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How Massimiliano Allegri masterminded Juventus’ victory over Chelsea

By James Cormack

TURIN, ITALY, SEPTEMBER 29:Massimiliano Allegri, head coach of Juventus, gives indications to his players during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Juventus and Chelsea FC at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, on September 29, 2021. (Photo by Isabella Bonotto/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY, SEPTEMBER 29:Massimiliano Allegri, head coach of Juventus, gives indications to his players during the UEFA Champions League Group H match between Juventus and Chelsea FC at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, Italy, on September 29, 2021. (Photo by Isabella Bonotto/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) /
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How we were all so foolish. Writing off a Massimiliano Allegri-led Juventus under the bright lights of Turin. How naive!

Juventus’ 1-0 victory over Chelsea on Wednesday night was a statement triumph following a difficult start to the season. Back-to-back domestic victories over Spezia and Sampdoria had offered some unconvincing respite, and few foreshadowed the Old Lady churning out that sort of performance against one of Europe’s best.

It was vintage Juventus. A gladiatorial effort facilitated by shrewd coaching, inherent resolve and Chelsea’s indifference.

Here’s how Allegri masterminded Juve’s win over the European champions on Matchday 2 in the Champions League.

An ominous start

Thomas Tuchel’s side started brightly. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Thomas Tuchel’s side started brightly. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) /

Following all the pre-match clatter surrounding the use of Federico Bernardeschi as a false nine, Juventus were under the cosh early.

The hosts started with a 4-3-3 in possession, although the front three rotated positions frequently in the opening exchanges. Bernardeschi wasn’t your archetypal false nine, that’s for sure.

Out of possession, however, was where Juve’s early woes lied. It was a 4-1-4-1 of sorts from Allegri. Bernardeschi led the non-existent press, Federico Chiesa occupied the left, Juan Cuadrado the right, while Manuel Locatelli sat behind Rodrigo Bentancur and Adrien Rabiot in midfield. The plan was to stay incredibly compact and prevent Chelsea from progressing via Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech between the lines. They attempted to do this via Chiesa and Cuadrado, who’d screen their respective half-spaces – the zones that the Chelsea creators occupied.

But, the Bianconeri’s plan failed miserably. With little to no pressure exerted on Chelsea’s defence, they had ample time to pick out their desired progressive option. This was most notable down Juve’s right, where Antonio Rudiger or Thiago Silva had the choice of Ziyech or wing-back Marcos Alonso. If Cuadrado screened Ziyech, Alonso was the ‘out ball’ all the time due to Danilo’s unsure positioning. Should he engage Ziyech between the lines, or cut out the supply to Alonso?

Thus, Chelsea had success progressing down the left early on. They also suffocated Juve via their fierce counter-press, allowing them to sustain pressure on their overwhelmed hosts in the opening ten minutes.

While not much would eventually go right for Tuchel on Wednesday, the German should be credited for totally nullifying Juventus in possession. His 5-2-1-2 saw Chelsea man-mark in midfield, with Ziyech preventing the Bianconeri from progressing via their metronome, Locatelli. The Italian was very much a non-factor in the build-up phase and Juve were often reduced to low percentage long balls.

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