TIME UP FOR ALLEGRI?

First of all, a brief report on what happened during tonight's game with Atletico Madrid. As expected the game initially resembled a battle rather than a game of football, as Atletico pressed forward in harassing Juventus, as well as the referee too and enjoying doing so. It was an opening 45 minutes that presented few clear cut chances for either side but there were moments when either side could have taken a lead, as well as a VAR decison to award a free kick rather than an Atletico Madrid penalty, replays showed that it was indeed the correct decison, as De Sciglio (who had a performance to forget) made contact with Diego Costa outside of the box. 

The second half however was a completely different story. With only 4 minutes of the second half played Atletico had their first opportunity to take the lead, Chiellini losing possession in midfield which allowed Diego Costa a run on goal for a 1 v 1 effort on Szczesny, somehow the striker missed the target completely and Chiellini blushes were spared. Juventus were soon on the receiving end of another Atletico attack, and would have found themselves behind from a Griezmann chipped shot, had it not been for Szczesny making the slightest of touches to push the ball onto the crossbar. You would think this would be a wake up call, and it was. . . For Atletico. Sensing an opportunity to grab the game by the throat, Diego Simeone decided to change his side up by bringing on both Alvaro Morata & Lemar within minutes of each other. Allegri did nothing. Simeone again made another substitution by bringing on the attacking Angel Correa in place of Spanish midfielder Koke, Allegri still did nothing, and this all happened within the space of ten minutes. From then on Atletico proceeded to relentlessly batter Juventus, and it didn’t take long for Atletico to finally hit the back of the net. During the build up to tonights game, Alvaro Morata was asked if he would celebrate scoring a goal against Juventus, he answered yes and did just that by scoring with a great header to put Atletico 1-0 ahead, or so he thought. After consulting VAR the referee disallowed the goal for Morata pushing Chiellini prior to the goal being scored, once again, Juventus blushes were spared. As the game approached the final 10 minutes Juventus finally paid for tempting fate one too many times, failing to defend Atletico’s corner and conceding in scrappy form, the defending was poor and the goal had been coming for some time. Within 5 minutes Atletico once again scored to double their lead, and yet again it was scored from a corner kick, 2-0. The worst part is that there can be no arguments about the result, the better team won and Juventus deservedly lost.

And that's how the game ended, no away goal that Allegri had been talking about prior to the game and worst of all a 2-0 defeat to try and somehow overturn back in Turin. So where exactly does this leave Juventus? To put it bluntly, not in a good position, not at all. This result means that in all likely hood Juventus will end the season lifting one trophy, not even the consolation of achieving yet another domestic double to patch up their wounds from European Elimination. This simply is not good enough, not for a club that openly stated their objective to win the Champions League, not for a club that brought in Mr Champions League himself Cristiano Ronaldo to do just that. As for the match itself, you have to wonder why it took Allegri so long to make changes when his side was clearly on the back foot during the second half, even more baffling is why it took so long for Allegri to finally bring on Cancelo, waiting until 84 minutes had been played despite De Sciglio largely having a horror performance throughout the night.

Which brings up the old debate that constantly comes into conversation with every passing season, is it time to say goodbye to Massimiliano Allegri? This fan thinks that it is, and its been on the cards for some time now. Unattractive style of play, consistently coming out second best in tactical battles on the big stage, taking far too long to react to opponents that adapt to Juventus during a game, these are all incidents that have happened throughout the current season, as well as the previous season. An early 2-0 lead against Tottenham at this stage of the champions league last season, quickly turned into Tottenham domination and a 2-2 draw, was Allegri to blame for his tactical approach? Not according to the man himself who said later that night “I didn’t ask the team to go deep, more than anything else we were pushed back by Tottenham. After that 25-minute spell when they pinned us back, we couldn’t get back out.” fast forward a year later, and Allegri is deflecting criticism once again after another poor result in Europe, “Atletico Madrid force you to play badly, with a slow tempo. We moved the ball quicker in the first half, but not in the second. We got the approach wrong in the second half. It’s that simple” surely if an opponent is pushing you back into your own half, as manager it is your responsibility to change your tactics & approach to combat this? Surely, if you your opponent if forcing you to "play badly, with a slow tempo" then as manager you should be trying to combat this from the sidelines, rather than simply stand by and watch events unfold?

