Lazio – Juventus: A Bad Film Can Still Be Absolute Cinema (1-1)

Two Champions League competing teams still showcased some promising dynamics but fell into a cautious Serie A script that is all too familiar when limited big teams have faced each other. It looked like Juventus had found a way, only for some crazy antics to deny them a crucial victory in Rome.

Tactical analysis and match report by Joel Parker.

Being in the chase for a Champions League spot should be filled with optimism and encouragement, but neither Lazio nor Juventus went into May in a positive state.

Marco Baroni’s team have experienced a second-half slump to the season, culminating in an embarrassing result to fellow chasers Bologna, one win in their last ten games at the Stadio Olimpico, and a Europa League exit to Bodø/Glimt. A taxi driver from Rome’s chaotic streets exposed the feeling of the Lazio owner, Claudio Lotito, who explained that Lazio’s European exit was because his players had “S*** for brains” in an alleged phone call. Maybe the buildup quality can be a better explanation, with a midfield that likes to exit the center but leave huge gaps without threatening the defensive block.

It was only last year that Igor Tudor had replaced Maurizio Sarri in March; now the Croatian returned to the Eternal City in the opposition dugout. Another rebrand of the Juventus play style had failed, executed after some dreadful defeats to Atalanta and Fiorentina, but Tudor has not brought much to solidify a potential future at Juve. However, securing the Champions . . .