Tuesday’s match with Bodø-Glimt was a must-win, as Juventus started the day outside the playoff places and without a win through the first half of the League Phase. It was anything but a clean game for
the Bianconeri, and it looked as if they were in for another disappointing night after gifting Bodø a late penalty, but Jonathan David’s stoppage-time winner sealed them three badly-needed points.
It was a tale of two halves for the Old Lady, with the first period seeing Juve playing some dire football and the second some of the brightest we’ve seen under Luciano Spalletti. How did the players do overall? And how did Spalletti handle the tricky test in Norway? Let’s take a look.
MATTIA PERIN – 5.5. Was left out to dry on Bodø’s first goal and wasn’t made to do anything really extraordinary after that. He made five saves overall, but his grade is dragged down by some really bad ball distribution. That isn’t necessarily a surprise because Perin’s always been weak with the ball at his feet, but he almost caused some problems with some of his giveaways and completed less than 70 percent of his passes.
PIERRE KALULU – 6. Defended well down his side and made two big blocks, as well as the final clearance of the gam, but wasn’t as great passing the ball and couldn’t make the same kind of impact pushing up from the back as we’ve seen him do the last few weeks. Nonetheless a solid performance.
LLOYD KELLY – 6. Part of a three-way tie for the team lead in clearances (5) and his pair of interceptions paced the squad as well. Made a couple of very important interventions inside the box.
TEUN KOOPMEINERS – 6. Blocked two shots and had five clearances, although there were a few times that he pinched too far inside and let a runner free down his flank. Made a couple of good passes in the second half that contributed to the team’s strongest period.
WESTON McKENNIE – 6.5. The goal was obviously a highlight, and he also worked as a provider, making three key passes. Defensively, he made a game-high five tackles and was part of the five-clearance triad in the back. Did a whole lot to keep Juve on the front foot in the second half, but his grade is dragged down by the fact that he missed on a full third of his pass attempts.
VASILIJE ADZIC – 5. Didn’t quite click out there today. Rushed a few passages of play, especially that knee-volley, when he had a lot more time than he thought to bring the ball under control. He’s got oodles of talent, but still needs a lot of refinement.
MANUEL LOCATELLI – 7. Talk about being everywhere. The captain had three key passes and blocked three shots, producing a ton on either end. Was able to put more of a stamp on the game when Juve were on the rampage in the second half.
ANDREA CAMBIASO – 5. Had a key pass but didn’t really push the play on his side, and defensively he proved a liability. He’s never been an incredible defensive player, but he’s been on a really bad run there recently.
FRANCISCO CONCEIÇÃO – 7. The only Juve player who did anything worth a damn in the first half, he could’ve scored a brace before the half despite the struggles of the rest of the team around him. Kenan Yildiz took over more in the second, but he still pushed the game on his side as well, finishing with the team lead in key passes (4), and had more dribbles than anyone in the starting XI (also 4). He missed out on the scoresheet more because of Nikita Haiken than anything else.
FABIO MIRETTI – 6.5. Nominally an attacking midfielder in the first half, he looked far more dangerous making runs from deeper in midfield when he dropped back to make way for Yildiz at halftime. He was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet when Openda’s offside negated his goal, but he took it in stride and immediately combined with Yildiz again, this time to set himself up for the assist on McKennie’s goal. He also made three tackles—although he was a little reckless in getting booked early in the second half. If Miretti can establish himself as legitimate depth to Locatelli and Khéphren Thuram in the double pivot, it would open up a lot more options for rotation and tactical tweaks.
LOÏS OPENDA – 6.5. Juve’s general malaise in the first half prevented him from being able to do his thing, but he came alive in the second. Juve were able to get some passes through to him so he could push the defense with pace, and he was well-positioned to take the deflected ball by Yildiz and fire it home. He had two key passes himself, too. Here’s hoping that goal starts getting him right mentally and builds him some momentum.
SUBS
KENAN YILDIZ – 8. I mean, come on. Yildiz took the game, turned it over, and shook it till its change came out of its pockets. He racked up five dribbles in just 45 minutes plus stoppage time, and it was clear Bodø didn’t have a defender who could contain him. Every time he faced up a player in yellow it looked like a video game, getting through them with almost contemptuous ease. He put three of four shots on target and was a major player in all three goals. The first and third came on ricochets from his shots, and his pass to Miretti sprung him for the assist on the second. He even shone on Miretti’s disallowed goal, being completely unselfish to square the ball to his onrushing teammate.
KHÈPHREN THURAM – 6. Made a pair of tackles and kept the midfield tight as the game moved on.
JUAN CABAL – 5. And the Alex Sandro Memorial Award for Boneheaded Defensive Mistakes goes to….Juan Cabal! I have no idea what he was doing on the tackle that led to the penalty—he did everything except what he had to do. His defense in general wasn’t more than a modest upgrade over what Cambiaso had been doing. He did make a critical block that kept the score tied in the 90th minute, but so much had gone wrong for him before that.
JONATHAN DAVID – 6.5. Another excellent position to follow up a shot and wham it into the net, this one for the winner. With all the criticism and even transfer rumors swirling around this this had to feel good. Like Openda, the hope is that this will finally get him going a little instead of having to rely on Dusan Vlahovic.
EDON ZHEGROVA – NR. Had a couple of attempts at goal after coming on with 7 minutes to go, but neither of them had the requisite venom to fully test Haiken.
MANAGER ANALYSIS
Spalletti followed through on his promise for rotation, making five changes from Saturday’s draw against Fiorentina. Miretti was a welcome change, and has hopefully earned himself some playing time, though it’s clear Adzic isn’t ready to grab the bar with both hands yet. Using Openda and eventually David saw them both hit the score sheet, and now Spalletti is going to have to take advantage of their momentum and keep it going.
But it was Spalletti’s halftime choices that really won this game. Whatever he said inside is anyone’s guess—although one wonders why he didn’t pull this stuff out with the national team—it had the intended effect, as the entire team looked more sprightly and energetic. His insertion of Yildiz—who did need a rest after a grueling month of fixtures—was the clear turning point, though. This is another momentum moment for Yildiz, who had been scuffling a little of late, and needs to re-find his form. It was also, frankly, smart not to send on Dusan Vlahovic, as he had been taking a physical beating as well over the last month.
It was perhaps a risk to rotate the way he did in the starting lineup, but frankly, that kind of rotation, even in big games, is going to be far more regular in the years ahead as fixture congestion will require players receive more rest. Some worked, and some didn’t, but he had enough wherewithal to recognize what needed to change and change it, giving the team enough oomph to get the team over the line. Now the task is to make sure that the second half is the way Juve plays the majority of the time.
LOOKING AHEAD
Juve get back-to-back home games in the net week, first in a league matchup with Cagliari on Saturday, then their first go-round in the Coppa Italia in the round of 16 against Udinese. After that, a huge test looms when the Bianconeri travel to Naples for a game against defending champions Napoli (barf).
