Well, they did it again. Max Allegri’s men emerged victorious in more traditional Max Allegri style. Juventus didn’t play particularly well when hosting Udinese on Saturday, but at the end of the day, Leandro Paredes and Federico Chiesa came off the bench to combine to create Danilo’s final goal.
So, in conclusion, the bianconeri managed to extend their winning streak to eight home games in a row, all without conceding a single goal and the club is now temporarily second in the Serie A standings, just four points behind Napoli.
But most importantly, Juventus were able to pay a well-deserved tribute to the late Gianluca Vialli by dedicating the win to his memory.
So here are three takeaways from Juve’s hard-fought victory over Udinese at the Allianz Stadium.
To calm!
While the world “Calma” has been around in the Italian dictionary for centuries, it has now become widely associated with Allegri. The manager’s vivid sermon of calm has become a running joke among Juventus supporters on social media, especially during the disastrous run earlier in the season.
But finally, it seems that the motto adopted by the tactician is paying off. The Livorno native repeatedly urges his players to maintain composure and focus, and it seems the players have embraced the cult of “Calm” as they are now fighting to the bitter end, knowing they can always snatch a winner from him… but only if they remain calm.
good to have depth
This may be the most obvious statement, but our last two wins have emphasized the importance of team depth, especially for a club with high aspirations. Once again, Allegri was able to pick up the pace by introducing top stars in the second half, much to the dismay of his opponent. Eventually, Chiesa and Paredes turned out to be decisive.
But while our injury situation has improved a lot compared to the first part of the season, it’s worth mentioning that we still have some big absentees like Juan Cuadrado, Leonardo Bonucci, Dusan Vlahovic and Paul Pogba.
True, Allegri is unlikely to ever have what seems like a complete team at his disposal, but when the team isn’t devastated by a major injury crisis, this club possesses enough talent and depth to challenge any other team, at except in the Italian scene. .
Selection headaches
While depth is certainly a blessing, it looks like it could give the manager some national team headaches. For example, Adrien Rabiot and Fabio Miretti started alongside Manuel Locatelli as Juve’s midfield trio against Udinese. But the issue is that both prefer to lean to the left.
So although the Frenchman started the match on the right side to accommodate his younger teammate, he did not seem comfortable in this position, so Allegri quickly switched the two players. But while Rabiot benefited from the change, Miretti was less productive on the right.
So, essentially, both players are at their best when on the left of the midfield trio, and to complicate matters further, this is also Paul Pogba’s ideal position.
Therefore, Allegri could have a major selection dilemma on the horizon.
