The disastrous Juventus performance I did not see coming

The disastrous Juventus performance I did not see coming
Juventus’ fantastic run has not been built on the skills of individual players, but with team spirit.
by assistant editor Oliver Gui
edited by Wong Yang

I for one was expecting Juventus to put in a more solid performance. They had waltzed into the quarter finals of the Champions League having racked up 5 clean sheets in a row, and only conceding 4 goals in 8 matches prior to the Bayern Munich game, which is enough to make many top European sides green with envy. I had thought their defense would hold against Bayern Munich, but they lost 2-0. Make no mistake; the score line was not something for Juventus to be ashamed about. It was the manner in which they lost that was disappointing, and they were extremely fortunate not to lose by more.

Let us take a look at the reason behind Juventus's success over the past 18 months. Juventus’ fantastic run has not been built on the skills of individual players, but with team spirit. They are an impressive and hardworking unit, without a single player like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo taking the spotlight. The closing down of space is the thing that is pushing Juventus to glory, a work ethic installed by Antonio Conte ever since he arrived at the club. Furthermore, he has the perfect players to execute the plan with. 

When we mention Juventus’ midfield, many will think of Claudio Marchisio, the goal scoring midfielder and jack of all trades, or Andrea Pirlo, with his brilliant set pieces and remarkable range of passing. However, although those two mentioned above are important, Arturo Vidal is undoubtedly the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle that makes the midfield trio so brilliant. Despite his lack of media attention, Vidal is the reason why Juventus are at the top of Serie A. In a team lacking a prolific goal scorer, his 8 goals scored in all competitions so far this season means he represents a major goal threat, but what puts him above the rest is his defensive prowess. He is great at snuffing out attacks from the opposition team just right when they are about to begin. He plays with unlimited energy and looks like an engine on the pitch, making about 5 to 6 tackles each game. Also, Vidal is fairly quick and is Juventus’ best defender on the counter attack, factoring in that the back three of Juventus’ 3-5-2 formation, Bonucci, Chiellini and Barzagli are not the fastest players and will sometimes struggle against counter attacks and agile players. The same applies to Pirlo, and when they do make mistakes, Arturo Vidal is there to clean up the mess.

Let us look at the Juventus side that played in the team's defeat against Bayern Munich. They conceded an early goal right from the start with a David Alaba long shot deflecting off a Juventus player and Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon not reacting quickly enough to save the deflected shot. What was worse was that the ball was given away by Andrea Pirlo to Bastian Schweinsteiger as he tried to play his way out of defence. That night, both Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon put in shocking performances, looking like shadows of their normal selves. Andrea Pirlo could not deal with Bayern Munich’s pace and repeatedly outmuscled off the ball, while Gianluigi Buffon was inconsistent throughout the game, making key saves while also erring in his judgment. Even Bayern Munich legend Franz Beckenbauer remarked that “Buffon looked like a pensioner.” Claudio Marchisio was anonymous in midfield and this left Arturo Vidal having to close down all the gaps his midfield partners neglected. The two strikers up front Matri and Quagliarella didn’t have much of an influence on the game either.

 On the other hand, Bayern's pressing by Kroos and Muller forced the backline into making mistakes while Bayern Munich’s attacking force wreaked havoc on the Juventus defence. 

In addition to numerous individual errors, Juventus lacked the team spirit we have come to see from them. It was certainly disappointing to witness that sudden lack of unity and teamwork.

The Old Lady will be looking to prove themselves back in Turin in front of their home fans. Hopefully, the team spirit so characteristic of a Juventus that has shone in the Serie A and Champions League of late will be revived.