Juventus did their job against Genoa on Monday night. Their performance in the first half was incredible. Genoa were completely sealed into their own half, and the Bianconeri were up 2-0 before seventeen minutes were on the clock. They ought to have been up by a lot more, but poor finishing left some other excellent chances begging.
The second half wasn’t nearly as good as the first, and with 20 minutes left it looked like Juve might be about to have one of those brain farts that have maddened fans
the world over the last few years when they conceded a relatively needless penalty.
Enter Michele Di Gregorio. On at halftime after Mattia Perin injured his calf in the first half. Faced with a game-altering moment, Di Gregorio made a fantastic double save, altering Genoa’s momentum and derailing their attempt at a comeback.
The 2-0 win took advantage of a goalless draw between Como and Udinese earlier in the day, pulling them within a point of the former in the race for fourth place, with big games on the horizon for both sides.
How did everyone do? Let’s take a closer look.
MATTIA PERIN – 6. Didn’t face a shot on target, and barely had to touch the ball at all with his teammates keeping the ball sealed in the opposite half. Hopefully his injury isn’t too much trouble.
PIERRE KALULU – 7. What else can we say about the guy at this point? One of the transfer steals of the decade, Kalulu was his usual fantastic self, registering one key pass and five clearances on the defensive side, as well as two blocked shots. Didn’t let anyone trouble him.
BREMER – 6. His goal was very well taken, and he looked to be approaching his old self before his mistake that allowed the penalty. Six clearances led the team, and he completed 94.8 percent of his passes.
LLOYD KELLY – 6.5. The header he flicked into the box for the assist was a rather inspired touch, and he completed 11 of 15 long balls.
ANDREA CAMBIASO – 6. Made no big mistakes, and did well combining with Yildiz on the left in the first half. He made two key passes and a pair of tackles, while completing 91.8 percent of his passes.
MANUEL LOCATELLI – 7. Shielded the defense well and orchestrated the first half perfectly. Seemed to fade a bit in the second, but still finished with some of the best defensive stats on the team.
FRANCISCO CONCEIÇÃO – 7. If you had told me he’d lead the team with three tackles, I would’ve chortled a long and satisfying chortle. His pass to McKennie for the second goal was a perfect read of the situtation—the kind of thing he has to do more of to take his game to the next level. Had a couple of near misses shooting on goal himself.
WESTON McKENNIE – 6. Scored a fantastic goal but missed a pair of much easier chances that could’ve put the game to bed with lots of time to spare. Also took an avoidable booking that will leave him suspended for next week’s critical game against Atalanta.
KHÉPHREN THURAM – 7. Looked like his peak self, charging through the opposing half with the ball and breaking Genoa’s lines simply by carrying the ball through them. Had a pair of key passes to go along with his play.
KENAN YILDIZ – 7. Had a pair of shots saved and made three key passes, constantly keeping Genoa off balance with both the dribble and the pass.
SUBS
MICHELE DI GREGORIO – 8. Talk about redemption. That double save on Aarón Martín derailed Genoa just before they managed to build an unstoppable head of steam. Whether it will allow him to Wally Pipp Perin and get his starting spot back remains to be seen, but it was incredible display of resolve.
ARKADIUSZ MILIK – 6. Played well in his first extended action back, and very nearly marked his return with a bang when he almost caught Justin Bijlow off his line from midfield. With Dusan Vlahovic injured again, he might
EMIL HOLM – NR. Good to see the Swede back after his injury during the Derby d’Italia. His presence will be a boon to the team’s depth.
FABIO MIRETTI – NR. Saw out the last few minutes of the game and put up a key pass in his short time on the field.
JÉRÉMIE BOGA – NR. Just a few minutes on the field but caused trouble even then with a late run.
MANAGER ANALYSIS
Luciano Spalletti needed to eliminate not only the bad taste of the Sassuolo game before the international break, but that of the break itself—he had two players on the team that failed to qualify the World Cup—when he was preparing his charges for this match.
He did that and then some for the first half. Juve did exactly what they need to do against any opponent, but especially a bottom-dweller like Genoa—impose their will on the game and dominate it. The second-half crash was less appealing. Perhaps their mental energy flagged, perhaps it was simply impossible to keep up that kind of play indefinitely.
Regardless, Spalletti did little wrong here. Re-inserting David as a striker after the Canadian had an effective international break seemed to give the attack a stronger structure, which against teams like this is probably a better idea than the more fluid false nine we saw in the last games before the break. He also interacts well with Weston McKennie, which was a big help to some of Juve’s better attacks.
McKennie, of course, is going to cause Spalletti some headaches this week because of his suspension. The obvious replacement will be Teun Koopmeiners, but he doesn’t offer the same kind of versatility that the American does, and his skill set still seems an ill fit for whatever the team tries. The team matches up well against Atalanta—that 3-0 loss in Bergamo in the Coppa Italia was one of the weirdest games ever, one that Juve never should’ve lost, let alone by three. In a critical week, he will need to get things right.
LOOKING AHEAD
Juve have a huge week ahead, as they travel to Bergamo to face Atalanta while Como play league leaders Inter (barf). If they win, it’s conceivable that Juve could be in fourth place come Sunday night.
