The Old Lady Speaks Podcast, Episode 89: Juventus is playing the survival game

The number of injuries Juventus current has is something we haven’t seen a good amount of time. There are injuries up and down the roster, with the only true position group not effected is that of the goalkeepers, with there always being a risk for injury considering how hard Carlo Pinsoglio celebrates every time Juventus scores a goal.

Somehow, some way, Juventus didn’t lose either of its games this past week.

The two 1-0 wins, first over Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia semifinals and then against Spezia in Serie A, were not pretty. There is nothing all that special with how Juve are playing right now, with the injuries crushing any hopes of Max Allegri rotating his squad and giving some guys some much-needed rest. But, with the two wins, Juventus will take a slight advantage into the second leg of the Coppa Italia next month and then strengthened its hold on fourth place thanks to another Atalanta loss in surprising fashion.

This week was not pretty.

Nor was it anything close to pretty, really.

But Juventus got a pair of wins this week — and that’s better than the alternative at the moment when winning is simply the most important thing of all.

On this week’s episode of The Old Lady Speaks, we discuss:

• Takeaways from the week that was — including Arthur’s sudden improvement with more playing time and just how cruel this game can be. (Sorry, Fiorentina fans.)
• More chat about the week that was, with a focus on how Juventus is just trying to survive the current injury situation.
• Why style points don’t really matter right now.
• A reminder that injuries are quite stupid.
• Looking at how Arthur’s recent run of starts — and improved form — has benefited Manuel Locatelli and what that might mean for the future.
• Twitter questions — including ones about how Federico Chiesa might fit into Max Allegri’s current tactical setup next season, who you would choose between re-signing Paulo Dybala or re-signing Paul Pogba and a few observations about Juve’s triangles vs. Spezia.

You can listen to Episode 89 of The Old Lady Speaks Podcast here:

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