a friable but revengeful Juventus awaits FC Nantes

End of the wait, European competitions resumed their rights this week. After the defeat of PSG against Bayern (0-1) in the Champions League on Tuesday, it is the turn of FC Nantes, current 13th in Ligue 1, which returns to the lawns of the Europa League with a long-awaited poster against Juventus , at the Allianz Stadium in Turin this Thursday, during the round of 16 first leg. A duel which may prove impossible for the Canaries but the complicated situation that the Bianconeri have been experiencing since the start of the year could redistribute the cards in this double confrontation. With the legal problems experienced by the Piedmontese club, the players of Massimiliano Allegri want to offer entertainment to tifosi in search of positive sensations.

“We did the best we could to prepare for this big meeting on Thursday. After we know that in front, it is a very very big piece so you can have it well prepared and take a slap. And sometimes you prepare a date very badly, you end up winning and you don’t understand why. We did what it takes to arrive with our heads freed but it’s a big European despite the problems that Juve are encountering today. We will remain humble, we will see what it will give on Thursday. There is fatigue, we play every three days, we need to recover because we give our all. There is no easy match, no opponent gives us gifts, we will get the points.then analyzed Antoine Kombouaré after his team’s victory against Lorient.

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A sick defense

“I don’t even know what Juve did this weekend, I don’t even know which players are in the Juve squad. I will wait for Tuesday, tomorrow we have a clean-up and then I will concentrate on this match quietly. It’s just a bonus. We approach this match with a lot of serenity. There is no excitement, we have time”. This declaration by Kombouaré last weekend did not leave the supporters of the Yellow House indifferent. However, there are things to be noted in this Juventus version 2023. Already defensively, since the end of the international break linked to the World Cup in Qatar, Juventus have put away their solid defense suit, even though they had chained a total of ten consecutive clean sheets between October 2 and January 7. But these statistics hide certain evils, including defensive reactivity and organization which could benefit Marcus Coco, Ludovic Blas, Evann Guessand or even Moses Simon. As a reminder, Ignatius Ganago, bereaved by the death of his daughter, will not make the trip.

In recent weeks in the Italian league, the Bianconeri have conceded five goals against Napoli, three goals against Atalanta and two against Monza. Brazilian defender Gleison Bremer, who arrived this summer from Torino, is still struggling to assume his role as a rock in the Turin defense. Just like Federico Gatti who, despite good defensive performances, is looking to be more consistent this season. After missing the last seven games of Serie A, the captain of Juve, Leonardo Bonucci will nevertheless sign his big comeback after a long abductor injury from which he suffered since the beginning of January. As for Daniele Rugani, he only appeared once in 2023, victim of a tactical reconstruction by Allegri, preferring to align two attacking full-backs (Alex Sandro, Danilo) in his central hinge in order to erase the lack of realism in the Turin midfield.

The offensive paradox

While Antoine Kombouaré’s players have only conceded two goals in seven Ligue 1 games since the resumption of the championships. With their solid defense, the Canaries will be able to count on these centrals Jean-Charles Castelletto, Andrei Girotto or even the winter rookie João Victor, whom the New Caledonian coach is using more and more. According information from Gazzetta dello Sport, Massimiliano Allegri should opt for an attacking trio this Thursday, consisting of Dušan Vlahović, Angel Di Maria and Federico Chiesa. It will only be the second time this season that the three players have been lined up together from kick-off, due to the triangle’s many physical glitches.

The Italian coach developed a first test of this trident against Fiorentina on Sunday (1-0), which was not a clear success. With the performance displayed, they will have to, against Nantes in the Europa League, be more present on the covers without the ball, the defensive returns, while improving the combinations in the possession phase since against the Viola, the lack of automatisms between the Serbian, Argentinian and Italian made themselves felt, thus leaving doubt as to their complementarity and their future realism against Nantes, renowned for their defensive organization. And it is here that the Turin paradox arises since despite the high-sounding names, they do not have a productive attack with “only” the sixth most effective in Italy.

An expected reaction

Because of the 15-point penalty, imposed for illegal capital gains, Juventus has been sailing in troubled waters since the resignation of its entire board of directors, including ex-president Andrea Agnelli and even advisers Maurizio Arrivabene and Pavel Nedved. It is also said that new sanctions, set at 20 other penalty points, could be decided by the Tribunal of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), which would place the Piedmontese club in 19th position with 9 points.

Like FC Nantes, which is the only French club in the running in three competitions (championship, Cup, Europa League), the Old Lady is betting very dearly on the Coppa, during which she will face Inter in the semi-finals. Milan, but also on the C3 since a victory in this major trophy would allow them to lock in a qualifying ticket for the next edition of the Champions League. In Serie A, the Bianconeri are now 10 points behind the European places. They can, to date, only hope to qualify for the Europa League Conference with an anecdotal 7th position in the standings.