Juventus were in complete control as they beat AS Monaco 2-1 at home in the Champions League semi-final second leg on Tuesday night to progress to the final in Cardiff 4-1 on aggregate.
After Monaco started the better of the two sides, Mario Mandzukic broke the deadlock before a Dani Alves volley just before the break made it 2-0 to the hosts. Kylian Mbappe then pulled on back for the away side but it was too little to late.
Here, we analyse the performance of the two managers.
Shots – 11
Shots on target – 2
Pass success – 84%
Aerial duel Success – 17%
Dribbles won – 9
Tackles – 17
Possession – 48.3%
Shots – 15
Shots on target – 6
Pass success – 83%
Aerial Duel Success – 83%
Dribbles won – 7
Tackles – 19
Possession – 51.7%
Monaco had to go for the jugular in this one but while a heightened sense of aggression was certainly called for, Jardim may have taken it one step too far by employing a three-man defence. In a clash of this magnitude and against a team so well-versed in the system, it proved to be rather unnecessary risk, at least to start with.
While the visitors definitely began brightly, as they did in the first leg, the system left them vulnerable to the counter-attack and Juventus took advantage of that expertly. Virtually every chance and the opening goal in particular came from a quick break away.
There wasn’t much to separate the two sides in the first leg and perhaps going gung-ho in the opening 45 minutes wasn’t the way to go. It only served to allow Juventus to kill off the tie before the break.
The Juventus supremo got his tactics spot on, but then again it wasn’t exactly a masterstroke, it was just what they do. The two-goal advantage from the first leg set things up perfectly for them. They remained solid at the back and countered when they got the opportunity.
The way Mario Mandzukic was used though was impressive. The striker occupied space between Djibril Sidibe and Andrea Raggi superbly and used his height to dominate the latter every time he made a run in at the far post. His run in behind the defender for the first goal was excellent.
What Allegri would’ve told his troops before the game though was not to concede an early goal and they seemed to make a conscious decision to sit back early on and remain compact, particularly in the opening quarter of an hour.
Max Allegri has reached the final in 5 of the 6 competitions he has competed in as Juventus manager:
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 9, 2017
3/3 Coppa Italia
2/3 Champions League pic.twitter.com/IIfOlrfrBy
The Monaco boss cut a frustrated figure for the most part, mulling over what he could change in order to break through Juventus’ stubborn defence. Even when Mbappe scored, he was unmoved, fully aware of the impossible task they were still faced with.
Despite being in control of the tie, the Italian was the more animated of the two managers. Even when 2-0 up he continuously gestured on the touchline to urge his side to keep their shape and was furious when Monaco pulled a goal back. He only broke into a smile when the final whistle was blown.
Credit to him for attempting something different in order to gain the upper hand with a change in formation but it didn’t pay-off. He can feel aggrieved that his side once again failed to take their chances. A more clinical display could’ve made for a much closer contest.
The Italian tactician didn’t have to do anything out of the ordinary but where he did excel was in ensuring that his team didn’t become complacent.
I hope Monaco win the league this year. Jardim and his boys deserve something this season
— Ottoman (@ussy11) May 9, 2017
Jardim is still one of the best managers in the world
— Declan (Salad) (@ZinedineZelaIem) May 9, 2017
Allegri has taken Juve to 2 CL finals in 3 years meanwhile the best Conte got with Juve in the CL was the quarters. Levels.
— Loz 🇬🇧 (@GiroudoIogy) May 9, 2017
@Squawka same allegri that was sacked by @acmilan ??
— Ace 🔥🔥 (@krampahjnr) May 9, 2017
Stats from whoscored.com