During Allegri's time as manager Juventus have enjoyed unprecedented success domestically, but on the European stage its been a different story. The warning signs were flashing for all to see last season, and are still on display now. Some could even argue that had it not been for a late collapse by Napoli in the Scudetto race, Juventus would not be the current champions of Italy. Even a failing manager such as Jose Mourinho who couldn't last the season at Manchester United was able to tactically get the better of Allegri. Tonight was not only defeat for Juventus, but a clear case of one manager getting the better of his rival. 

ATLETICO MADRID - JUVENTUS : MATCH PREVIEW (20.02.2019)

PREVIOUS MEETING : 09.12.2014 (Group Stage)

JUVENTUS 0-0 ATLETICO

FORM : PREVIOUS 5 RESULTS

ATLETICO : 3 WINS, 0 DRAW, 2 DEFEAT

JUVENTUS : 3 WINS, 1 DRAW, 1 DEFEAT

MOST RECENT RESULT :

JUVENTUS 3-0 FROSINONE

RAYO VALECANO 0-1 ATLETICO MADRID

Not so long ago the objective early on for clubs entering the group stage of the champions league was simple, win your group and be rewarded with a favourable tie in the round of 16, instead Juventus were rewarded with Atletico Madrid. Coincidentally, it could be said that Atletico Madrid are Spain's version of Juventus, a side that is more renown for their defensive abilities than attacking flair. Also similar to Juventus has been Atletico’s miss-fortune in the champions league, both reaching the final on two occasions within 3 seasons only to finish runners up, both losing against Spanish opposition.

Juventus come into this game with good form, scoring 6 goals in their previous 2 games whilst keeping a clean sheet in the process, with the first leg being played away scoring for Juventus will be the number one priority. Unfortunately they are playing against a side that has won their previous 8 home games in European competition, and are unbeaten in 12. There is however some good news, lately Atletico Madrid have not exactly been looking like their usual self, losing the Madrid derby 3-1 (at home) before going on to struggle against Rayo Vallecano, but still bagging themselves a late goal in a 1-0 win.

ALVARO MORATA

You remember him don’t you? The Spanish striker who became a fan favourite at Juventus for his goals in the champions league, good times. Fast forward to 2019 and Morata is back in Madrid, and in need of a goal… Badly. So badly in fact that it seems he will celebrate his first goal for his new club against anyone, even if its against the Old Lady herself, "I will (celebrate if I score), for all the Atletico Madrid people. There are the same people that used to be there the day I left. And now I am here again”. Yet once upon a time when Morata played in black & white he chose not to celebrate against his then former club Real Madrid, twice. Hopefully he will still be waiting to celebrate that first goal after Wednesday night.

SAMI KHEDIRA

Unfortunately Khedira will be missing out on this game completely, which would usually be celebrated by some Juventus fans if it were for a different reason. On Tuesday night it was announced that Khedira would be remaining in Turin after medical tests revealed that he had an irregular heartbeat. Despite all the jokes and below the belt comments made about Khedira over the past two seasons, few (if any) Juventus fans would want to see Khedira omitted from the squad due to health issues. What this means for Khedira’s future at the club is uncertain, but what is certain is that Juventus fans will be wishing the German a full recovery from this sudden setback.

PAULO DYBALA

What this does mean however is that Dybala will once again be in the starting 11, and will once again be called upon to be the creative influence in an attack that will likely feature Mandzukic & Ronaldo in a front 3, "We need his technique and style of play, and if you're in good condition like he is then it is right that you play” if Dybala’s goal against Frosinone is anything to go by, expect Dybala to find his way into the spotlight at some point inside of the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

THE RONALDO FACTOR

This one is stating the obvious, when the knockout round of the champions league begins Ronaldo comes alive, just ask Atletico Madrid fans. The previous season Ronaldo ended the campaign as Champions League top goal scorer with a total of 15 goals, 5 of which came in the knockout round."Cristiano is very motivated in this competition he has proved it," said Miralem Pjanic, "He has always been present and decisive. He is part of our team and he will want to win." Despite being Juventus top goal scorer with 21 goals, So far Ronaldo has scored just the one goal over 4 games in the champions league. Knowing Ronaldo this is a statistic he will be eager to improve on, especially against an opponent he knows very well. Whats the chances that its Ronaldo’s name on the score-sheet before the night is over? Pretty likely, given that Ronaldo has scored 4 in Juventus previous 4 fixtures and that he also holds the record of scoring most goals in the Madrid derby (22 goals)

