Too much punishment in Turin

The Juventus Stadium welcomed us with the usual atmosphere of a European night at the home of a great: the deafening atmosphere typical of a fan accustomed to high-flying evenings in this competition not too long ago.

The occasion was ideal to once again tell Europe that this team, despite the current negative streak, is still one of the respectable ones in the elite. After all, the spine is practically the same one that raised the big ear to the sky of Istanbul a year and a half ago. It couldn’t be.

For the match, Pep Guardiola introduced three changes to the eleven: Ederson returned to goal after two games off; Doku, one of those who has shown the most signs of danger lately, returned to the eleven; and Grealish was relatively surprising with his position. The Birmingham player played in a position that Guardiola loves: as a midfielder.

a first half without much offensive presence from anyone

The first part, to be realistic, will not go down in the annals of history for its spectacular nature. However, I liked that City accumulated a lot of possession and, above all, that they did not show any sign of defensive fragility.

As far as the Bianconeri’s danger is concerned, it is hardly necessary to highlight a shot from Yılmaz who brushed past the post of the goal that Ederson was defending. It seemed like the Brazilian goalkeeper had it under control.

On the Cityzen side, we must highlight the clearest chance of the entire first half. It was a luxury combination between his two best partners: Kevin de Bruyne and Haaland. In the 40th minute, the Belgian filtered a fantasy pass for the Norwegian, which Haaland finished off with class. Di Gregorio excelled to score his shot.

Juve does not forgive when it arrives

After the break, the match gained intensity. Unfortunately for our interests, in the first really clear one that Thiago Motta’s team had a clear idea, they did not fail.

In the 53rd minute, Ederson had to work hard to prevent Gatti’s goal. In the first one, he was able to save him. Not in the second play that followed this action. Vlahovic hit a header after a lateral cross from the left. The Brazilian goalkeeper got the ball out of his way as best he could. It seemed like he had done it on the same goal line, but the clock Clément Turpin vibrated. The ball had entered by just a few centimeters.

The goal caused City to take a step forward, now much more focused on the attack. They were the best moments for Guardiola’s men, who sought and surely deserved the goal.

Bernardo Silva had it first with a dangerous shot that the Turin defense sent for a corner. Then De Bruyne shot too wide. Of all of them, the most frank was for Gündogan. The German midfielder received from the front, raised his head and put it in the corner. Di Gregorio flew to save a called goal.

When City was at its best, a final splash of cold water arrived. Juventus found space on the right wing and Weah’s cross was volleyed by McKennie. Ederson touched it again, but the shot was very powerful. 2-0.

Without time for much more, the Skyblues could not get themselves together. The match ended with a much stronger result than what had been shown on the pitch, but the truth is that City cannot get out of this slump at the moment. Fortunately, the current system benefits us and we still have intact options to qualify for the round of 32.

teams

JUVENTUS: Di Gregorio (GK), Gatti, Locatelli, Danilo (C), Francisco Conceição (McKennie, 68’), Koopmeiners, Vlahović (Mbangula, 84’), Kenan Yıldız (Douglas Luiz, 84’), Kalulu, K. Thuram (Weah, 68’), Savona

Unused changes: Perin (GK), Pinsoglio (GK), Adžić, Fagioli, Rouhi

CITY XI: Ederson, Walker (C), Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis, Gündoğan, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Doku (Savinho, 79′), Grealish (Nunes, 87′), Haaland

Unused changes: Ortega, Hudson, Kovačić, Foden, Wright, Simpson-Pusey, O’Reilly, McAtee, Wilson-Esbrand

what it means

The result means that City are left with eight points after six games. We are currently in 22nd place with two games left in January.

We will travel to Paris to face PSG and then we will welcome Club Brugge at home.

what’s coming

City returns to the Premier League with a big match next Sunday, December 15, when we will play at home against Manchester United.

The Manchester derby will be played from 16:30 UK time, a great opportunity to change our dynamic.