Italians overwhelmed in Istanbul and Dortmund, Serie A risks losing a large part of its Champions League contingent. Against Galatasaray (Juventus) and Borussia (Atalanta) two feats will be needed.
A Scottish shower useful for waking up Italian football. Juventus and Atalanta are hanging by a thin thread, more out of the Champions League playoffs than in after receiving slaps in Istanbul and Dortmund. We had approached the play-offs in February full of hope, convinced that we had ended up there due to some bad luck and forgetful of what happened a year ago with the three out of three (eliminations) which had left Inter alone in the running until the unfortunate final in Munich.
Red alert, total emergency. Spalletti and Palladino will have to pull off two feats in a week’s time to overturn the verdict against Galatasaray and Borussia Dortmund and above all that of Juventus looks more like a miracle than something programmable from a footballing point of view. Istanbul confirmed itself as cursed for the Bianconeri, this time without the alibi of the snow and the ruined pitch.
The collapse in the second half was total, physical and technical. Juventus gradually collapsed, giving in to the pressure of the Turks, penalized by the expulsion of Cabal which, however, cannot be the explanation for what happened. There was no trace of the proud and never tamed San Siro team, the somewhat trembling team of the early days after Tudor’s expulsion was back, as if the identity painstakingly built in three months of work could have evaporated overnight.
Spalletti talks about strong decisions to be made, heavy choices with in his sights those who were not up to the task: with the match against Como in sight, a fundamental turning point in the chase for fourth place, it is not certain that there is time for the revolution and it is surprising that a group that had shown enormous mental strength in Milan has dissolved in the Galatasaray den. Tuesday was black from all points of view for the Old Lady, forced to also deal with the hand of the sports judge who stopped Comolli (31 March) and Chiellini (27 February) for the loud protest towards La Penna.
Atalanta, however, did not go beyond their limits as required by the match at Borussia Dortmund. Shocking start, suffering spread liberally throughout the match and very few flashes. With this intensity and quality, imagining a different script in Bergamo in a week is an act of faith. Nothing else.
