Serie A briefing: Juventus choke against Sassuolo, Italy hopes national team won't do the same

Juventus Stadium, Saturday night: the ball moved like it had something stuck in its throat. Passes in the final third fizzled out, touches felt heavy, and when the moment of truth arrived from the penalty spot, Manuel Locatelli side-footed a tame shot that goalkeeper Arijanet Muric smothered without needing to stretch. The 1-1 draw with visiting Sassuolo felt like a microcosm of a season in which the Bianconeri keep finding ways to complicate the apparently simple.

Kenan Yildiz had calmed early nerves, latching onto a loose ball and racing clear to score his tenth Serie A goal before his 21st birthday, a Juventus milestone last reached by Roberto Bettega in 1970. Yet the lead never looked secure. Sassuolo, battling an outbreak of whooping cough that forced five players into isolation and briefly raised the prospect of a postponement, equalised when Andrea Pinamonti dragged Gleison Bremer out of position, exchanged passes, and steered in Domenico Berardi’s cut-back.

From there Juventus dominated territory but not clarity. Spalletti threw on Arkadiusz Milik and Dusan Vlahovic, and when the latter was clipped by former teammate Tarik Muharemovic, the referee pointed to the spot. Vlahovic and Yildiz both hovered before captain Locatelli claimed responsibility. Muric, who had already denied Milik athletically, guessed correctly and clutched the weak effort. Two points evaporated, four if you add last month’s squandered penalty against Lecce, leaving Juventus outside the Champions League places on head-to-head record behind Como, who completed a league double over the Turin giants for the first time since the 1950s.

The miss carries wider resonance. Locatelli has quietly been one of Juventus’ most reliable performers since Spalletti replaced Igor Tudor in late autumn, and the midfield is supposed to be Italy’s safety blanket in Thursday’s World Cup play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland. Yet Sandro Tonali has tweaked a muscle, Nicolo Barella is struggling for form, and the collective anxiety is palpable. Federico Chiesa was recalled by Gattuso only to be sent back to Liverpool after medical staff ruled him unfit; Bologna’s Nicolo Cambiaghi took his place. Sassuolo’s Berardi, scorer of more than 100 Serie A goals, remains omitted, insisting he will “keep giving my all” despite the snub.

Inter’s travails feed the unease. Eight points clear at the top, they have drawn their last two league matches, exited the Champions League to Bodo/Glimt, and boycotted media duties after feeling victimised by refereeing decisions. Assistant coach Aleksandar Kolarov reminded everyone the gap could have been 13 points, yet the Nerazzurri look drained. Napoli, ravaged by injuries for months, have won four straight and, with Kevin De Bruyne, Andre Zambo Anguissa and Romelu Lukaku returning, believe they can reel in the leaders. Milan, meanwhile, edged Torino 3-2 and retain slim title hopes.

The fear is that Serie A’s volatility is infecting the national squad. Alessandro Bastoni’s calf issue kept him out of the Fiorentina match; Davide Frattesi has not started for Inter in over a month. Memories linger of May’s Champions League final humiliation against PSG, after which a group of Inter players turned up flat in a crucial qualifier against Norway. Italy cannot afford a repeat. The Azzurri travel to Bergamo on Thursday hoping the club-level jitters amount to nothing more than a brief cough.

Juventus, for their part, must regroup quickly. Spalletti sarcastically suggested holding “a referendum” on future penalty takers, but the joke masks a deeper concern: every stumble tightens the pack behind Como and risks turning a season of promise into one of regret. The title race twists anew; the national team holds its breath.