Taking a moral victory isn’t exactly the Juventus way. But given the way things have gone the past month—and really the past four or five years—it’s sometimes right to acknowledge one.
Wednesday’s Champions
League game against Real Madrid is one such time. After the weekend loss to Como, more than a few Juventini I knew expected the Bianconeri to return to Turin thoroughly trounced. Instead, they showed a spirit that hasn’t been there in weeks, and but for a few bounces they might have been able to walk out of the Bernabeu with points.
It’s an attitude that needs to be carried on to this weekend’s game against Lazio and beyond, but to see it here is a start.
MICHELE DI GREGORIO – 8. Made nine saves, some of which were absolutely incredible. The face-save in the first half against Kylian Mbappe and the double save in the second were obviously the highlights, and he kept control of his box pretty well too, especially given Real’s ridiculous corner count. To marshal the defense this well against this team while Bremer-less is a testament to his quality.
FEDERICO GATTI – 8. This is up there as maybe the best single game Gatti has played his entire career. He either led or co-led the team in interceptions (2), clearances (6) and blocks, of which he made a whopping five, including a goal-line clearance against Brahim Díaz that kept Juve in the game. Add to that the fact that he very nearly scored in the first half on a long, low drive that almost squeezed under Courtois.
DANIELE RUGANI – 6.5. Tasked with the thankless job of defending the middle of the field against the likes of Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, Rugani was largely excellent, making two tackles and hardly ever looking overwhelmed. A good way to celebrate his new contract.
Lloyd Kelly – 5.5. Had good counting numbers (four clearances, three blocked shots) and even dropped in a key pass, but ultimately got caught ball-watching when Bellingham sprang out from behind him to get to the rebound of Vinícius Júnior’s shot off the post.
PIERRE KALULU – 5.5. His effort was admirable, and he was often able to become the outlet for counterattacks, but simply didn’t have the quality on the ball to make the most of those opportunities. For all the times it seemed like he’d gotten himself into a decent spot on his side, he only attempted two (inaccurate) crosses, and only had one key pass. Defensively he was usually solid, including a big block on Tchouameni in the first half, but got bamboozled by Vinícius on the dribble that led to the goal. He played well, but there was a point where a switch to Joao Mario here could have altered the attack.
TEUN KOOPMEINERS – 5. Made a couple of interceptions in midfield but gave the ball away just as much. He’s still a man in limbo and simply isn’t showing any quality or confidence.
KHÉPHREN THURAM – 6. Had a couple of his trademark midfield carries, including a couple where he simply accelerated past his defender. His pair of key passes were the most of any starter, but he still needs to be more accurate, as one or two missed passes in midfield left an attack on the table.
ANDREA CAMBIASO – 5. Big disappointment for Cambiaso in this game. Was made to look silly a few times by dribblers, highlighted by the time Mbappe put him on his rear end in the middle of the first half. Wasn’t close to productive enough on the other end to make up for his defense.
WESTON McKENNIE – 5.5. Led the team with three tackles and had a key pass, but his accuracy overall was poor (76.9 percent). Still, worked his tail off in multiple positions and kept guys like Güler from going wild in midfield.
KENAN YILDIZ – 5.5. Got double-teamed most of the night and only came up in fits and starts. Credit to him for being one of the only Juve players willing to play the ball quickly. The ball he flashed across goal early in the second half would’ve easily opened the scoring had Vlahovic anticipated it correctly.
DUSAN VLAHOVIC – 5.5. Phyisically overwhelmed a bit too much, but also managed to get into decent positions to start or receive a counterattack. Some have given him stick for not finishing that one-man breakaway five minutes into the second half, but he did everything right on that play. Sometimes you do that and the other guy does something spectacular, which is exactly what happened there with Courtois.
SUBS
FRANCISCO CONCEIÇÃO – 5.5. Made an incredible defensive play when he stuck with Viní and won the ball from him one-on-one as the last man—if that hadn’t been anything other than perfect he would’ve been sent off. Offensively, though, he didn’t create the kind of trouble you hope and expect out of him.
MANUEL LOCATELLI – 6. Started a few attacks with some good long passes. Balanced the midfield a bit at a time when it really looked like Real were going to run away with the game.
JONATHAN DAVID – 6. Participated in some dangerous attacks and made more key passes in 16 minutes than everyone save Thuram in the starting XI did in 60 or more. Should have had some assists had Openda been more clinical.
LOÏS OPENDA – 5. Needed to be much more decisive. This applies to a lot of the players today, but for Openda it was glaring. With four minutes to go David put the ball on a plate for him, but he took an extra touch instead of hitting the ball first time, allowing Raúl Ascencio to recover and slide in to block his shot. That might’ve been the difference between a point and no point.
FILIP KOSTIC – NR. Good old Kostic just does how Kostic do: pump in crosses. On the field for three minutes plus five of stoppage time he was credited with three cross attempts—more than any other Juve player. He had the Bernabeu nervous in the very last moments when he cut inside and took a shot after a short corner, forcing Courtois to make a double-fisted parry.
MANAGER ANALYSIS
There isn’t a whole lot to complain about in the case of Igor Tudor today. After making some real errors in Como on Sunday, Tudor put out a good team and had his players motivated and ready to play against one of the best sides in the world.
The big key now for him is to keep that level of enthusiasm and energy up for the long-term. If they can do that, they can beat pretty much any team in Serie A provided they execute, and can at least make a respectable showing against the elite of the elite.
One decision Tudor made did bother me, though: leaving Joao Mario on the bench. Kalulu was solid on the right and got into some dangerous positions, but he didn’t have the on-ball quality to really make those positions count. Joao Mario has just that kind of skill, and to not use him in a game where you needed a goal is something that is going to need explaining. Joao Mario in general has been put on a high shelf over the last month, so one wonders what Tudor thinks of him in training.
LOOKING AHEAD
Juve take the Sunday prime time slot in an away game against Lazio this weekend, followed by a midweek league fixture against Udinese and an away game at Cremonese before Sporting comes into the picture at a stage in the Champions League where Juve need to start getting wins.
