one this season, which is a 50% success rate in the last 10 penalties taken.
It’s fair to say that there were a lot of takers last season, and in isolation, Pulisic has a very good record with 13 penalties scored and just tw misses, so nothing to worry about just yet. The positive here is the player’s reaction after the miss and the support of the coach.
5. Leao fails to make an impact
Leao has been struggling with an injury and came back last week with 20 minutes off the bench against Napoli.
Against Juventus, he was on the bench again and came on in the second half. But he failed to provide the edge his team needed.
Leao missed a very clear chance from close range – he failed to even hit the target – then, if that wasn’t bad enough, he missed another late on. After making a lovely initial run behind the back of the defender, he shot at the keeper and he didn’t really make good contact with the ball.
Given how much quality the Portuguese has, he should’ve scored at least one of the chances, considering he had enough time to react with both of them.
The excuse here could be that he’s just played 40 or so minutes after coming back from the injury. Again, your star player should bury at least one of these chances in this situation, so he is definitely the other flop of the game, in addition to Pulisic.
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