“Shut the fuck up! Do you understand?!”
Even with a comfortable 4-0 lead over Palermo, Juventus icon Alessandro Del Piero did not hold back from berating his young teammate who had the audacity to hit back at the captain’s instructions.
To be fair, Raffaele Palladino was quite young at the time. He rarely caused controversy in his playing career afterwards, so perhaps the legend’s reprimand worked after all.
The retired striker had some fabulous if not extraordinary skills, but at the time, some felt it was his lack of character that was keeping him from reaching higher levels.
Then, in a shocking twist of fate, the 38-year-old led Monza to their first Serie A win on his debut as senior manager, and at the expense of his former club.
So what was the key behind this shocking result, one might ask. Ironically, it was all about the character! The one that Monza wore on Sunday afternoon, and that Juventus has been missing for quite some time.
Now surely Angel Di Maria’s ill-advised elbow doomed the Old Lady’s chances, but Max Allegri’s side was simply embarrassing throughout the duration of the match. In fact, it was the hosts who had the advantage even before the dismissal.
So, to make it clear: a newly promoted team with ZERO Serie A wins to their name, led by a manager with ZERO senior games to their name, was able to beat Max Allegri’s Juventus, and it wasn’t even a struggle.
In recent weeks, we have been wondering whether or not we have hit rock bottom yet. But the above statement is enough. You just can’t make these things up.
So here are some other random takeaways from the embarrassing loss at Brianza:
During the club’s last winning dynasty, observers used to pity any small team facing an injured Juventus. Back then a ruthless reaction was always expected. Not anymore. With the likes of Giorgio Chiellini in the fold, the Bianconeri always had an edge in terms of play. Our defenders used to be the ones who provoked opposing players, culminating in their ejections. Not anymore. After looking lively and enthusiastic in his first outings at the club, Leandro Paredes now seems less and less energetic and far from inspiring. At this point, it seems like Juventus are sucking the life out of their players. Ask Dusan. Max Allegri surely can’t survive for long after such unwatchable displays and humiliating defeats… can he?
