Juventus came into Sunday’s match with Lecce looking for a result to turn things around after a rough week. Between a heavy defeat at home and a Europa League game that was cruelly yanked from under them by an inexplicable call, a victory would go a long way to helping the team get the bad taste out of their mouth.
The good news was they got the three points they needed. The bad news (or at least less good news) was that they didn’t cover themselves in glory as they did so. They were fine for the 2-0
victory, but those first-half goals by Weston McKennie and Douglas Luiz were sorely tested in a second half in which they lost control of things for large stretches. It’s not an exaggeration to say that against a team better than Lecce they might’ve ended up hanging grimly on by the end of the game — if they’d been able to hold on at all.
But, hold on they did, and three points did indeed come back to Turin after a torrid week where nothing seemed to go right. With some big games left before the international break, a result is a result, and hopefully it can be the start of a little bit of momentum to see them into the final break of the year.
How did the players do in the south? Let’s take a closer look.
GUGLIELMO VICARIO – 5.5. Made all the saves he needed to make, most of which were relatively routine, but I can’t get over some of the things I saw with the ball at his feet. He very nearly put Juve behind the eight ball within seconds of the match starting when he let Konan N’Dri close him down and very nearly deflect his attempt at a pass out into the back of the net — then came close to letting it happen again on the ensuing goal kick. He also turned the ball over a couple of times trying to play out of the back during Lecce’s ascendent period in the second half. All mistakes that a better team could’ve punished.
FEDERICO GATTI – 6. Two tackles and two clearances playing on the right side of the back three, and got the assist for his square ball to Douglas Luiz for Juve’s second goal. His passing could’ve been a tiny bit better overall.
BREMER – 6. Led the team with seven clearances, but needed more than his 82.4 percent pass completion mark. Just couldn’t get the ball out of his half during the second.
JHON LUCUMÍ – 6. Easily the best pass completion of the back three (90.3) and made a team-high four interceptions, many of which saw him identify a passing lane and come out from the back to jump it—a trick that would’ve been disastrous if he got it wrong, only he never did.
PIERRE KALULU – 6. Two tackles and four clearances plus some industrious work on the right wing in place of an injured Zeki Çelik. He led the team in pass completion (more than 15 passes attempted), although doing so with a 90.5 shows just how awkward the team’s passing was as a whole in this game, especially in the second half.
DOUGLAS LUIZ – 6.5. Picked up his first assist as a Juventus player on McKennie’s goal, then added his first goal a little later on. It was also the first time in his career that he had a goal and an assist in the same game. This would normally pump up a rating quite a bit higher, but the entire team is really getting downgraded for their awful passing. Luiz managed a paltry 82.3 percent completion, although he did add four clearances and blocked a shot.
TEUN KOOPMEINERS – 5.5. Showed a flicker in midweek but went mostly dark again tonight. He led the team with four tackles, but completed an unacceptable 78.1 percent of his passes in midfield and made hardly any contribution going forward.
ANDREA CAMBIASO – 5. Twice had a runner in the middle of the box that would’ve at least caused Wladimiro Falcone the agita of a one-on-one, but competely missed his pass both times. He did have a key pass and completed a third of his crosses, but so much more could’ve come from him today if he’d just been accurate.
WESTON McKENNIE – 6. Had a sub-80 completion rate and wasn’t as creative as he was on Thursday, although there were still some good moments. Of course, you can’t forget about the goal, a sliding, side-footed volley off Luiz’s surprise free kick delivery that needed a perfect run to get on the back end of.
NICK WOLTEMADE – 6. Led the team in dribbles and was constantly dropping back to find space and deliver the ball. He seems to be one of the few players on the team right now with the courage to actually play balls into potential danger areas.
RANDAL KOLO MUANI – 5. Actually completed all 12 of his passes — but didn’t do much with them. Made a couple of good runs that weren’t found but needed to have more of an impact and absolutely had to help hold the ball more in the second half.
SUBS
JUAN CABAL – 6. Am I the only one whose jaw dropped when I saw him standing at the touchline? I have to say I was impressed with him against Lecce. Three tackles and three interceptions in only 23 minutes of work is pretty impressive. This could’ve been a lot higher if he’d locked things down with a late chance from in close.
JÉRÉMIE BOGA – 6. Much more of a defensive turn today, making three tackles. Missed his only shot attempt late.
PAPE MATAR SARR – NR. A key pass with his only attempt of the game. Had to just solidify things at the end.
KERIM ALAJBEGOVIC – NR. Another late cameo with little chance to do anything.
MANAGER ANALYSIS
So, the obvious out of the way first: these dudes need to play two halves, Luciano! He let things get way too out of hand in the second half, with his charges getting far too passive and way too sloppy. Juve only completed 72 percent of their passes in the second half, which led to Lecce keeping them pinned back far too much and ultimately conceding chances that would’ve burned them against better sides.
Spalletti attributed the drop in part to having “less courage” in his press conference, which is a little ironic considering that that’s a problem for the entire team in terms of how they have the ball in the attack. With two or three exceptions, this team is still reluctant to put the ball into dangerous spaces, for fear of losing possession. It’s been a problem in multiple games up to this point, and they need to push that fear out of their minds if they’re going to be successful moving forward.
There is the tactical tweak to talk about, because the 3-4-1-2 seems to be settling in as the new thing. A lot of people are referring to it as a straight 3-5-2 or a 3-1-4-2, but I don’t think that’s how it’s behaving. McKennie’s versatility is the key here. He’s clearly playing in the hole behind the two strikers, and it’s his versatility is what makes it work. He does play as the “third midfielder” that Spalletti mentioned in his press conference, when it’s needed, but this is still a double pivot at its heart, even if it does get supplemented by McKennie dropping in from time to time. That still didn’t stop the team from having that second-half wobble, and everyone needs to be better from a team perspective in that regard. There have been too many of these for anyone’s liking in Spalletti’s time, but hopefully these tactical changes will have an effect on the mood of the team as a whole.
LOOKING AHEAD
Juve have four more matches until the November international break. A Wednesday trip to Genoa starts the sequence, then comes a visit by Napoli. Then they travel to the Netherlands for a Pot 1 Europa League clash before finishing up this part of the season with a lunchtime kickoff at home against Venezia.
