Full-Time 6th Edition - Juventus vs. Salernitana
(CBSSports.com)
Match Recap
The Bianconero looked to rebound and get back on track in the Serie A standings with a statement win over Salernitana, which they more than accomplished. Juventus’ star striker, Dusan Vlahovic, helped lead the 3-0 thrashing of Salernitana by contributing 2 goals Tuesday evening. In fact, all three of The Old Lady’s goals were contributed by Serbian internationals. Vlahovic was the clear star of the show with his first-half brace, in which he successfully converted a penalty kick after a foul was committed on fellow teammate Fabio Miretti in the 26th minute and then followed up with a second goal to kick off the second half. Serbian winger, Filip Kostic, also found the back of the net in Juve’s dominant outing, as Vlahovic also lended an assist in this brilliant showcase from the Italian giants. Securing this win over bottom-of-the-table Salernitana was desperately needed for the club, not only for morale purposes but it also earned the team 3 much needed points, as they continue to climb up the Serie A ladder. The past month has certainly been anything but easy for the Bianconeri, as supporters of the club have had to endure setback after setback to vital players in the squad such as star French midfielder, Paul Pogba, who has been battling to return to the pitch for months. After electing to opt against a season ending operation to repair his damaged meniscus, Pogpa has been completing extensive physical therapy and rehabbing the injured knee, in hopes of returning to the pitch to help his club. However, it appears that every time things begin to look like a return for the midfielder is imminent, another setback occurs which only further extends his time away from the field. Luckily, Juventus has found a plethora of remedies to fortify their midfield in the absence of Pogba. Ha! Who would’ve thought we would be saying that at this time last year? The young Italian talents of Fabio Miretti and Nicolo Fagioli have flourished as of late and solidified themselves a spot in the first-team. The French international, Adrien Rabiot, has also turned a new leaf and has looked reinvigorated as of late. Despite the fact that these players have helped bolster the creativity and fluidity of the Juventus midfield, it would be remiss of us to not acknowledge the more troubling roadblock that has impacted the season’s outlook. Of course I am referring to the staggering 15 point reduction that the Italian Football Federation decided to slap onto the Bianconero for what they claim to be “fraudulent market transactions” or essentially artificially fluffing the value of players that are being sold to cut costs and reduce debt within the club. Now the discussion of whether or not I believe this judgment was fair or necessary is a discussion for another time, however the point still remains that the 3 points earned from this Tuesday’s win over Salernitana were of critical importance. Prior to the reduction, The Old Lady sat comfortably in 2nd place in Serie A and were in contention for a league title, yet now they find themselves sitting in 12th place at the end of this week’s match fixtures.
One of the major takeaways from this Tuesday’s win over Salernitana was the fact it was done in such a convincing fashion, which is something Juventus hasn’t really seen a lot of as of late. I can count on one hand the amount of times this season where Juventus has won a match in such a decisive manner. Many of this team’s games recently have been back and forth fixtures, where each team has spells of time where it seems they might get on the scoreboard. This game was different however, as right from the opening whistle there was a sense of intensity, confidence and grinta (grit/determination). Typically, it has been the style of Juventus head coach, Max Allegri, to “park the bus” so to speak and sit back to defend for 90 minutes once his team has scored. Allegri has certainly come under fire for this approach, as many fans say his style of play (which helped this team win 5 consecutive league titles several seasons back) is no longer viable as the sport has taken a massive shift towards offensive minded soccer. This type of style does have its positives and negatives, but in this match we saw Allegri deviate from this style. One could assume that he wanted his club to make a statement to the league against a weaker opponent. Juventus took a proactive approach to the game, even after building a 3 goal lead in the 2nd half. They kept pursuing more goals and kept their foot on the gas, as Argentinian winger, Angel Di Maria, rifled a shot off the crossbar late in the game that almost further extended the lead. Given the scrutiny that the club and its staff have been under in recent weeks, this win serves as a beacon of hope moving forward, as what feels like one of their first dominant wins in weeks can possibly be a sign of things to come.
Standout Players
First and foremost, the star player of this match was Dusan Vlahovic, end of discussion. The Serbian striker tallied two big goals, as well as an assist which he served to his fellow countryman Filip Kostic. The Juventus striker also led the team in key passes, which is a testament to the effort he was putting in and helping build the attack moving up the field, not just in and around the goal. After dealing with a lingering groin injury for several weeks, this type of performance was a much needed boost to Vlahovic’s confidence moving forward, as the star talent has now begun to find his stride. Additionally, his fellow Serbian, Filip Kostic, needs to be highlighted as well for his performance on Tuesday. Playing the majority of the match, Kostic contributed heavily in both phases of the game. Offensively, Kostic scored a goal, as well as completed his passes with 85% accuracy and also served 4 crosses into dangerous positions in the opponent's box. Lastly, Brazilian defender and Captain, Danilo, played another solid match against Salernitana. He did exactly what everyone has come to expect from him when he took the field, which is to defend with intensity, be a vocal leader for his teammates and make sound decisions when the ball is played to him. These are the standout performances that I believe greatly contributed to the overall success Juventus saw on Tuesday night.
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