Juventus Face the Moment of Truth against a HARD AS THREE NAILS Atletico

This is it. What was SUPPOSED to be a straightforward group for Juventus has now turned to this shit. Juventus HAVE to win, because Atletico are COMING for that ass. Simple as that. No draw, no neutrality...they are hosting the Spanish champions and Allegri has to get the BEST out of the team.

No matter his age, or his wear and tear...Pirlo is PARAMOUNT to Juventus. Even though he does not have the stamina or the legs and can't expect him to get lowdown and dirty, he is the creative genius of the team, the playmaker and the man that gets things going.

Allegri msut know that Simeone will be employing Gabi and Garcia to press him, harass him and just bull the life out of the Italian flair-master. So the directive given to Pirlo must be to offload the ball as soon as possible. That can ONLY work if Juventus use the width of the pitch because whether a player is on Mars or on Krypton, Pirlo will find them.His ability is too great to look past and Simeone KNOWS this.

The worst case for Juventus is if Pirlo is taken out of the game, and we see the less-glamorous side. Because Andrea cannot keep up when Arda Turan will launch a break, and if there are three men constantly around him and he has NOBODY to pass to, the Turin tower will crumble to a billion pieces.

Beyond Pirlo, the role of Pogba and Vidal will pretty much decide the match. IF Pogba and Vidal keep a lid on Turan, Garcia and the gang, then Juventus can win this game. But if they get overrun and they can't really control the battle, then Atletico will knock Juventus out the Champions League.

The defence and attack in football matter, but if you think about it logically; the midfield is the core. If your core does not work, nothing else in your system can operate. The core is what connects everything. It's like the heartbeat. Vidal and Pogba are the mechanics that get Juventus going whilst Pirlo is the creator that can create plays. But my man Pogba is prodigal son who is still growing and learning, but THESE are the kinds of games that turns boys to men....and it will be a great learning experience with so much on the line against one of the best teams that Juventus can play.

It should be a tight game and very closely fought and tactical. But one of the most important areas on the pitch will be that of Chiellini and at the back. Atletico are very physical, tricky and crafty players. So Chiellini will need all his experience and tricks of his own to keep that defence in line. It will NOT be easy, but Buffon is getting old and can we really rely on him in a match of this magnitude? Chiellini will NEED to command and control that defence.


Juventus...PREPARE FOR WAR.


HH