WHAT TO EXPECT

So with all that said what should be expected from this encounter? Like the opposition itself, this is a tough one to call and could go either way. A result for either side wouldn't be a shock, which means a draw being the likely outcome, preferably a score draw. However what can be expected is a tough scrappy game with little ground being given by either side. This may very well be a case of each side facing a mirror image of themselves, except one side has Ronaldo in their ranks. Juventus will be hoping that the physical presence of Mandzukic & Ronaldo's habit of scoring against Atletico Madrid will be enough to get a precious away goal, a goal that could prove the difference come the end of this tie. Will it be a match winning goal? only time will tell

MATCH REPORT : JUVENTUS - FROSINONE (15.02.2019)

Juventus surprisingly named  a very strong starting 11 with few of the regular starters rested, usually the standard practice before an important Champions League fixture (especially an away leg) is to rest most of your first team regulars, Allegri however had other ideas, naming Dybala, Mandzukic, Ronaldo, Cancelo and both returnees Bonucci & Chiellini in the starting line up. With a trip to Atletico Madrid only 4 days away it was a bold move from the Juventus boss, it was also a move that paid off without incident. Previously supporters main gripe with the side was how suddenly the defence had began to leak goals, and look far from competent in defending after conceding 6 goals in back to back games (3-0 defeat against Atalanta & a 3-3 draw with Parma), tonight Juventus would be the ones scoring the goals, and doing it whilst keeping a clean sheet.

Paulo Dybala made his return to the starting line up in style, scoring the opening goal with an impressive effort from long range that ended in the top corner of the net. It was the perfect response after a spell on the substitutes bench that screamed “try and bench me now!”. Juventus would go on to control the game and most of the possession too, passing their way into Frosinone’s half with minimum effort as their opponents declined to apply pressure on Juventus, instead they mostly sat back and hoped for the best. Juventus would waste little time in doubling their lead, beginning from a corner kick that found its way through a crowd of players and onto the head of a diving Mandzukic at the far post, Sportiello denied the Croatian but could do very little in preventing Bonucci from forcing the ball over the line for 2-0 in scrappy fashion. The half would continue with Frosinone proving little threat on Juventus clean sheet until the closing minutes, Ciani going close from a set piece effort that narrowly went over the crossbar.

HALF TIME: JUVENTUS 2-0 FROSINONE

The second half would be a repeat performance of the opening 45 minutes for Juventus. Still yet to get his name on the score sheet Ronaldo was determined to do just that, Dybala darting inside of Frosinone’s penalty box only for his low cross towards Ronaldo to intercepted and hit out of play, Ronaldo showed his frustration by slapping the goal post but his frustration would not last very long. Ronaldo’s goal would arrive little over 10 minutes later, Mandzukic finding Ronaldo inside the penalty area with a clear shot on goal which Ronaldo took no hesitation in scoring. It would be Ronaldo final contribution in the game as he immediately substituted and replaced by Bernardeschi. Juventus would once again control most of the play and at times the the match looked more akin to a warm up session for a tougher task that lay ahead.

FULL TIME : JUVENTUS 3-0 FROSINONE

STAT FACT: Juventus ended the game with 18 shots & 9 on target, not to mention 60% possession. Compare this to Frosinone's 15 efforts on goal with only 1 reaching the target, and you get an idea of how straight forward this match really was for Juventus.

THE GOOD :

• ENDING THE GAME WITH NO INJURIES : As is always the main concern when a European knockout fixture is awaiting round the corner, injuries to key players is something fans want to avoid at all costs. Playing your first team regulars against a side like Frosinone who went on to commit 18 fouls during the game is always risky, but it was ultimately a risk that paid off. Both Bonucci & Chiellini got some game time after returning from injury (Bonucci playing the full 90 minutes) and Ronaldo even got to do his favourite thing on a football pitch to keep the Portuguese superstar happy, score a goal (preferably several)

• CONFIDENCE BUILDER : Confidence in the side, to a degree had been on the wane. Following on the footsteps of two disappointing results & winning against the run of play away to Lazio, Juventus needed to get their act together and show why they were tipped to go all the way in the champions league this season. The process began mostly during the second half against Sassuolo in the previous fixture, and was on display for the duration of tonight’s game. No scares, no game changing errors and over all no major complaints about the performance, as you would expect from a 3-0 victory. Frosinone are clearly one of the lesser sides in Serie A and in all likely-hood will end the season in relegation, but as the old saying goes “you can only beat whats in front of you” and Juventus did just that, convincingly. 

