Llorente roars but Juventus don’t get the last laugh

Date: 6th November 2013 at 6:50pm
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Fernando Llorente starred in Juventus' draw with Real Madrid, but couldn't fire them to victory.

Fernando Llorente starred in Juventus’ draw with Real Madrid, but couldn’t fire them to victory.

Juventus fans received due return for their efforts in putting together a spectacular pre-match choreography during Tuesday’s rumble with Real Madrid, when Fernando Llorente rose highest to thump home a fine header past Iker Casillas.

The Spain international had been brought to Turin exactly to produce such epoch-making moments in the lofty heights of the Champions League. And just as he confirmed his credentials by dominating a hapless Raphael Varane throughout, El Rey Leon‘s team-mates got into the act and laid waste to Madrid for sizeable portions of the titanic clash of arms.

Yet it was this very spirit and endeavour, also comprising a first-half masterclass of a performance the hosts put in, that left the 2-2 result feeling such a drag in the aftermath.

In a match that further fuelled the “what-if” conjecture of Juve’s European campaign to date, Llorente – after already seeing a viable hat-trick thwarted by a world-class Casillas – was cruelly denied opportunity to launch himself into Bianconeri folklore by scoring what might otherwise have been a potential winner, when all his strike could muster was to barely force another stalemate.

Direct encounters with Madrid had offered the chance of a new beginning following a lacklustre start in Group B, although what followed merely led onlookers to the same conclusion that the Italian champions suffer a chronic inability to defend leads. Indeed, lack of intent and clout at both ends gifted Los Blancos a lifeline, and the wily Carlo Ancelotti felt obliged to seize it.

How Juventus always gave their more illustrious counterparts a good run for their money over the course of two fixtures now should be acknowledged, but it has been the Italian champions’ own wayward finishing and and the slightest of defensive lapses, so swiftly punished in this arena, that have cut them down to size and essentially left them fighting on the back foot since the tournament commenced.

Despite putting in a valiant effort against Real Madrid, Juventus were ultimately pegged back.

Despite putting on a valiant display against Real Madrid, Juventus were ultimately pegged back.

The side plays as if it still needs to find a shift in gear. Conte had taken the first step of shuffling formations against the Spanish aristocrats, and that initially paid dividends in how his men approached the tie. Then, as proceedings grew bogged down, their coach stalled on the introduction of Sebastian Giovinco; one who might have introduced some impetus to break the deadlock.

Its still hard to ponder how Juventus began the season without a recognised winger in their ranks, given the need for one has been constantly acknowledged. Perhaps due to unfounded optimism placed in Simone Pepe’s recovery from almost a year spent on the sidelines, serious moves for speculated summer targets Jonathan Biabiany and Victor Ibarbo never materialised.

Despite none of the above trio possessing sufficient quality or consistent final products to be able to hold down a regular place in Vinovo, it’s feasible to ponder any of them acquitting themselves better stretching the Madrid rearguard from wide in place of the plodding Claudio Marchisio, to possibly land Juventus out of the awkward scenario of leaving qualification to the latter stages of the Champions League down to the wire.

Some scrutiny for the debacle may be deflected to the great misfortune endured through bodged refereeing two weeks ago at the Santiago Bernabeu, or that they were missing Giorgio Chiellini, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Mirko Vucinic during their latest encounter. But the overall impression remains that Juventus have failed to make their own luck in the disappointing spate of winless results.

While there is no doubting the quality of this outfit – from Paul Pogba’s youthful exuberance to the battling tenacity of Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez – it must work to apply all of its talent impeccably on the field in order to catch up to its contemporaries. Till then, like old cloth riddled with creases that refuse to go away, the inherent shortfalls from April’s 4-0 capitulation to Bayern Munich will linger on.

There might be merit that they’re trying again where they failed last time round, but Conte will be first to admit that sympathy and goodwill can only last so long before fizzing out too. Progression is now a prospect that the Serie A champions cling to desperately, having used up all nine of their lives in the process; should they manage the feat, implementing all their hard-won lessons in the following stages will be their ticket to emerging the genuine article.

Follow Jeremy Lim on Twitter: @JLCalcio

 

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