Despite a shock weekend loss to Parma, there are few worries to be had in the Bianconeri’s upcoming Champions League tie against Monaco.
The loss to Parma was an accident and nothing more, that is certain. Juventus are a much better team than Monaco, learning nothing new there. Juventus were fortunate to land Monaco in the quarter final draw, absolutely.
Juventus will beat Monaco and could do so with Andrea Pirlo’s left leg only.
Monaco’s progression past Arsenal in the Round of 16 seems to have many throwing several caveats in this tie regarding Juventus’ need to be careful.
The fact remains that Monaco have squeaked by in the Champions League ever since the group stages. Monaco topped their Champions League group C — it included Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica and Zenit St. Petersburg — with three wins and having scored a paltry three goals. Indeed, it makes the three goals they scored in 90 minutes against Arsenal all the more startling.
In fact, the entire context of that game must be reevaluated. Monaco came into the game not only as underdogs but with a decimated starting lineup. On the other hand, Arsenal approached the tie with an overzealous confidence Juventus are not likely to fall prey to.
This is where Massimliano Allegri makes a difference.
There is a old French proverb that says it is best to warn before one must resort to curing. The phrase describes Allegri well enough, being a coach who seldom welcomes the “favourite” tag and even when he does always stresses the necessity not to underestimate the opponent.
On top of the coach’s general attitude, Juventus have had more than enough experience/practice in taking on sides such as Monaco over the last few years.
There are two faces to Monaco’s: the Ligue 1 team and the Champions League one. The latter is a more tentative and reactive one, and the one Juventus will face come Tuesday.
Monaco won’t press Juventus high up the pitch, they will instead contain and look for counter attack opportunities. This is the kind of tactic most Serie A teams have often employed against Juventus over the last three seasons. One way or another, and more often than not, Juventus have found a way past them.
The other reality to put back into context is Monaco supposed defensive ‘solidity’. Up until Geoffrey Kondogbia’s fantastic strike, Arsenal were carving through the Monaco defence at will.
Were it not for a particularly wasteful Olivier Giroud on the night, well this feature would have never been written. Even in the second leg, Arsenal managed two goals and were only a ball’s width away from the crucial third after Theo Walcott’s shot crashed against the upright.
If any were to look for reasons for a potential Juventus hiccup against Monaco, most would point at the absence of Paul Pogba. After all, the Frenchman keen eye for long-range shot has saved Juventus on numerous times against particularly stubborn defences.
However, without worrying too much about the Monaco team that will travel to Turin, Juventus have plenty more weapons in the shape of an in-form Alvaro Morata, an irresistible Carlos Tevez, a Pirlo free kick, or even a Leonardo Bonucci goal off of a set-piece.
Whether it is by a small or large margin, Juventus will comfortably overcome Monaco and there is absolutely nothing to fear from Monaco. If history is anything to go by, back in 1997-98, Juventus had defeated Monaco 6-4 on aggregate in the Champions League semi final.
But all this to say that, in spite of the Ligue 1 side’s Round of 16 exploit, the moral of the story shall perdure: Allegri has got it covered and lighting doesn’t strike twice.
