Juventus Massimiliano Allegri showed no remorse for choosing Arkadiusz Milik over Kenan Yildiz in Saturday’s 1-1 home draw against Empoli. Speaking to the press in the post-game conference, the experienced coach admitted he picked the Pole due to his ‘good form,’ insisting he has no regret for making such a choice.
Milik returned to the starting XI after surrendering his place to up-and-coming Turkish prodigy Yildiz amidst an injury crisis at the Allianz Stadium. However, he failed to repay Allegri’s trust. Instead, he committed a costly error, which knocked Juventus down from a seven-game winning streak in all competitions.
In an innocuous situation at the halfway line, Milik made a mindless tackle on Empoli midfielder Alberto Cerri. Referee Livio Marinelli showed him a yellow card at first. But after consulting with the side-pitch monitor, he overturned his decision and rightfully gave the veteran forward his marching orders.
Reduced to ten men, Juventus struggled to gain a foothold in an uneventful contest. Despite taking the lead five minutes after the interval through in-form Dusan Vlahovic, the record-time Serie A champions had to settle for a gut-wrenching point.
Tommaso Baldanzi leveled the score midway through the second half to land a substantial blow on Juventus’ title prospects. With two games in hand, Inter can return to the table’s summit with a win at Fiorentina on Sunday night, as only two points separate the sides ahead of the evening kick-off.
While waiting for standout forward Federico Chiesa to regain full fitness, Allegri remains strapped for reliable attacking options. Yildiz has demonstrated glimpses of his burgeoning talent as he partnered with resurgent Vlahovic during the festive period. However, at 18, he’s still too young to be trusted into the spotlight.
On that basis, Moise Kean’s impending transfer to Atletico Madrid makes little sense. As per Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, the Italian striker will be in Spain within 24 hours for medicals before completing his loan switch to the Metropolitano Stadium as Juventus sanctioned the deal.
Despite struggling for form and consistency, the injury-prone forward would still be a decent alternative for Juventus. However, they’ve put him up for sale, even though they’ve yet to find a replacement. Saturday’s game against Empoli showed just how costly that decision could be.
Elsewhere, Frosinone director Guido Angelozzi recently confirmed Juventus and Matias Soule have turned down a lucrative approach from Saudi Arabia. In an interview with DAZN via Gianluca Di Marzio, he revealed the player’s ambition to stay in Italy amid growing interest from the Middle East.
Given the injury and suspension crisis, Juventus were reportedly keen to recall the highly-rated youngster from an outstanding loan spell at Stadio Benito Stirpe. But they seem to have discarded that possibility. Soule will return to base at the end of the season, nonetheless.
Juventus refused to insert a buyout clause in his loan agreement with Frosinone, depriving the promoted Serie A outfit of the chance to sign their rising star. However, Allegri needs a new forward now to bolster Bianconeri’s Scudetto hopes.
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