Breathe: Juventus vs. Roma Edition

I don’t need to remind you that Juventus didn’t play well in the 3-1 loss against Roma. I am very aware that many people are many things — livid and incensed and frustrated, and they’re using lots of very bad words I won’t use here. And people are feeling upset at Allegri and at the team and they think all the players are reading all the newspapers and letting all the talk go to all their heads.

Hopefully I also don’t need to remind you — though I may need to remind Roma — that Juventus play in the Coppa Nazionale final on Wednesday, and oh by the way Juventus just got done defeating AS Monaco in the Champions League semifinals.

Roma is not playing in the Coppa Nazionale final; they lost in the tournament. They lost to Lazio. And Roma is not playing in the Champions League final, and they did not play in the Champions League semifinals, and they did not play in the Champions League quarterfinals, because they lost to Lyon in the Round of 16 of the Europa League.

Good for them, though!

Is it disappointing that Juventus trotted out Mario Lemina, Stefano Sturaro, and Kwadwo Asamoah in a game where it would’ve been beautiful to watch Paulo Dybala, Claudio Marchisio, and Alex Sandro ram the Scudetto down Roma’s throats? Yes, it’s disappointing.

Were Juventus still capable with the lineup today of playing much, much better than this? Of course.

Will the pressure now be turned up a notch even against lowly Crotone? Yep.

But please, let’s remember the following things:

1. Juventus are playing the in the Champions League final for the second time in three years on June 3rd. The opponent is Real Madrid. That is badass.
2. Juventus are playing the Coppa Nazionale final on Wednesday. They are playing Lazio — again — and it will be exciting.
3. Juventus need three points to secure the trophy. Roma can get to 87 points. Juventus currently have 85. And the final two games are against Crotone and Bologna.

Juventus was disappointing this weekend. I don’t deny that. But let’s not completely trash the Old Lady. When the Old Lady is difficult to deal with, you help her across the street.

In other news, at ye olde Mother’s Day brunch today I had a negroni, which always reminds me of Turin.