Full-Time 7th Edition - Juventus vs Spezia

 

(CBS Sports)

Match Recap

Juventus arrived away at Spezia Sunday evening for their next Serie A contest following their disappointing 1-1 draw against Nantes during the midweek. Although the final result concluded in a much needed 3 points and a 2-0 win for The Old Lady, it would be dishonest to claim that this was one of Juve’s brighter showings of the season. The first half presented very little in terms of offensive chances or creativity from the Italian giants, as they struggled to move the ball with fluidity up the pitch. Several key tackles and defensive interventions were made to win back possession, however the final product in the attacking half was hard to come by. That was until the 32nd minute when Italian striker, Moise Kean, thumped home the games first goal after getting on the receiving end of a beautiful cross served in by Serbian winger, Filip Kostic. This was the lone bright spot in the first 45 minutes of the contest, but nonetheless Max Allegri’s Juventus marched into the locker with a 1-0 lead at half. Much of this malaise continued as the Bianconero ventured into the 2nd half. The uneasiness of attempting to guard a one goal lead was alleviated in the 66th minute, credit to the Argentine winger, Angel Di Maria. Di Maria was able to provide yet another moment of brilliance when he struck the ball with venomous pace and drilled a low, lined shot into the far-left corner of the goal, beating Spezia’s goalkeeper Dragowski. Since hoisting the World Cup trophy for his nation of Argentina, Di Maria has flourished at the club level for Juventus as well. The veteran winger has provided a much needed spark of finesse and creativity to the Juventus attack that has paired well with the goal-scoring talents that are Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa. Aside from the two goals scored and a handful of timely saves from backup keeper Mattia Perin, this victory for the Bianconero lacked much to rave home about. I’m sure coach Allegri and his staff will be satisfied with the result as the team continues to climb the ladder in Serie A, however a simple eye test showed fans all they needed to see. The opposition on the day controlled the majority of possession, recording 59% of the ball throughout the match. In fact, Spezia nearly outclassed Juve in almost every significant category from shots taken, corners, pass accuracy and even passes completed. At the end of the day a win is a win, however it would certainly be more encouraging to fans of Juventus if they would provide a more dominant display of talent and technical prowess, rather than an edge-of-your-seat nightmare that leaves fans sweating until the final whistle.

                                                   

(ESPN)

Key Observations/Implications    

This week’s edition will forgo a “standout players” section, as there would only be one name that warrants being on that list and his name is Angel Di Maria. So as an alternative, this edition will feature some of my key observations and implications that this game showed us about the current state of Juventus, how players have been performing and the direction that the club is headed. For starters, let’s take time to point out the few good areas that this game had to offer. Angel Di Maria has been on an incredible stretch lately, as he followed up his spectacular assist against Nantes in Europa league in the previous game with a game-sealing goal against Spezia. I wouldn’t be shocked if Allegri begins heavily pursuing a contract extension with Di Maria, as his talent but more so his experience/leadership on the field has proven to be extremely valuable to this team. Also worth noting, Mattia Perin stepped in goal today and put together a great game and made some fantastic saves that helped see Juventus through this game. As it has been said before, Perin is plenty talented and can easily have decided to sign for another club last offseason to be a starter and earn more money, however he has stated how much he loves this club and the fans and has no problem making less money if it means getting to play for the Juventus badge. Now onto some of the more lackluster thoughts from this match fixture. A glaring problem is that Dusan Vlahovic didn’t record a single shot on goal until the 85th minute, which simply won’t cut it. Leandro Paredes and Adrien Rabiot did not add too much in terms of stability to the midfield during this match. In fact the two midfielders turned the ball over on a handful of occasions, which led directly to counter attacks for Spezia. This looseness and seemingly acting nonchalant on the ball is something that was of major concern for me watching this match, especially given some of the crucial matches that lie ahead in the coming days. Juventus will next play the 2nd leg of their Europa league matchup against French-side Nantes after the first match ended in a 1-1 draw. The following week also has Juventus facing off against Inter in the Coppa Italia semi finals, which will serve as Juve’s last opportunity to win a league trophy this season.

Outside sources:

https://www.sofascore.com/spezia-juventus/MdbsKeb

https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/juventus-claim-2-0-win-lowly-spezia-2023-02-19/