Juventus 1-1 AC Milan: 3 key takeways as Bianconeri remain winless in Serie A

When Massimiliano Allegri opted to return to Juventus and spearhead a second project in Turin, he certainly didn’t envisage this. He didn’t envisage guiding the Bianconeri to their worst start to a Serie A season in 60 years.

But thanks to a perpetuation of individual incompetence, CONMEBOL’s stubbornness and his own conservatism, that’s exactly what he’s done.

Following their 1-1 draw with AC Milan on Sunday night, Juventus sit 18th in the table having accumulated a meagre two points from their opening four league games. It’s a disastrous start, and Allegri will undoubtedly be ruing what was a major missed opportunity against the Rossoneri considering his side’s fast start and the visitors’ injury woes.

Here are three takeaways from Juve’s frustrating draw with Milan on Matchday 4.

A dominant first-half

Aided by Milan’s inexplicable lack of bodies in defensive transition, Juventus took the lead after four minutes following the most efficient of counter-attacks. An intervention by Alex Sandro, a single touch from Paulo Dybala and the composure of Alvaro Morata were all it took to expose the Rossoneri on the break.

After being fed through by La Joya, Morata burst away from the powerful Theo Hernandez before cheekily dinking the ball over an onrushing Mike Maignan to open the scoring. The sequence kick-started Juve’s best 45 minutes of football in a long time.

The key to the Bianconeri’s fast start was their work off the ball. Pre-match, we noted how Allegri’s side have failed to press with any vigour or success this season. That wasn’t the case on Sunday. While they didn’t press as relentlessly or as high upfield as Liverpool did against Milan last Wednesday, Juventus nonetheless harried and hassled the Rossoneri with dogged persistence in the first half. In a high-tempo contest, it was the hosts that were bringing the intensity and the visitors struggled to cope.

However, it’s worth mentioning that Stefano Pioli’s altered build-up structure played into Juve’s hands. Typically, Milan are proficient at playing out from the back thanks to the natural overload they create in the first phase due to their 3/4-2 structure. On Sunday, though, they built up in a 3-1 with Franck Kessie the sole pivot. Sandro Tonali was stationed higher upfield. This meant Milan struggled to create any overloads against Juve’s first line of pressure.

So, Juve’s shrewd pressing combined with Milan’s build-up woes meant the hosts saw plenty of the ball in the opening period. They were in total control, and their possession play was also brilliant.

The Bianconeri boasted a fluidity in possession that warmed the hearts of their grinning supporters. The structure was similar to the Malmo victory, but more positional rotations took place. Dybala was the protagonist in this regard. Given the licence to roam by his manager, the free-spirited La Joya must’ve covered every blade of the Allianz Stadium turf. He, along with his ever-interchanging teammates, completely compromised Milan’s defensive structure, meaning Juve enjoyed a vast amount of space between the Rossoneri’s lines.

More of the same in the second half, right? Right…?