• PAULO DYBALA : Returning to the staring line up, Dybala had a point to prove and wasted little time in doing so. Not only opening the score line within 6 minutes of play, Dybala would also go on to be one of Juventus best players of the game, creating the most chances for his side and only being surpassed by play making defender Bonucci in the passing stats, both players having the same amount of successful passes (67) with Bonucci making slightly more attempts (77 compared with Dybala’s 72). Tonight Dybala was given the opportunity to prove his value and that is exactly what he did, for confirmation just go and watch how well he took the opening goal.

THE BAD :

In all honesty there wasn’t really much to complain about tonight's performance, so instead of a one sided report I will nit pick, twice, and boy is this nit picking.

• LOW ATTENDANCE : For whatever reason attendance for tonight's game was low, and it showed. With several empty seats on display long time followers of Juventus could be forgiven for getting flashbacks from watching games being played at the old soulless Stadio Delle Alpi. A low attendance is never a good thing, no matter what the reason is behind it. Whether this was a response to ticket pricing, or the status of the game being played is up for debate, but either way it doesn't look good and is far from being aesthetically pleasing for a viewing audience.

• JOAO CANCELO : Ok, now this really is grasping at straws for a complaint, but complain I will anyway. Cancelo is a talented player and is especially effective in Juventus attacking play, however, what isn't effective is a petulant foul off the ball when your 3-0 ahead and in the dying minutes of a game. Suffering a foul on the 87th minute Cancelo wasted little time in finding retribution within a minute, receiving a yellow card for bundling his opponent over without the ball and having to be calmed down by Leonardo Bonucci afterwards. Do this sort of thing in a more important game and the resulting card might be a different colour.

LOOKING AHEAD

The goal tonight was simple, win all 3 points and end the 90 minutes without any injuries, mission was well and truly accomplished. Atletico Madrid will no doubt be Juventus toughest challenge so far this season, and it is a challenge that they are more than capable of toppling. An interesting note is that Juventus will have an extra days rest compared with their opponents, as Atletico Madrid will be playing their next game on Saturday afternoon, sometimes its the little differences that decide the outcome of a game and every advantage thrown Juventus way must be taken advantage of. Allegri himself set the tone for what is expected of his side on Wednesday night “we must be warier and find the right moment to score. It’s crucial that we get a goal there, otherwise qualification would be rather difficult to achieve.” scoring an away goal can be the difference between progression to the next round & elimination (as Juventus know all too well from last season) and this is something that Juventus must achieve.

JUVENTUS - FROSINONE : MATCH PREVIEW (15.02.2019)

PREVIOUS MEETING : Frosinone 0 - 2 Juventus (23.09.2018)

LAST 5 GAMES

JUVENTUS: 3 WINS, 1 DRAW, 1 DEFEAT

FROSINONE : 2 WINS, 0 DRAW, 3 DEFEAT

After kicking off 2019 in largely underwhelming fashion, Juventus finally look like a side ready to ‘wake up’ as the business end of the season fast approaches, at least for 45 minutes. With a 3-0 victory over Sassuolo in the rear view mirror, next up for Juventus is Frosinone, a side who are currently deep inside a relegation battle and sitting second bottom in the league table. On paper this is a fixture that looks like a straight forward win for the Bianconeri, but if this year has proven anything thus far, its that very little about Juventus is straight forward. Which begs the question, which side of Juventus will we see on Friday night? The ‘good’ such as the brilliant build up play for Juventus 3rd goal against Sassuolo, or the ‘bad’ witnessed on numerous occasions during the same game. The answer, judging on recent performances is probably both, but either way this should not, and cannot be a game in which Juventus drop points. Especially when the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo will not be rested in preparation for a midweek trip to face Atletico, but more on that shortly.

