Juventus: 3 decisions that Andrea Pirlo got wrong against AC Milan

Danilo was Juventus’ most reliable player a few weeks ago, wasn’t he?

“I thought about Danilo because he is a smart player, he can play with two touches and he knows football well,” said Andrea Pirlo after opting to utilise Danilo as a midfielder in Juve’s 3-1 league victory over Lazio.

One of the very few players that have been very impressive under the management of Andrea Pirlo is Danilo. The Brazilian full-back has been an integral part of Pirlo’s plans this season. Consequently, he has played the most minutes out of any Bianconero professional in Serie A this season.

Keeping him out of the starting line-up against AC Milan came as a shock. Andrea Pirlo has found positive results with Danilo starting at the left-back position many times this season. Had he been so determined to play Juan Cuadrado down the right-wing, he could have considered allotting the left-back spot to Danilo.

Since Pirlo chose to play Federico Chiesa down their left-hand side, Danilo would have proved to be the missing piece in the puzzle. Alex Sandro instead was chosen ahead of Danilo.

It was not a nightmarish outing from Alex Sandro. He provided three long balls, five of which were accurate. He made two 2 clearances throughout the game and showed signs of promise.

But things could have been different and maybe more straightforward for Juventus had Pirlo picked Danilo, whose exclusion from the line-up was a decision that Andrea Pirlo evidently might have wrong.