Full-Time 4th Edition - Juventus vs. Genoa

 

(Source: CBSSports.com)

Match Recap

The Old Lady fresh off a satisfactory win over Salernitana at the midweek, set out in hopes of acquiring an additional three points to continue their ascent in the Serie A table.  Standing in their path was relegation threatened side, Genoa.  Genoa has struggled mightily throughout their 2021 campaign up until this point.  The club is being coached by the newly appointed, Andriy Shevchenko.  The manager is a former striker who played in Serie A for Juventus rivals, AC Milan.  However, the coach's knowledge of how to score goals, hasn't exactly translated into his team's performances.  Genoa have failed to score a single goal in the first four matches since Shevchenko was appointed as coach.  Nonetheless, Juventus needed to approach this game with confidence and authority, no matter how weak the opposition may appear.  The Bianconero did just that, as they put on one of their most complete and efficient performances of the season.  Coach Massimiliano Allegri deployed the squad in a 4-2-3-1 formation for the second consecutive match.  This has been a breath of fresh air, in comparison to the slow, lethargic style of 4-4-2 that was being used prior.  Once Juve lost 0-1 to fellow contenders Atalanta, it can be presumed that Allegri realized something had to change.  Since making the switch in formation, the team has looked much more cohesive and threatening.  Now there are still weaknesses in the squad, particularly in players that have to be offloaded in the January window.  But until players can be sold and new talent can be purchased, the 4-2-3-1 gives this team its best chance to compete.  Sunday was another example of this.

Juventus came out of the gates ready.  From the first whistle, Juve brought the game to Genoa.  Something we haven't seen this Juventus side be able to accomplish in quite awhile.  Just as soon as the game had started, we already had our first goal.  Just nine minutes into the contest, Juve were awarded a corner kick.  This was the moment when Juan Cuadrado whipped in a majestic cross all the way from the corner flag.  The ball was so perfect that Genoa keeper, Salvatore Sirigu, could not leap high enough to get a hand to it.  The Columbian winger struck the far post with his shot, which would ricocheted into the back of the net, scoring the opening goal of the contest to give the Bianconero an early 1-0 advantage.  After the shock and celebrations died down and play resumed, Juve continued to assert their dominance on the game.  The battle for possession was totally controlled by Juve, as they finished the match with 70% of the ball.  This is the first sign that things are changing in the new formation.  When in the 4-4-2 of old, the team would sit back deep and play off the counter, oftentimes giving the opposition the majority of possession.  Having nearly all the control of the ball, prevented Genoa from recording a single shot the entire 90 minutes.  That's right, Juve did not concede a single shot from Genoa, never mind a shot on goal.  This was much appreciated by keeper, Wojciech Szczesny, who has found clean sheets very hard to come by as of late.  The midfield pairing of Locatelli and Bentancur really shined today.  Locatelli is accustomed to playing in a 4-2-3-1 from his days at Sassuolo before joining Juve.  The Italian international recorded 94 successful passes in this game, adding onto his career high of 120, which he achieved at the midweek.  The ball movement was fluid and quick, a huge improvement from the sloppy and predictable passing of recent times.  It seemed as if every player was anticipating where the ball was headed next, and each player wanted to receive the ball and contribute in the build-up.  The beautiful teamwork on the ball, paired with a weaker opponent, resulted in plenty of opportunities in the attack.  Unfortunately, this is where we get to the only real downside of the match.  The fact that the game was only won by a score of 2-0, when it should have really been much more.  Juventus finished the game with a total of 27 shots and 12 shots on goal.  Of those shots on goal, there were four that classified as "big chances missed", and if you watched the game this is no exaggeration.  Yet again, the inability to put away clear chances in the attacking phase has proved to be problematic.  This game was completely dominated in all phases by Juve, yet Genoa were always just a single shot away from equalizing.  That was until in the 82nd minute, Paulo Dybala buried another goal to seal the game away.  At the end of the day, the victory and three points are all that matters in the grand scheme of things.  Juventus now has jumped from 8th to 5th position in the table, as they continue to climb back into the title race.  These next three league games will prove to be decisive, as they are against weaker teams and should serve as easy points that can be capitalized on.  

                                                              (Source: CBSSports)

Standout Players

With the whole squad putting on such a fantastic showing, it is hard to narrow down the list of exceptional/standout players.  The most obvious that comes to mind is Cuadrado, who must be mentioned due to his stunning "Olimpico" goal that opened the scoring in the ninth minute of the contest.  It is rare that you see a player score directly from a corner kick, so this automatically helps the Columbian make the list.  The goal not only gave Juventus the early lead, but also helped motivate and excite the team to go out and try to keep the foot on the gas.  In addition, midfielder Manual Locatelli is going to get a shout out from me.  He may not have had the flashiest game but his efforts certainly did not go unnoticed.  As mentioned earlier, the Italian accrued 96 successful passes in the midfield.  Locatelli is a player that always seems very composed and confident on the ball, which is something Juve have so desperately needed in recent seasons.  This high output of passes not only keeps the ball flowing and creates chances, but it helps reassure his teammates that he is a safe outlet to pass the ball to under pressure.  The last player to grace the list is the Argentinean, Paulo Dybala.  "La Joya" is always a difference maker when he steps foot onto the pitch and today was no different.  He is always so shifty and agile, creating chances out of thin air at times.  He had a few chances at goal, before he finally struck in the late stages of the match to put the dagger in Juve's 2-0 victory.  

(Source: Getty Images)

In the Hot Seat

There are only two who are unfortunate enough to grace this list.  The first is left-back, Luca Pellegrini.  He did not have a horrible game, as he took on some defenders in the attack.  He also whipped in a couple crosses, and won some duels on the ball.  However, he picked up a yellow card and was pretty mediocre overall today.  This resulted in Pellegrini being subbed off at halftime, after 45 minutes of play.  Now that brings me to the main target of this week's hot seat.  That would be the Spaniard striker, Alvaro Morata.  Morata as many of you know, is a repeat offender in the hot seat.  The striker is unfortunately in a poor run of form lately, but after scoring a late goal in the midweek it looked like maybe things were going to turn around.  Unfortunately, Morata's inconsistency reared its ugly head yet again this afternoon.  Morata missed a pair of clear-cut chances that should have been goals.  He continues to seems unsure of himself when in front of goal, and can't seem to pick a spot and bury the ball in the back of the goal.  His frustrations became very clear after he picked up a yellow at the end of the game and was subbed off for fellow striker, Moise Kean.  Allegri made a remark to Morata as he walked off the field, and the coach and player had a visible disagreement.  If Morata's poor play continues for much longer, he could find himself on the bench as the Italian striker, Moise Kean, could start to see a starting role.