Sergio's Grab Bag: Rollercoaster of emotion

Today at 08:05 PM

We talk what these last couple of weeks have been like for Juve fans and a forgotten old favorite.

I bought a used Mercedes Benz a couple years back after saving my Christmas bonus money for years. Owning that car has been exactly what rooting for Juventus these last couple of weeks has been like.

There's been amazing highs ... followed immediately by remarkable lows.

I remember driving that car on a highway for the first time. That gas-guzzling, completely-not-at-all-environment-friendly V6 engine humming along the highway, taking corners beautifully. Barely stepping onto the brake pedal but not losing any amount of grip or control in the curves. You understand why these cars cost what they cost — you are happy, you have arrived. This is perfect.

Juventus miraculously came back against a tough RB Leipzig squad, and they did it all while playing a man down. They played in an instant classic kit that gives every player approximately 25% more aura than they would have in any other scenario. Dusan Vlahovic looked like a goddamn star, Chico Conceição was everything we thought Sebastian Giovinco would become, and the team notched their first big signature win of the season.

Juventus has arrived. This is perfect!

... Oh, no.

Not the check engine light. Please let it be just a dumb thing like the gas cap is not secured properly. Maybe a filter needs replacing? A sensor? Whatever is easiest and cheapest to replace.

Just checking what's wrong costs how much exactly? Where exactly is the MAF sensor and why is it so damn expensive to get it replaced? The motor support breaks, the sweet humming of your engine is now an obnoxious death rattle. Just as you get something fixed, something else breaks down. You hit a pothole with your stupid, impractical — albeit really cool — low-profile sport tire and it explodes on impact. You had no idea a tire could blow up like that. It costs how much to replace, exactly?

This is dumb, I hate this ... why did I buy this thing?

Gleison Bremer has a torn ACL. Teun Koopmeiners has a broken rib. Conceição is suspended for a terrible double yellow card against Cagliari. In back-to-back games in the team goes down a man, but there isn't a miracle comeback in the second one. Juventus dominate a game against a bad opponent, but they can't put them away and give up points in a mistake? Weren't we past that? Exactly how much did Douglas Luiz cost? This is dumb, I hate this. Why do I spend time and money in this team?

Let's cook.

Pogback to Black

Remember Paul Pogba? It's easy to forget he is still technically a Juventus player given his litany of issues ever since he came back to Italy for his second — and decidedly worse — stint with the Bianconeri.

It was recently announced that Pogba's doping related ban was reduced from four (!!!) years to 18 months, which puts a potential return for the French international sometime in March of next year. Sure, the likelihood of him actually playing another game for Juventus, ban or no ban, is an entirely different thing.

For starters, the club still wants to terminate his contract as soon as possible, according to reports. Given that they have already unceremoniously stripped him of the No. 10 shirt, handed it over to Kenan Yildiz, and have all but completely forgotten Pogba exists in every single social media post and/or club statement, this decision tracks.

There's also the fact that Pogba has been as injury prone as any player in the last couple of years that even if Juventus decided to give him a shot, it's pretty far from certain he could get back to decent enough playing shape to be a relevant factor in the closing stages of the season.

If I had to put money on it, I'd bet that Pogba has already played his last minutes as a Juventus player and he will most likely be calling Saudi Arabia his new home as soon as he can contractually do so.

(Pogba strikes me as a Saudi Arabia guy. MLS has also been thrown around, but I dunno. I can definitely see him making insane TikToks in luxury cars in some desert. A reunion with Cristiano Ronaldo, perhaps? Good for you, Paul.)

Then again, wouldn't it be quite a story if he somehow managed to get himself on the pitch and had at least one more good moment for Juventus? Say, in a big game down the stretch, with Juve maybe fighting for a title or in a key late knockout round. He subs in, he's wearing some weird squad number like 47 or some wonky thing like that. He laces one outside of the box, straight into the upper corner, no shot for the keeper. There's 2013 vibes all around. Maybe, one last dab for the road?

Let's remember I hoped until the very last second that Marko Pjaca could make a comeback. Let a man believe in feel good miracles.

(Now, obligatory, here's a Marko Pjaca update: He plays for Dinamo Zagreb, who is competing in the Champions League this season. He's scored two goals so far on the year. The dream lives on!)