DYBALA START

After a spell of sitting on the substitutes bench Pauolo Dybala finds himself in the starting 11 once again, Allegri confirmed as much during a pre-match press conference, that also included the Juventus manager praising the recently under fire Argentine, “Paulo has impressive numbers in the Juventus shirt: he has played 168 games scoring 74 goals.There may be a period where he scores fewer goals but he's one of the best players out there.” Its true that Dybala has scored fewer goals than he has in previous seasons, but what do you really expect from a player that is playing outside of his natural position? Dybala is not a winger, but what he is, is one of Juventus most talented and gifted players, its time for Dybala to prove this once more.

ROTATION… SORT OF

Ok so here comes my main issue going into this game, not resting the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo when there is a match with Atletico Madrid to be played 4 days later. Ronaldo was brought in to achieve what Juventus have been unable to achieve since 1996, win the Champions League, no disrespect towards Frosinone but Ronaldo should not called upon to ensure all 3 points in this fixture. Ronaldo is not one for sitting out games, at least not by his own free will, but as seen during Zinedine Zidanes successful reign at Real Madrid, the best Ronaldo is a fresh Ronaldo, rested during the right moments in order to be at his clinical best for the seasons most important fixtures. So far this season Ronaldo has been in the starting line up on every occasion except on 3, and one of those was due to serving a suspension for a red card against Valencia. At 34 years of age, you have to wonder how playing regularly from week to week will affect Ronaldo. Players expected to miss out on a place in the starting 11 will likely be Giorgio Chiellini, who at most would be expected to get a few minutes as a substitute, after missing the previous two fixtures due to injury. Daniele Rugani,Blaise Matuidi, Alex Sandro (suspension) and possibly Mario Mandzukic (depending on who Allegri picks between Mandzukic & Bernadeschi) are also expected not to start

BONUCCI RETURNS TO THE STARTING 11

Although not the first name that comes to mind when thinking about Juventus defence, Bonucci plays an important role in the way that Juventus go about the way that they want to play football, think about his long range pass to assist Ronaldo against Manchester United, who doesn't want to see more of that? With the recent mini injury crisis in defence its wonderful to see Bonucci return after missing three games, as well as fellow defenders Chiellini & Barzagli. Whilst the old 'B.B.C' trio might not be as rock solid as they once were during previous seasons, its a more than welcome sight to see all 3 off the injury list.

WHAT TO EXPECT

A Juventus win, possibly not pretty but none the less another 3 points in the bag and Juventus quality proving decisive. With one eye on Atletico Madrid the old lady would be wise not to have the likes of Bonucci & Ronaldo play the entire 90 minutes, especially Ronaldo who will likely be the difference between Juventus progressing to the quarter final stage of the champions league.

MATCH REPORT : SASSUOLO - JUVENTUS (10.02.2019)

Yet again prior to kick off Juventus went into a game knowing that their nearest title rivals Napoli had dropped points, drawing 0-0 with Fiorentina the previous day, and once again Juventus had the opportunity to open up an 11 point gap between themselves and Napoli. The question was, after two bad results back to back could the Bianconeri do it? In other news Pauolo Dybala started on the substitutes bench for the second game running, after taking to the changing rooms before the final whistle was blown in the previous games 3-3 draw with Parma, was this a tactical decision on Allegri part? Or a form of punishment? Only Allegri will know the true answer to this question.

Juventus started the game slowly, unlike their opponents Sassuolo who wasted no time in hitting Juventus with a quick counter with a minute of the game played, beginning with a clearance from a Pjanic free kick, Sassuolo stormed up the pitch before Berardi passed the ball to Sensi who fired his shot wide of the post, but the threat had been made known early on for Juventus to deal with. Sassuolo wouldn't have long to watch for another opportunity to take the lead, Pjanic miss judging his back pass towards Rugani who was too slow to react and lost out to Djuric who found himself one on one with the Juventus goalkeeper. Szczesny had little option other than to dive to ground and prevent Djuric from having a shot on goal, after consulting VAR the referee decided there was no penalty to be given and rightly so, as Szczesny cleared the ball prior to Djuric going down, the clearance needed to be timed perfectly to prevent a penalty, and perfectly executed it was. With 14 minutes played Szczesny was once again called into action, this time with a great save to deny Locatelli with an effort from outside the box. Sassuolo thus far had looked the more likely of the two sides to open the scoring, Juventus on the hand very much looking like a side out of sorts and out of ideas. After a spell of possession Juventus finally had an effort on goal, Matuidi having a go inside Sassuolo’s penalty box, unfortunate to see his shot sail completely off the mark. The goal would eventually come in the form of an unlikely goal scorer, Pjanic with a sliding pass towards Ronaldo who raced into the Sassuolo penalty box only for his effort on goal to be saved by Consigli who palmed it into the path of. . . SAMI KHEDIRA, who slotted the ball into an empty net for 1-0. Juventus had back to back opportunities to double their lead going into half time, both taking place inside of stoppage time, first up Bernardeschi had long range effort that Consigli decided he couldn’t hold on to, seconds later Beranrdeschi was involved once more, crossing the ball from wide only for Khedira to head wide when he really should have hit the target.

