The Good
Wall of Gatti
Generally, there are a few individuals who go underappreciated in matches that are considered “snoozes,” and Juventus’ away victory against Genoa on Sunday night
was no exception. Spectators want to see high-flying action, spectacular goals, and brilliant build-up play. However, it’s difficult to get that in gridlock-like matches where nobody scores until well into the second half.Naturally, one man to thank for the lack of goals, at least coming from Genoa, was Federico Gatti. There were murmurs
and fears about his return to play after a lackluster Club World Cup, but against Genoa he turned the Juventus goal into a well-defended fort. Playing an entire 90-minute match for the first time in months, he added seven clearances, three interceptions, and a tackle against a Genoa side that was shockingly cohesive.
Ever the player to say “I can do that, too,” Gatti also attempted a shot against Genoa that was on target. Did it have a low chance of scoring? Maybe, but fans can all remember the Zebra Lightning kit season when Gatti goals were the decider of a few crucial matches.
Echoes of the (Serbian) Past
Even saying “Dusan Vlahovic scored from a Filip Kostic corner” feels like one is talking about a distant past. It conjures up images of a Coppa Italia-winning season, Max Allegri on the sideline, and Federico Chiesa as the Juventus poster boy. However, the year is currently 2025, and yes, the Serbian connection was made.
All it took was the power of friendship and a shared background. The only goal of Sunday’s match was created by a corner kick taken by Kostic, or “Cross-stic,” only to find the head of Vlahovic perfectly, redirecting it into the back of the net and past the arms of Nicola Leali.
Many have taken to social media warning fans not to fall for the Vlahovic early season success gimmick again, but the facts don’t lie: two goals in two games, one of which saved Juventus from a draw in their second matchday of the 2025-26 season.
An Englishman in Turin
Lloyd Kelly is an interesting figure in the Juventus lexicon. Some days last season felt as if he didn’t know how to play his position, some days during the Club World Cup felt as if he had serious potential.
Against Genoa, it was the latter.
Over the course of the match, the former Newcastle man won three aerial duells, had three tackles and three clearances, but it was not just his defending that turned heads. In fact, Kelly can claim a long ball, a cross, and a key pass, all while keeping his passing accuracy at just shy of 90%. The kicker here is that he also attempted a shot — which just went past the far post early in the second half — and completed a successful offensive dribble.
This begs the question of what has the Englishman been up to in the offseason? Maybe the online comments about his form triggered a change, or Juve manager Igor Tudor has realized that with a lack of defender options, Kelly needs to be turned into a multitool.
Either way, Kelly must capitalize on this progress.
A Positive Change
Last season, it felt as if Juventus settled in matches that up to that point were a deadlock, when in the last 20 or so minutes of the match they felt complacent with a draw. This was probably due to the chagrin caused by Thiago Motta, but whatever the cause, it did not bode well for the Bianconeri. However, against Genoa, there really was a Fino Alla Fine feeling, that even though it was scoreless until the 72nd minute, the club was not letting up.
The obvious answer is that former Juventus player Tudor is in charge, and his love of the club and no-nonsense style is inspiring players to keep the pressure when all seems lost, but whatever it may be, this is a very positive change in mentality.
The Bad
Over the Net!
Every player is bound to screw up an easy shot at some point, just ask Vlahovic last season. So Juventus fans can count themselves lucky that Jonathan David got his mistake out of the way early. In what seemed like a layup of an opportunity to net the first goal of the match, David, who was standing no more than 1 or 2 meters from the goal, sent the ball into the stands. Slightly embarrassing? Yes. Something to worry about? Not really.
If players are scrutinized for every single missed opportunity, especially ones so new, then there really isn’t room to grow and improve. Players make mistakes, and this can be chalked up to his newness on such a big club. If it keeps happening, that’s another conversation. But as Juventus fans have seen over the past few seasons, even a multi-million euro striker can make consistent errors and still earn back a top spot … if their summer transfer doesn’t go through.
The Ugly
Aggression Unseen
There were not many definitive ugly moments of the match, but Genoa did seem overly aggressive during the match. Fouls here, shoves there, a cheeky trip while the referee wasn’t looking. The moment that crystalized this was when Kenan Yildiz was knocked to the ground in the buildup to an attacking run, and the refs were all too quick to play on. Even Manuel Locatelli, Juventus’ captain, had some words with the referees about how Genoa was overdoing their defending and that it wasn’t being called out. The blue and red side only received a single yellow card during the match, but anyone watching on either side could argue the need for a few more.
Liam’s Analysis
Not the best win, but a win nonetheless. Juventus is just starting to groove with all the new players on the roster, so even a 1-0 victory is worth celebrating. Is it something that everyone wants to see as a pattern? No, since keeping the lead has proven over the past season to be Juventus’ weakness, and I personally still worry about our back line. Bremer and Gatti are fine, but everyone else still has not won me over yet.
My other mindset here is that the extremely defensive and highly technical Serie A is just a lower scoring league. If you want consistent goal scoring action and leveling, the clubs of London are only a short remote control click away. It’s easier for Juventus to win by a single goal against Genoa than it is for Chelsea to win by a single goal against West Ham.
Really, I’m just happy that Vlahovic seems confident, it’s like Bremer never left, and there is positive momentum going into the next match against Inter Milan, who only have three points to their name after the loss to Udinese. People keep saying it’s a two-dog race between Inter and Napoli, and that Juventus are the “dark horse.” That’s something I can’t agree with. You can’t go from a potential treble-winning season, as well as a Champions League final loss only a few months prior, into the new season without some aftershock. Especially with a new manager at the helm. As for Napoli, time will tell, they don’t have a great title defense history at their club.
I firmly believe that SOME silverware will come to Turin this season, it’s just a matter of time to see what it is. As always, Fino Alla Fine.
