After a scoreless draw against Roma before the international break in what was arguably the Bianconeri’s first big test of the campaign, Tuttojuve’s Massimo Pavan described the stalemate as an indication that winning the scudetto is not simple and that all matches won’t be a breeze like the first two in his analysis.
Following the victories against Como and Verona in which they conceded zero goals and scored six goals across two games, as well as the arrivals of marquee signings Teun Koopmeiners, Nico Gonzalez, and Francisco Conceicao, many individuals were perhaps overly confident about coach Thiago Motta’s side and underestimated Roma.
The Giallorossi have demonstrated to be solid defensively as they mitigated risks by giving the Old Lady very little space moving forward, doing an exceptional job in neutralizing Serbian forward Dusan Vlahovic.
Despite Motta having turned to the bench to make several tactical alterations, the Bianconeri still struggled to create any chances as they lacked precision in the build-up and ruthlessness in the final third of the pitch. Hence, Juventus struggled to really pose a threat to De Rossi’s back-line.
Although Motta has done a great job in getting his philosophy across to the players in such a short amount of time since being appointed from Bologna, the promising manager will have to learn how to find quick and efficient solutions against oppositions that are solid in transition and that close the space immediately with high pressure.
At the moment, Juventus dropped points and find themselves level at the top with Inter and Torino. However, the Bianconeri find themselves five points ahead of Milan and Roma, three points above Atalanta, two points over Lazio, and a single point separating them from Napoli.
With it only being match-week three of the Serie A, there is still plenty of time for Thiago Motta’s side to grow in order to be more efficient in creating concrete scoring chances and finding those crucial goals in these high-stake match-ups.
Julian Faustini Ι GIFN