HALF TIME: SASSUOLO 0-1 JUVENTUS

Juventus began the second half mucfh better than they did for the opening 45 minutes, Rugani going close for 2-0 from a De Sciglio cross but unable to connect with a header. A few minutes later Juventus thought they had a second goal, Bernardeschi finding Cristiano Ronaldo with a nice through ball outside of the penalty area, Ronaldo dribbled inside and had little trouble scoring as Consigli went to ground prematurely which allowed Ronaldo to riffle the ball into the net, unfortunately Ronaldo was in an offside position and the scoreline remained 1-0. It was all happening inside the opening 10 minutes of the restart, similar to Sassuolo's opening chance of the game it began with a Juventus set piece, as the ball was quickly cleared up-field into Juventus half of the pitch, Szceseny came running from goal into midfield, sliced his clearance and gifted Berardi to strike the ball into an empty net, the gift was not taken and Berardi narrowly hit wide. As the match approached the hour mark we had a moment of comedy genius, first Ronaldo was deemed to have handled the ball which was nothing noteworthy, that was until he decided to lash out in frustration and kick the ball into the direction of Sami Khedira’s face. Fortunately the ball did hit Khedira as if it had not, then Ronaldo would have likely been booked for kicking the ball into the stands. Ronaldo’s frustrations would later result in Juventus second goal of the evening, latching on to the end of Pjanic cross from a corner kick and heading the ball into the net, what was unexpected however was the goal celebration, Ronaldo looked to be celebrating his goal in trademark fashion, that was until he mimicked Paulo Dybala’s ‘Dybala mask’ goal celebration. Pauolo Dybala finally took to the pitch on the 83rd minute and quickly contributed towards Juventus 3rd and final goal, beginning with Dybala who found Ronaldo in a central area in front of goal, who opted to set up Emre Can for an opportunity to score and score he did, firing the ball into the bottom far corner beyond Consigli with his first touch of the game

THE GOOD : 

• 11 point lead at the top of Serie A is restored, after a bump in the road that saw Juventus eliminated from the Coppa Italia at the hands of Atalanta and somehow share points with Parma, despite at one stage leading 3-1, Juventus return to winning ways

• SAMI KHEDIRA, whisper it, but ‘Juve twitters’ favourite player to hate actually had a good game. Scoring Juventus opening goal, ending the game as Juventus 2nd most active player for shots on goal (despite being substituted after 66min) and regularly getting himself into the oppositions penalty area.

• SUPPORT FOR PAULO DYBALA, Ronaldo chose to alter his trademark goal celebration by donning the ‘Dybala mask’ in an apparent gesture of support for his team mate. Was this aimed at the media speculation over Dybala’s apparent ‘tantrum’ for leaving the substitutes bench early during the 3-3 draw with Parma? Or perhaps a dig at Allegri for starting Dybala from the bench once again? Either way it was a clear sign of support for his team mate which is always a positive sign for good team chemistry.

• A CLEAN SHEET, After conceding 6 goals in 2 games Juventus badly needed a response and tonight they delivered. Scoring 3, conceding none and doing it without first team regulars Chiellini & Bonucci in defence. The past games have shown how integral Chiellini is to the Juventus defence & will be needed for the upcoming trip away to Atletico Madrid, a trip that is fast approaching.

THE BAD: 

• Pitch invader, we all know the attention that Cristiano Ronaldo brings to Italian football but it is not a good image when a fan can evade security, run onto the pitch and reach Ronaldo, get it together eh? Thankfully there was no incident but still, not a good image.

• A SLOW START: Juventus were far too slow in beginning the game and against better opposition they would have probably been punished. Sassuolo had two glorious chances to open the scoring, and against better opposition you would expect at least one of those chances to be converted into a goal.