The average age of the Old Lady squad may be one of the oldest in Champions League history, but its youngsters are also becoming increasingly influential.
May 5 has proven to be a momentous date in the recent history of Juventus.
From the 3-1 UEFA Cup final first-leg win against Borussia Dortmund in 1993 to dramatically sealing a 26th Scudetto at Udinese on the final day of the season in 2002, it has come to be known as a day of spectacular successes for the Old Lady.
This was certainly the case again in 2015 as Juventus secured a 2-1 advantage in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid at the Juventus Stadium.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri and match-winner Carlos Tevez both stressed the collective spirit and unity of their side as their main strength when speaking together in their pre-match press conference.
This sense of togetherness could be seen for the opening goal with 27 passes, a record in Champions League this season, being made in the build up before Alvaro Morata tapped-in his third goal in his last five Champions League appearances after previously only scoring one in 11.
Experience too, has proved to be essential for Juventus in reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2003, as Allegri named the second oldest side in the competition’s history with an average age of 30 years 64 days for the 1-0 quarter-final first leg win over Monaco.
Thirty-one-year-old Tevez was again instrumental for the Old Lady as he scored his 29th goal in all competitions this season, matching his career personal best from 2009-10, from the penalty spot after breaking forward on the break before being fouled foul in the box from Dani Carvajal.
However, the two youngest players starting for the Bianconeri also both made significant contributions to ensure that Los Blancos have now failed to win on their last eight visits to Italy.
Morata insisted to Sky Sport Italia ahead of the match that he did not have a point to prove against his former side or for failing to score in his last nine appearances in all competitions.
And although the Spain international did not celebrate scoring his first goal since 3-0 round of 16 win at Dortmund on March 18, he will definitely have taken personal delight in breaking Madrid’s away clean sheet record since the sixth minute of their first away game in Group B against Ludogorets in this season’s competition.
Many may have been surprised by the decision of Allegri to start Stefano Sturaro on the left side of midfield and move Arturo Vidal into the trequartista role ahead of Roberto Pereyra.
However, the other 22-year-old in the starting line-up proved he could also be an important player for Juventus for future seasons with an accomplished performance on his first Champions League start.
After only playing four previous minutes in the competition at the very end of the quarter-final first leg win over Monaco, the Sanremo native exemplified the energetic start the Bianconeri made to the match with a shot from outside the box in the opening three minutes.
Sturaro also notably twice dispossessed makeshift midfielder Sergio Ramos in the first-half before eventually being replaced for Andrea Barzagli on 64 minutes to a standing ovation at a sold-out Juventus Stadium as Juve reverted back to the 3-5-2 formation.
The €5.5 million signing from Genoa may be unlikely to start in the return leg with the club named after the Latin term for ‘youth’ hoping to have another 22-year-old in Paul Pogba available after he recently returned to training following a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, Morata will hope to repeat the situation when Fernando Morientes scored in both legs of the 2004 quarter-final to defeat Real while on loan at Monaco in 2004.
Although the starlet, who has a buy-back clause in his contract that can be activated in the summer of 2016 to take him back to the Bernabeu, has warned that Juventus still have a lot of work to do in order to qualify for the final on June 6 in Berlin.
“We need to have the mindset that the scores are still 0-0,” Morata told Sky Sport Italia after the match.
“We’ve won a great match, but in order to make the final, there are always two games to play and we need to put in a perfect performance.
“We know what kind of team Real Madrid are: they’re the best in the world, and we’ll need to be even better than we were tonight.
“Everyone’s happy for our victory tonight but it’s vital that we don’t think that the tie is done and dusted.”
