There may have been no goals thus far in the Derby d'Italia, but for once, both Inter Milan and Juventus are playing some exciting football. While both sides have had their chances, most of those taken by the bianconeri have barely threatened the goal of Julio Cesar. On the other end, however, Gigi Buffon has pulled off a string of fantastic saves.
Juventus Vs. Inter Milan, 2012 Serie A: Amazing Gigi Keeps The Score 0-0 At Halftime In The Derby D’Italia
The hosts appeared a bit disconcerted by the way Inter came into the match determined to attack. Considering the recent form of the nerazzurri, it's easy to see why Juventus were taken aback by the early pressure. They responded in kind, but their precision is lacking: over-hit crosses, misplayed passes, skewed shots. Alessandro Matri and Mirko Vucinic have both had prime opportunities, but have either sent them straight at Julio Cesar or missed the mark by a wide margin.
Not so for Inter's attackers -- it seems as though half the side has let off a fantastic shot at goal. Diego Forlan, Joel Obi, and Dejan Stankovic have all had shots knocked away by a flawless Buffon. The keeper responded perfectly to a shot from Diego Milito, flying through the air to knock it away, with Milito unable to do anything with the resulting rebound except sky it over the goal.
So what now? Will Antonio trust that Inter’s aging legs will get tired, and resist change? Will he simply wait until the 60th minute, throw on a defensive-minded player, and return to his conservative ways? Or will it be Claudio Ranieri that starts the tinkering, hoping to save his job by being the first to beat Juventus?
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