Psychologists will tell you that delaying gratification can be a powerful thing. Famously, the Stanford marshmallow experiment found that children who could resist eating a sweet treat in return for the promise of a greater reward at a later point went on to achieve better exam results at school. If the same principles can be applied to football, then the 2016-17 class of Serie A might already be doomed.
There was little self-restraint to be found on an opening weekend that delivered 32 goals, three red cards and grandstand conclusions galore. Not even the shortest of attention spans had time to switch off before Serie A’s newly-minted €90m-man, Gonzalo Higuaín, produced a match-winning strike with his third touch in a Juventus shirt.
So much for the Argentinian being weighed down by his price tag. Or, indeed, his pre-season paunch. Higuaín had been left out of the champions’ starting XI against Fiorentina, with even Massimiliano Allegri acknowledging that “Gonzalo did not present himself here in ideal condition”‚ but he came off the bench to snatch an opportunistic goal – clipped home from a yard out after Sami Khedira’s shot was charged down.
The finish was trickier than it looked at a first glance, executed from a tight angle with only a tiny window to slip the ball through, but Juventus fans will have been most pleased simply to see that Higuaín retains his instinct for arriving in the right place at the right time. Afterwards, he encouraged his critics to carry on poking fun at his weight, saying: “That way I can score every week.”
It will be some time yet before we get the full measure of this post-Pogba Juventus team. Higuaín’s talent has never been in doubt, but we still do not know exactly how he fits into Allegri’s tactical plans. The same is true of fellow new signings Miralem Pjanic, Mehdi Benatia and Marko Pjaca, none of whom made it off the bench.
Dani Alves did start at right wing-back, and was a focal point of his team’s play, touching the ball more often than any other player on either team. Tuttosport dubbed him an “instant idol”, though in reality his was a mixed performance – full of personality but undermined by too many loose passes.
On another day, Juventus – who took the lead through Khedira, before Nikola Kalinic equalised against the run of play – would have won this game at a canter. As it is, the champions will be more than satisfied to have three points in the bag and Higuaín off the mark. At this stage last year, they were licking their wounds from a shock home defeat to Udinese.
Memories of Juve’s slow start 12 months ago, and their subsequent stroll to the title, should guide us all against overreacting to any result so early in a campaign. But if we can say that Higuaín was an asset to Juventus on Saturday, then we might also add that he was missed at Napoli.
Caught cold by newly-promoted Pescara, the Partenopei found themselves 2-0 down at half-time. Manolo Gabbiadini cut an isolated figure at the top of the formation, not helped by the fact that Lorenzo Insigne, caught up in a bitter contract dispute, was also well below par.
Both players were withdrawn in the 53rd minute, with Dries Mertens coming on to score twice and rescue a point. The Belgian’s angry look towards the bench after the first betrayed his frustration at always being used as an impact substitute. Napoli, plainly, have questions to answer between now and the end of the transfer window, with Kalidou Koulibaly also unsettled and agitating for a move to Chelsea.
Pescara, though, were a pleasure to watch, and look better equipped to compete at this level they did on their previous brief stay in the top-flight. The Manchester-born Libya international, Ahmad Benali, in particular, caught the eye – opening the scoring in the eighth minute and continuing to sparkle thereafter from his position behind the attack.
If Pescara’s manager, Massimo Oddo, feels any frustration at failing to protect a two-goal lead, then he can at least rest assured that his team are in good company. His former club Lazio were 3-0 up and cruising away to Atalanta after an hour, but ultimately only scraped a 4-3 win with the help of an 89th-minute goal from Danilo Cataldi.
The tension of a helter-skelter finish at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia was only heightened when assistant referee Stefano Alassio collapsed and was carried off on a stretcher. Only later did we learn that he had been experiencing chest pains and was taken directly to hospital.
At San Siro, too, there was late drama as Milan – another club Oddo used to play for – threatened to throw away all their hard work against Torino. Carlos Bacca’s first career hat-trick had given the Rossoneri a 3-1 lead after 90 minutes, but by the 95th they had conceded another goal and given away a penalty.
They were rescued by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who plunged to his left to push away Andrea Belotti’s spot-kick. As a piece of sporting narrative, this was almost too perfect. Torino are managed by Sinisa Mihajlovic – the same man who dared to give the goalkeeper his break at Milan last season, when Donnarumma was still only 16 years old.
“If I’d known this would happen then I would never have given him his debut,” said Mihajlovic afterwards.
That, though, is the problem with beginnings. Not even the psychologists know, in the end, where each one will finish up.
Talking points
Only Roma could win their opening game 4-0 and still leave us wondering whether they lack a little something when it comes to the quality of their finishing. Edin Dzeko added his name to the scoresheet when he side-footed home the third goal from close range, but his imprecision in front of goal both here and in the Champions League play-off first leg draw with Porto last week remains a cause for concern. At least Luciano Spalletti knows Diego Perotti can be relied upon from the penalty spot.
Chievo picked up where they left off last season with a fine opening weekend win over Internazionale. Having already put his team ahead, Valter Birsa tied up the points with what was probably the best goal of the opening weekend, swung violently into the corner from just beyond the D. Frank de Boer has said all along that he will need time to impose his ideas for the Nerazzurri, but Andrea Ranocchia’s familiar failings at the back will not be easy to resolve.
Federico Chiesa, son of the former Italy striker Enrico, made his debut for Fiorentina on Saturday – 14 years after his father’s last appearance for the same club. Juventus Stadium is a daunting place to begin your senior career, and he struggled to make an impact against Giorgio Chiellini et al, but it shows how highly he is regarded that he was given the nod ahead of such players as Cristian Tello or Giuseppe Rossi on the right of attack. Oh, and Gheorghe Hagi’s son Ianis was on the bench for the Viola, too.
Rossi’s role in Florence remains a sore subject, and he was disappointed to once again find himself excluded from Paulo Sousa’s starting XI on Saturday. Although the player does not fit naturally into his manager’s preferred 4-3-3, the impression is that they have not seen eye to eye on a personal level, either. Don’t rule out another move for Rossi before the end of this transfer window.
Results: Atalanta 3-4 Lazio, Bologna 1-0 Crotone, Chievo 2-0 Internazionale, Empoli 0-1 Sampdoria, Genoa 3-1 Cagliari, Juventus 2-1 Fiorentina, Milan 3-2 Torino, Palermo 0-1 Sassuolo, Pescara 2-2 Napoli, Roma 4-0 Udinese.
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion