Juventus must be wary of Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma in top-four race
An emboldened and proactive Juventus were a breath of fresh air on Sunday night, yet they lost. The Bianconeri were a far cry from their typically pragmatic selves, as Massimiliano Allegri adopted a gameplan very few believed he was willing to oversee.
Against an Inter Milan side who have struggled immensely in 2022, Juve seized the initiative from the get-go and dominated the Derby d’Italia for large swathes. The dynamic of the contest wildly contrasted the two previous iterations of this historic clash; during which Juve attempted to hold off the Nerazzurri akin to a much-unfancied underdog.
But there was a swagger about the Old Lady on Sunday night that we’ve rarely seen since Allegri departed the club in 2019. They were fierce, aggressive and proactive. They looked the superior outfit.
Yet they lost.
Juventus’ defeat in the Derby d’Italia all but ended their Scudetto hopes
A poor officiating performance from Massimiliano Irrati certainly hindered the hosts, but Juve’s inability to breach Samir Handanovic’s vulnerable defences can’t be pinned down to refereeing incompetence.
They created enough, that’s for sure, with their expected goals haul almost rising to 2.0. Both the bar and post were struck, while Dusan Vlahovic, Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata combined for 17 shots, of which just three were on target. Juve, in short, were just incredibly unfortunate.
Nevertheless, the defeat all but ends their dream of reclaiming the Scudetto. A woeful start to the campaign combined with a blip in late October left them with far too much to do in this regard. The Bianconeri had to enjoy a near-perfect conclusion to the season to challenge the contenders until the last, and a resilient Nerazzurri, who reignited their own title charge, compromised such perfection.
The idea of Allegri’s plucky Old Lady pulling off a near-impossible Scudetto triumph was a seductive narrative that many brought into, but many supporters awoke on Monday fearing those below the Bianconeri in the Serie A table. Juventus could be ten points adrift of league leaders Milan come Tuesday morning, yet their just five points better off than Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma with seven games to play.
There’s a top-four race still to be won.
AS Roma are Serie A’s most in-form side
Some suspected that the Giallorossi’s season would spiral after Mattia De Sciglio completed an incredible Juventus comeback in that memorable 4-3 win back in January. But they’ve since emerged as one of Serie A’s form sides. In fact, they haven’t tasted defeat since that melodramatic defeat at the Olimpico and have picked up more points in their last six games (14) than any other side in the division.
Mourinho’s side are on a roll and their distinct supremacy in the recent Derby della Capitale depicted their credentials as a late challenger to Juventus for the final Champions League spot. Crucially, Mourinho has shored up their once porous defence. They’ve kept four clean sheets in their last five league outings, with the most recent arriving at the weekend in a deserved win over Sampdoria.
Having been heavily criticised at various points this season, Mourinho seems to have finally found his magic formula. His Giallorossi side, despite their sprinkling of youth, look mature, compact and explosive in attack. They will surely extend their impressive run at home to Salernitana next week, but just how far they can take Juventus in the top-four race will be determined by their efficacy against two Scudetto challengers, Napoli and Inter, later this month.
Roma’s fixture list is tough, unlike Juve’s pretty tame end to the season, but their recent form means they can’t be discounted in the race for fourth. For the time being, though, they appear to be Juventus’ only challenger.