Juventus were in complete control as they defeated AS Monaco 2-1 (4-1 on aggregate) in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Over 180 minutes they were a class above their French opponents – and plenty of other participants in the European Cup. Real Madrid, or their city rivals Atletico, will have to be outstanding to prevent the Italians from conquering Europe come the final in Cardiff. Here are the three main talking points from Juventus’s triumph:
Monaco can’t pull off upset, what about the future?
Bring on the craziness, the brashness and euphoria of an XI that has enchanted Europe and football this season with refreshing play, and that has even challenged the French hegemony of Paris Saint-Germain. They had after all already scored 150 goals this season in all competitions. That was Leonardo Jardim’s plan, forced by the circumstances – route one and play with freedom, a premium in any semi-final of the European Cup.
The youngsters and the entire Monaco troupe were roaring to consign Buffon and Co to history, but, as early as the 15th minute, Juventus gained total control of the match, in spite of some incisive play from Kylian Mbappe. Bernardo Silva, Monaco’s skillful and gracious number 10, ran in between the lines and troubled Juventus, but Monaco’s resistance was almost a non sequitur in the rational world of Juventus’s team play.
The brazen boys from the principality were no match for the Italians and so a brilliant European campaign, in which Monaco eliminated Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund, came to an end. There is to be no repeats of Monaco 2004 run to the final, when Ludovic Giuly and Didier Deschamps propelled the French club to unprecedented achievements.
So what will the future hold for AS Monaco? Some Premier League clubs are on tenterhooks to lure Monaco’s prodigies with obscene money across the channel and into the morass of English ‘sportainment’. Can Monaco prevent a mass exodus? Russian billionaire owner Dmitry Rybolovlev wants his club to be self-sufficient, so the team may not undergo a total transformation come next season.
Imperious Juventus
Last week, in Monaco, Juventus demonstrated how confident, infallible and unflappable they were, completely at ease in containing one of Europe’s brightest teams, an ensemble of brimming, prodigious players. Under Massimo Allegri, Juventus have been upgraded: Antonio Conte made Juventus good, Allegri has made the Old Lady superb. They are no longer a good team, they are absolutely formidable.
Over 180 minutes they were commanding, two matches that ultimately highlighted the gulf in class between two excellent sides. Juventus had schooled Monaco in the first leg and they did so again in the return leg.
By the end of first half, the Bianconeri had reduced the match to a non-contest and into a practice session, or, in superlative terms, a radiant exhibition of Calcio qualities, a supremacy that was frightening and delightful at once.
Daniel Alves scored his team’s second goal. It was a howitzer, a first-time volley and knockout blow to Monaco. Subasic thought he had punched a corner clear, but Alves watched the ball drop from the sky and caressed it with the top-end of his foot beyond the Monaco goalkeeper.
Perhaps the Brazilian was the man of the match. He has been Barcelona’s loss and Juventus’s gain. Alves has been involved in every goal that Juventus have scored in the Champions League from the quarter-finals onwards. His performances have been nigh perfect.
Juventus have also been near flawless. They may still be miffed that they conceded a goal, a first this season in the knockout stages of the Champions League. It was a blemish on a night when Juventus demonstrated a cunning and canniness, a potency and patience, and a sharpness and talent that befits champions, not just Italian champions – a draw against Roma will suffice – but continental masters of the game.
Can Juventus win the Champions League?
Juventus are the dominant force in Italy, but can they win the European Cup, the silverware they have been longing for ever since last winning the competition in 1995-’96? No team has reached the Champions League final on more occasions than Juventus (six – level with AC Milan), but the Old Lady was defeated in her last four finals. In 2015, Barcelona were too strong at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. The club’s knockout performances suggest that 2017 may well be Juventus’s year.