After Inter Milans surprise capitulation against Udinese the previous night, a 3-1 defeat at the San Siro, Juventus travelled to Bologna knowing a win would see them leap frog Inter to go 1 point behind Napoli, who once again took top spot in the SerieA league table after defeating Torino 3-1. Dybala would take his place on the substitutes bench for what Allegri reasoned as "tactical reasons". Its worth noting that Dybala, who has been out of form for some time, is also reportedly going through problems in his private life, splitting up with his girlfriend and legal action with a sponsor "Everyone has to deal with a private life and a career, that’s what being a professional is all about. I am a Coach, not a guard dog." said Allegri when pressed on the subject. First team regulars Buffon & Chiellini would sit out the game completely due to injury.
Bologna defended well against Juventus attacks early on, frustrating the Bianconeri as they pressed forward in search of 3 points. Juventus would control possession whilst dictating the tempo of the game, however the opening goal would not arrive until almost half an hour of play. Pjanic demonstrating not for the first time, how lethal he is when it comes to set pieces, beautifully curling the ball into the top corner of Mirante's net from the edge of the 18 yard box, leaving the Bologna goalkeeper helpless to prevent the afternoons first goal. Prior to the goal Pjanic would motion to his team mates that a cross was coming from the set piece, when all along there was only one thing on his mind, a shot on goal, genius. It didn't take long for the visitors to double their lead, Pjanic once again involved, this time as the provider, assisting Mandzukic with a wonderful cross, as the Croatian controlled the ball with his chest outside the Bologna penalty box before unleashing a volley that Mirante had little chance of stopping
Juventus would continue putting pressure on Bologna despite the two goal cushion, the third goal arriving after 65 minutes, Matuidi latching onto the end of a poor clearance from Bologna to strike a powerful volley into the bottom corner, scoring his first Serie A goal. Ten minutes later and Dybala would enter the game in place of Mandzukic. It didnt take long for Dybala to make an impression on the game, linking up well with Higuain as both players charged towards the Bologna goal, Dybala however deciding to have an effort wide from goal outside the box when perhaps the better option was to pass to Higuain in the centre, who would have been in a 1 v 1 situation with Mirante.
TALKING POINTS: Whisper it, but for the third consecutive match, Juventus did not miss Buffon. Although Szczesny had little to do during today's match, he has made some great saves since deputising for the injured Buffon, ending all 3 matches with clean sheets. Benatia also once again had a great performance, something that is becoming a regular trend. Pjanic was absolutely faultless in midfield, scoring a beautiful free kick and setting up the second goal as well, brilliant stuff. Douglas Costa once more put in good performance as his runs and blistering pace caused Bologna problems throughout the match. Not so brilliant however was Dybala, who continues to look a shadow of the player we saw during the early stages of the season, Dybala scored 8 goals in the opening 4 SerieA fixtures but has not scored in the league since the 3-2 defeat away to Sampdoria on the 19th of November (4 weeks ago) and has yet to score a single goal in the champions league, hopefully for La Joya he can recover from whatever off field issues he is going through and return to playing like the player fans know he can be. Next up for Juventus is a home fixture against Roma, who currently sit 4th in the Scudetto race, and only 2 points behind Juventus.
FULL TIME: Bologna 0-3 Juventus
GOAL SCORERS: Pjanic (26), Mandzukic (36), Matuidi (64)
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