Juve turns out to be addicted to Morata: Dybala is not a forward, here are the ideas for January | First page

Andrea Pirlo blessed the heads of McKennie and Bonucci to win the stamina of a Torino that turned out to be more difficult than expected, but the performance in the derby confirmed once again the absolute dependence of Juventus on Álvaro Morata. Or more generally from a center forward. Dybala’s nth monotonous test ended up dragging a Cristiano Ronaldo to the bottom on a bad day and certified the existence of a not inconsiderable gap in the Juventus team.

CHARACTERISTICS – Thinking of being able to compete again this year on as many fronts as possible with no alternative to the only striker from the summer market – after greeting Higuaín – it seems more and more an exercise in great optimism, perhaps excessive. After all, the numbers speak for themselves up to this point in the season: the duo of Morata and Ronaldo scored 19 of the team’s 31 total goals, leaving the crumbs to his companions and in particular to those of the offensive department. But this is a speech that goes beyond statistics and that slides into tactics and features of the players: those that allow the Spaniard to better occupy the penalty area but also enhance the skills of his teammates with his movements. Without Morata, the last 16 meters of the field in the offensive zone are dangerously unguarded at Juventus and, if Ronaldo does not invent an impromptu play as the remote conclusion, the danger of Pirlo’s formation maneuver is dramatically affected.

A MARKET FOR A FRIEND – January offers the opportunity to correct this defect and fill a void, with Paratici who will have to be good at taking advantage of any opportunity even if he doesn’t have a big budget. So we look at those disgruntled players, little used elsewhere and eager for more continuity: Arkadiusz Milik and Olivier Giroud, both a few months after the expiration of their respective contracts, have these requirements. On the one hand, Napoli’s requests (no less than 18 million euros), on the other hand the prominence that Lampard is willing to return to the French after recent feats may represent obstacles, but at least they require internal reflection. Without a true nine, this Juve struggles.