Juventus 0-0 Inter: 1st half tops and flops
The top two teams in Serie A took the pitch 45 minutes ago in a battle for league supremacy. A rather lackluster first half saw the teams even, heading into the dressing room.
Juventus has looked the stronger of the two sides so far, but haven't been able to capitalize on multiple opportunities.
Here are the TOPS and FLOPS from an exciting/sloppy/even first half:
TOP: Samir Handanovic (Inter Milan) – The goalkeeper robbed Mario Mandzukic form point-blank range in the 8th minute. Had the Croatian’s shot went in, it would’ve sent an already raucous Allianz Arena into the stratosphere, and made an Inter comeback a mountain that much higher to climb.
FLOP: Paolo Dybala (Juventus) – The trequartista is unhappy that he’s begun the match on the bench. However, his lackluster play of late, combined with Mario Mandzukic’s strong half proved that keeping him on the bench was the right decision by Allegri.
TOP: Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) - The most dangerous player on the pitch. You'd be forgiven for forgetting that he's just returning from injury.
FLOP: Miralem Pjanic (Juventus) - The dead-ball specialist did not live up to added pressure with Paulo Dybala out. He typically shares duties with the Argentine, but was unimpressive all by his lonesome in the first half.
TOP: Max Allegri (Juventus) – The Bianconeri manager came in with a strong game plan and got his players to stick to it. Though the first half remained scoreless, his side came out better prepared as they out-shot their opponents 7-0.
FLOP: Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan) - The lineup says he's playing, but we haven't seen him on the field.