Juventus got their most important domestic win of the season on Sunday night when they went to the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara and came away with a 1-0 victory over 10-man Bologna.
Highlighted by Juan Cabal’s
excellent night off the bench, the Bianconeri vaulted over their opponents and, depending on the outcome of Monday’s game between Roma and Como, could end the week in fifth. The encouraging sight of Gleison Bremer coming off the bench for his first game action in two-and-a-half months was icing on the cake for Juventini, and together bring the hope that the Bianconeri can find some momentum going into the new year.
How did everyone do at the Dall’Ara? Let’s take a closer look.
MICHELE DI GREGORIO – 6.5. Made some great saves in the first half, then didn’t have a lot of things to do in the second. Half a point knocked off for the admittedly poor parry he made on the first shot of that early double save—although Koopmeiners should also bear some responsibility for getting sucked toward the goal line for some reason as opposed to continuing to mark Orsolini.
PIERRE KALULU – 6. Did well to mostly contain Cambiaghi, didn’t make any big mistakes on his side. An iron man so far this season.
LLOYD KELLY – 7.5. If anyone is looking for Thijs Dallinga, I advise you to check Lloyd Kelly’s pocket. He completely dominated the Dutchman for the 65 minutes he was on the field, to the point where the commentators were speculating about when he’d be withdrawn long before then. Bologna was essentially attacking a man down. Made a game-high six clearances and four tackles.
TEUN KOOPMEINERS – 5. With Bremer and Daniele Rugani getting back to match fitness, Koopmeiners’ time in this position has to be limited. He was constantly in the air while Orsolini and Zortea made their runs, either marking empty space or the wrong player. For a player who is expected to be an asset passing out of the back, he only attempted 26 passes in 75 minutes and only completed 88.5 percent of them. His early booking put him over the suspension threshold, too, although given he’d have had to deal with the likes of Matías Soule and Paulo Dybala next week, it might be for the best.
WESTON McKENNIE – 6. Really ought to have converted that first-half header, but played well defensively against a tricky player in Cambiaghi and ran everywhere, applying good pressure and ultimately keeping the right flank secure.
MANUEL LOCATELLI – 6. Made a pair of key passes and kept things moving well enough in possession. Blocked a pair of shots and made two tackles on the other end.
KHÉPHREN THURAM – 6. Something looked like it clicked with him late in the first half, and he started looking a bit like the Thuram we’re used to, carrying the ball through midfield and making three tackles in midfield.
ANDREA CAMBIASO – 5. Simply not good enough. Set piece deliveries were for the most part poor, and he only completed 85.7 percent of his passes. The regression he’s seen since the injury he suffered about a year ago at this point is stark.
FRANCISCO CONCEIÇÃO – 5.5. Made a few nifty moves with the ball at his feet but wasn’t a true source of danger. Most of the problems Juve created came from the other end of the field.
KENAN YILDIZ – 6.5. Unlucky not to score right before providing a sublime assist for the winner. Four key passes overall, he continues to contribute even when his opportunities in front of goal are limited.
JONATHAN DAVID – 6. Did a lot of the ugly work that helped teammates find room. Unlucky to have his goal chalked off.
SUBS
JUAN CABAL – 7. Excellent header and an even better run to free himself up from the attentions of Zortea. Didn’t show any of the defensive screw-ups that we’ve seen from him on occasion, and very nearly had an assist at the end. Easily his best contribution of the year.
LOÏS OPENDA – 6.5. Constantly lurking on the back shoulder of his defender, ultimately creating the scenario that caused Heggem to haul him down for the red card. His pass to Yildiz led to the shot that set up the game-winning corner, and he was deeply unlucky to see Ravaglia tip his stoppage-time one-timer around the post.
BREMER- NR. Welcome back, big man! How badly did Juve miss this mountain of a defender? Man had three clearances in only 14 minutes plus stoppages.
FABIO MIRETTI – NR. On late to seal up the midfield as Juve saw out the game.
MANAGER ANALYSIS
If last week was dominated everything Luciano Spalletti did wrong, this game is headlined by what he did right. Juve were lively from the get-go and competed toe-to-toe against one of the trickiest teams in the league. There were really only two major chances for Bologna to score, and none after halftime. The introduction of Cabal and Openda shifted the game, with Cabal defending well for once and on the spot for the goal, while Openda fundamentally changed how Bolonga’s back line had to defend in order to keep him from getting behind them.
It’s actually a mark in Spalletti’s favor that both Openda and David have shown improvement in recent weeks. Neither have been truly going gangbusters, but we’re seeing much better out of the two than we were in October. He seems to have cracked Openda’s code especially, using him to hang on the back shoulder of the defense and try to blow the top off with his pace. David is slowly gaining confidence. With Vlahovic out for so long, they need to step up, and while it’s a process, the two are definitely making strides.
The big question now will be how to go about things in defense next week with Koopmeiners suspended. Bremer and Rugani are both back but likely don’t have full games in their legs, so we could either see the two of them tag-team on a minutes count or, maybe, Spalletti will take advantage of the full week off between games to try to implement a four-man back line. Either way, Roma will be another major test.
LOOKING AHEAD
The next three (three!) games will all have a full week of prep in between. Roma heads to the Allianz on Saturday for a prime-time showdown, then Juve travel to newly-promoted Pisa before starting the new year at home against Lecce.
