It’s the thought you might have each time Juventus returns to home competitors following an enormous, emotional and bodily draining Champions League win like we noticed a couple of days again in Leipzig.
“Will there be the dreaded Champions League hangover?”
It’s one thing that creeps into everyone’s thoughts irrespective of how a lot you attempt to keep away from it. It’s pure, and there’s nothing you are able to do about it. We’ve seen it too many occasions after an enormous European evening — Juve return to Serie A competitors and … yeah, it’s not all that nice.
That is what Thiago Motta goes to be attempting to keep away from when Juventus faces Cagliari in Sunday’s lunchtime kickoff at the Allianz Stadium. The emotional curler coaster that Motta’s squad went by means of Wednesday is one which we hadn’t seen in a great little bit of time, and now the onus is to strive and keep away from that dreaded Champions League hangover as a lot as doable and to enter the October worldwide break with as many potential good vibes as doable.
Juve’s comeback win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday evening has definitely generated a variety of pleasure surrounding the squad. That is even with the damper that comes with doubtless dropping Bremer for the remainder of the season attributable to an ACL damage. And now with the home scoring streak over and completed with due to final weekend’s win over Genoa, Juve now have the likelihood to enter the break with an entire lot of wind of their sails.
And Motta is aware of it.
“Enthusiasm must be used to do our job well and better,” he mentioned throughout his pre-match press convention Saturday. “We want to maintain it but it depends only on us. The more enthusiasm there is, the better.”
No matter who you’re dealing with after an enormous Champions League win, ramping issues again up is at all times going to be an enormous a part of how profitable you’re going to be in the recreation after the massive recreation. Considering the proven fact that they’re dealing with a Cagliari staff that simply claimed their first win of the season a couple of days in the past and entered the weekend sitting simply outdoors the relegation zone. Yeah, certain, it’s early in the season, however for a staff that simply barely escaped relegation solely to be proper again there in any case of six video games in the new marketing campaign, it’s not precisely an encouraging signal irrespective of if Claudio Ranieri is there or not. (He’s clearly not as of late and I hope he’s having fun with retirement and plenty of good wine.)
But with that comes the expectation that Cagliari, a staff that at the moment sits sixteenth in the Serie A desk, might be going to do its greatest to sit down again and strive and have Juventus break them down with numbers behind the ball. We know that, previous to final weekend’s win over Genoa, an opposing staff doing that has given Juventus some points. We noticed it towards an Empoli staff that's now beginning to cool off after their sizzling begin. We noticed it towards higher competitors like Napoli and Roma, too. So as a lot as Juve getting issues proper in the second half towards Genoa was encouraging, it’s about really being ready to do what they did popping out of halftime at the Marassi on a extra constant foundation.
And perhaps even in the first half, too.
We understand it was (for the most half) a cheerful Wednesday in Germany for Juventus. But now to keep away from Hangover Sunday and head into the break inside touching distance of that maniacal man in Naples who has his time atop the Serie A desk, there’s nonetheless enterprise to do.
TEAM NEWS
- As was made official on Thursday, Juventus star heart again Gleison Bremer has torn his ACL in his left knee and will bear in the coming days. While Juventus haven't formally launched a timetable for his return, it's extensively assumed that he won't play in one other recreation this season.
- The different half of the early damage barrage from the win over RB Leipzig, Nico Gonzalez, is probably going out for no less than a few weeks with a muscle damage in his proper thigh.
- With Gonzalez injured, one in every of Wednesday evening’s heroes, Francisco Conceição, is in line to make his first begin as a Juventus participant. He will most likely get a pleasant reception by the dwelling followers in Turin.
- The different three injured gamers aren't any shock, both: Arek Milik, Timothy Weah and Vasilije Adžić. Milik, who underwent another knee procedure earlier in the week, might not be obtainable till the starting of 2025.
- Weah did return to coaching on Friday, however clearly isn’t able to be referred to as as much as the matchday squad simply but.
- Two names that Thiago Motta threw on the market as potential options in the heart of protection attributable to Bremer’s damage: Manuel Locatelli and Nicolo Savona. “Having an intelligent player in that position would make me the happiest coach in the world. Let’s see how it goes in training,” Motta mentioned.
JUVENTUS PLAYER TO WATCH
We noticed an entire lot of issues Wednesday evening in Leipzig. Both good and unhealthy.
One of the most spectacular ones that has flown beneath the radar a bit bit contemplating the whole lot else that occurred? (And it was loads!) Let’s simply say it was the efficiency from this younger man under, who out of the blue finds himself righting the ship after a little bit of a wrestle to begin the season and life beneath Thiago Motta.
Nicolo Fagioli’s efficiency towards RB Leipzig was very a lot one that's simply his better of the season. It could have the truth is be up there with the better of his younger profession, one that's hopefully getting again on observe now that he’s beginning to really shake the rust off after being suspended for a lot of final season.
Case in level: Fagioli accomplished all however one in every of the 63 passes he tried towards Leipzig. That one go. he didn’t full? It was be he purposely kicked out of bounds as a result of an opposing participant was down. And let’s not act like they had been simply easy go makes an attempt, both — simply go take a look at what he did on the go to Teun Koopmeiners proper earlier than the phantom foul name alongside the sideline proper earlier than all hell broke unfastened in the second half.
For any person who only a few brief weeks in the past regarded like he was struggling to settle into Juventus’ beginning lineup regardless of Motta giving him a wholesome variety of probabilities, the tide definitely has turned for Fagioli. And very like the staff on the complete that has improved performances of late, it’s now about preserving the optimistic momentum going.
(Now watch Thiago Motta relaxation Fagioli in favor of Locatelli and all of this being a moot level.)
MATCH INFO
When: Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
Where: Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy.
Official kickoff time: 12:30 p.m. in Italy and the Central European time zone, 11:30 am. in the United Kingdom, 6:30 a.m. Eastern time, 3:30 a.m. Pacific time.
HOW TO WATCH
Television: There aren't any over-the-air broadcast options obtainable in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or Italy.
Online/Streaming: Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo (United States); fuboTV Canada (Canada); OneSoccer.com (United Kingdom); DAZN Italia, Sky Go Italia (Italy).
Other reside viewing options may be discovered here, and as at all times, you too can observe together with us reside and all the silly issues we are saying on Twitter. If you haven’t already, join the community on Black & White & Read All Over, and take part the dialogue under.