Juventus Dealt A Huge Blow As Bayern Munich Dominate In Germany

By Chelston D'souza
11 years Ago

Gianluca Vialli called it ai???The worst 45 minutes since Conte arrived at Juveai??? and itai??i??s hard to disagree with the former Juventus man. This was a different Juventus from the one weai??i??ve grown to see dominate teams in Serie A and do so without too much effort. This was a Juventus that was outplayed in each and every area of the field. Bayern Munich were rampant and relentless in their attempts to put the game beyond the Bianconeriai??i??s reach but the fact that the score-line read 2-0 to the home side, means Juventus have that glimmer of hope heading into the return leg. Bayern will be kicking themselves considering they could have so easily have scored many more and made the second leg a formality. Die Roten’s attackers made a strong Juventus defense, one that conceded a miserly four goals in the competition, look feeble and handed them their first defeat in Europe this season.

From the minute the first whistle was blown, Bayern put them on the back-foot. Andrea Pirlo uncharacteristically misplaced a pass but that would be theme of his game as the night progressed. Young David Alaba tried his luck from range and the 20 year old was clearly confident and with the audacity of a seasoned veteran. Ai??Not only was his effort from a long way out but it had also to beat Gianluigi Buffon, a keeper who arguably is the best of his generation. A deflection off Vidal coupled with an awkward sway saw the Juventus custodian wrong-footed and with no answer.

Juventus then went on to recover pretty well. They grew into the game with Pirloai??i??s free-kick floating just inches over the bar. But then came the injury to Toni Kroos, the man tasked with man-marking Pirlo. Kroos suffered when Italy met Germany in the Euros. He allowed Pirlo freedom to maneuver and impose his authority on the game. On came Arjen Robben, a testament to strength in depth that Bayern possess. Kroosai??i?? substitution also meant ThomasAi??MA?ller was handed the unenviable job of shadowing Pirlo. An assignment he succeeded at to a great deal.

Pirlo was neutralized and his influence on the game began to wane. The maestro fell short in terms of dictating play and his passes were about as accurate as a Pele prediction. His partners in crime – Vidal and Marchisio – struggled to deal with Bayernai??i??s pressing. Claudio Marchisio, in particular, a man who more often than not is the one you can count on to rise during the biggest of occasions could not come to terms with an overwhelming Bayern side. Il Principino was virtually invisible and you would be forgiven if you mistook his game for an audition for the leading role in the next Hollow Man movie.

Arturo Vidal looked the liveliest of all the Juventus players. He was determined to prove his worth against a team that he declined to join. The Chilean, perhaps, wanted to silence the Bayern contingent that did not hesitate to take verbal potshots at him since his move to Juventus. But that very enthusiasm was emotional as well. At times, Vidal lunged into challenges; he got a bit too excited. His yellow card rules him out of the crucial return leg and he could very well have received his marching orders.

Take no credit away from Bayern, though, they were worthy winners on the night. Jupp Heynckes did his homework on this Juventus side. He employed a well crafted game-plan similar to Interai??i??s which saw the culmination of Juventusai??i?? 49 game unbeaten run. Bayernai??i??s relentless pressing coerced Juventus into making errors. Their attackers hounded the Juventus back-line while Schweinsteiger and Gustavo offered no inch in midfield.

Mario Mandzukic was tirelessly chasing down the Juventus back three like an annoying mosquito circling around your ear, refusing to go away. His persistence would lead the Juventus back-three into careless giveaways. Not only did he sacrifice a lot for the team but he also set-up Thomas MA?ller for the second goal of the night. Another striker, perhaps a more selfish one, would go for goal himself but that assist summed up the kind of ai???team playerai??i?? he is.

Antonio Conte got his tactics wrong. The substitutions were long over-due. When Vucinic came on, he did well. Not only did theAi??MontenegrinAi??manage to hold on to the ball for a longer time than his predecessors but he was heavily involved in Arturo Vidalai??i??s double strike on goal that was thwarted away by Manuel Neuer. Paul Pogbaai??i??s introduction prompted a change in tactics as Juventus began to chase the game but to no avail.

If Bayern Munich were slight favorites before the game, they are heavy favorites to progress now. Juventus can take heart from the fact that Bayern do have the tendency to choke and can become a tad over-confident but they have it all to do at the Juventus Stadium. The loss of Vidal and Lichtsteiner will be hard to over-come. Pogba will deputize for Vidal when the two teams match up next week and the former Man Utd midfielder is more than capable of filling in for the Chilean. The concern, though, remains over Lichtsteinerai??i??s replacement. Simone Padoin is average at best while Mauricio Isla has found it hard to replicate his Udinese form.

But if any team can do it, itai??i??s this Juventus side and it may not be curtains just yet. The fact that they went 49 games unbeaten in Serie A speaks volumes of their mental fortitude. The Juventus Stadium will be a cauldron of noise and the vociferous crowd will be behind their players. Redemption will be a motivational tool and the big players have to stand up to be counted.Ai??

Categories: Champions' League, Features, Italia Serie A, Juventus, UEFA
Tags: Bayern Munich Juventus

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