Juventus-Milan Play-by-Play: Spalletti Celebrates, but Marelli Sounds the Alarm

Less VAR and more on-field decisions: Even in the Juventus-Milan match, there was an incident that sparked debate and highlighted the new standard set by referee coordinator Daniele Orsato. De Winter’s challenge on Kolo Muani led to Cissé’s goal, but it was marred by contact that last season would have been subject to an on-field review.

That wasn’t the case on Sunday night, however: a decision that Luciano Spalletti welcomed in his postgame comments. “The approach being taken is correct: we’re aligning with European standards; borders no longer exist. If you want to play in Europe, you have to adapt: these aren’t fouls, and they don’t call them—and that’s the right way to do it. ‘Contact’ is nothing. Either there’s an impact, a foul, or it should be called something else. I’m not going to complain about these things.”

DAZN’s video analyst Luca Marelli, however, warned everyone about the new standard while commenting on the incident: “I’m fine with this use of VAR, but my hope is that they don’t overdo it.”

According to Marelli, there’s a high risk of inconsistent decisions: “What needs to be looked at and evaluated is the Juventus player’s left foot and De Winter’s right foot, which makes contact with the Juventus player’s foot with the tip of his toe. The Rossoneri player’s heel makes contact with the middle of the Juventus player’s foot: in my opinion, this is a foul that could have warranted a review. It was probably assessed as a judgment call on the field. But we’re in the 28th match, and we don’t know what the standard will be…”.