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Milan's march shakes up Serie A

China Daily | Updated: 2020-12-28 08:57
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Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo in action in Turin, Italy, on Dec 22, 2020. [Photo/Agencies]

Pirlo's problems

Things are not going to plan at Juventus for new coach and club legend Andrea Pirlo.

Pirlo was tasked with turning Juventus into a more attractive side and ending the club's quarter-century wait for Champions League success, despite it being his very first coaching position.

But the Bianconeri are faltering in Serie A, which it has dominated for the previous nine seasons.

Under the 41-year-old Pirlo, Juventus is having one of its worst starts since 2010 and is 11 points worse off than it was after 13 matches last season under predecessor Maurizio Sarri.

Juve's problem is drawing games it would have previously won. Pirlo's side has already drawn six of its matches this term-more than it has in any of the last eight seasons apart from 2014-15.

Juventus also appears to have become too dependent on Cristiano Ronaldo and struggles when its star forward has an unusually sub-par performance.

Ronaldo and his teammates ended the year with what Juve captain Leonardo Bonucci said was the team's worst performance of the season as it lost 3-0 at home to relegation-threatened Fiorentina.

That was the first time an Italian team had won by at least three goals at Juve's stadium, which it moved into in 2011.

Much of Juve's-and potentially Pirlo's-fate could be decided next month when it travels to San Siro twice in the space of 11 days for key league matches against Milan and Inter.

In-form Inter

The team likeliest to deny Milan the Serie A title appears to be its bitter rival Inter.

Inter has regularly finished in the top four in Serie A over the past few seasons, while Milan has not finished higher than fifth in the league since 2013.

Inter has quietly continued racking up the wins and is on a streak of seven successive league victories.

Inter finished last season just a point behind Juventus in what was the Bianconeri's smallest margin of victory this decade. Coach Antonio Conte started Juve's unprecedented era of dominance-winning three top-flight titles with the Turin club from 2012-14-and could be the man to end it.

Much will depend on whether Inter can avoid what has become a now traditional midseason slump.

The Milan derby is scheduled for Feb 21.

AP

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