Nine points behind AC Milan, Juventus have little hope or virtually no hope of coming anywhere near the Serie A title this season. Even if the fans are praying for a miracle, coach Massimiliano Allegri has ruled out any such possibility. He said: “There are too many points to make up on the three teams above us. We would need to always win, it’s impossible. We must focus on fourth place and improving our performances.” Whatever may be said about the Italian, he is a practical person and has a clear idea about his team’s strength and weaknesses. Given what he had to say, the 1-1 draw against Atalanta in their 25th outing was perhaps a result Allegri won’t be too unhappy with though things looked seriously wrong till the injury period. With this result, Juventus have managed to hold on to their fourth place, grimly though, a position that would keep them in the running for the Champions League. The first three teams – Milan (55), Inter (54) and Napoli (53) – stand comfortable, but Juventus are a distant fourth with 46 points. Atalanta are breathing on Juventus’s neck with 44 points and having played a match less, but the immediate danger has been averted.
Well, but for defender Danilo header at the stoppage time that brought the equaliser, the Old Lady would have left for the dressing room leaving three points and the fourth place on the pitch. The Brazilian did brilliantly to nod home the corner kick as late as in the 92nd minute. Otherwise, the superb shot from Ruslan Malinovskyi that put Atalanta in the lead would have given their rivals the much-needed victory. The Juventus fans can always claim their team were better on the pitch. But then, why didn’t the likes of Vlahovic and Dybala finish those chances came their way? Atalanta were a depleted side to an extent – their main striker Duvan Zapata and goalkeeper Juan Musso – didn’t play the match. Yet, Juventus couldn’t take advantage of it. Max Allegri perhaps heaved a sigh of relief after the match, but it was certainly a temporary one.