A familiar problem concerns Juventus again as great chances were squandered and strikers proved ineffective allowing Lazio to walk away with a place in the final of the Coppa Italia.
If tonight proved anything, it was that squad depth is a problem reminding us of a great Marco Ansaldo quote from La Stampa earlier in the season. "This confirms that not even the best team in the league can replace men with the ease with which Liz Taylor changed husbands."
- Match stats: Lazio 2-1 Juventus
The Bianconeri midfield lacked quality and structure while the defence continued to look vulnerable without the man tasked with winning aerial duels -- Giorgio Chiellini. With Juventus unable to impose their pace to maintain a fast rhythm, Lazio's effective midfield excelled in limiting the Old Lady's potency. Defending in numbers, the Biancocelesti demonstrated their quality all over the pitch and worked in unison to achieve a positive result.
When forced to defend, Vladimir Petkovic's men would have six defenders lined up to fill the gaps while a further two worked on closing down the Juve player with the ball. Applying an overwhelming amount of pressure and playing with intensity, Lazio left Juventus feeling incapable of overcoming the obstacles.
Without reliable wing-backs and Andrea Pirlo's ability to spread play, the Bianconeri were too reliant on intricate passing in the centre of the box -- as if they were going to pass the ball into the back of the net. It was all too easy for a Lazio side that had up to eight defenders in the box to help block Juve efforts. Rather than stretching play and pulling defenders away to create gaps for the runners from midfield, the Old Lady was far too predictable in her approach.
Unfortunately for Antonio Conte's men, the few good chances that were created were either placed wide or shot straight into Federico Marchetti's hands. Sebastian Giovinco is a tricky player with breath-taking skill on the ball, but for a few games now he has proved disappointing. Without pace to outrun his markers, he must rely on his superior ability to get past and yet he consistently failed to overcome any Lazio defender tonight. His small stature and frustrating knack for shooting straight at the opponent led to a countless amount of falls in the box -- all in search for that penalty that would save the day. He cried wolf on so many occasions than when Giovinco was truly fouled, the referee waved play on since he lost all trust in the player.
Defensively, Juventus miss Chiellini terribly. His organisation and leadership qualities are essential both in defence and attack and without him; his team is suffering, especially on set pieces. Tasked with winning aerial duels and providing the necessary last minute tackles, the absent defender would have had the ability to impose his strength effectively.
Chiellini has played 19 matches for Juventus this season, 13 Serie A matches and six Champions League games. In those 19 games that Chiellini played in, Juventus only have conceded 12 goals -- on average that is 0.63 goals conceded per game.
In the last eight matches played without the Italian defender due to injury, the Old Lady have conceded nine goals -- giving her a new average of 1.12 goals conceded per game.
His replacement, Federico Peluso on this occasion was woeful. He failed to realise the Christian Ledesma pass until it was too late permitting Alvaro Gonzalez to head in a superb opening goal. The defender has yet to prove that he is worthy to play for the Italian champions.
Kwadwo Asamoah was also greatly missed in that he is clever with his runs forward and disciplined enough to contribute defensively, aware that his pace makes the difference. Without him present to pressure the opponent and stretch the Lazio back-line, Juventus looked weak on the flanks.
In the second half, Conte brought on Pirlo to better spread the ball and dictate tempo. Claudio Marchisio was also brought on to provide better quality in midfield as well as offer another dimension to the attack. With them aboard, the team looked more organised with other avenues explored. However, it was Arturo Vidal who finally scored the equalising goal only to see his side concede a minute later from… another header.
In terms of excitement, this was an exhilarating spectacle. Two goals scored in injury time in addition to a beautifully squandered opportunity, the fans could barely cope with all the nerves. Unfortunately for Juventus, this defeat ends their quest for the silver star. Congratulations Lazio.