In a battle between Europe’s best defence and best attack, it was the tactical approach of the Bianconeri that succeeded over the possession-orientated style of the Blaugrana in Turin
Juventus demonstrated the importance of having a balanced team and being strong in both phases of the game in their Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona.
La Vecchia Signora tactician Massimiliano Allegri out-coached his Blaugrana counterpart Luis Enrique, proving that Italian-style organisation can overcome the Catalan possession-based philosophy.
It was a comprehensive performance from Juventus, who registered a 3-0 victory in the first leg at Juventus Stadium on Tuesday evening. The Bianconeri were well-structured in defence and they also knew when to advance forward while Barca were constantly running into a wall and they were devoid of ideas.
The Blaugrana found it hard to dribble through the Bianconeri rearguard or attack them at pace because of the manner the Italian giants were defending.
Despite playing with attacking full-backs like Dani Alves and Alex Sandro, the back four of the Bianconeri remained resolute for 90 minutes and they also had support from their midfielders and wingers who dropped back.
Juve defended in numbers and limited the space for Barca to attack while Gianluigi Buffon was alert when required upon, making decisive saves from shots by Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez. Near the end of the match, Allegri decided to put on defensive midfielder Tomas Rincon and Andrea Barzagli to make the Bianconeri even stronger defensively.
The Bianconeri’s defending was so watertight, the Blaugrana attackers had to move out of position to receive the ball. Neymar often stayed wide and struggled to run into more central positions while Suarez also had to drift to the wings to receive the ball and Lionel Messi hardly had space to cut-in and dribble.
Barcelona pride themselves on playing entertain football but they suffered in the defensive phase of the game.
Right-back Sergi Roberto failed to contain Juventus workhorse Mario Mandzukic, Javier Mascherano’s defensive positioning and reading was horrible when his team conceded goals, and selecting the sluggish Jeremy Mathieu at left-back was a disaster because Juan Cuadrado destroyed him with his pace and stamina.
Although the Bianconeri did a great job of nullifying Barca, it would be a disservice to label them a defensive team. The Italian giants proved that they could go on the attack when the opportunity presented itself and scored early in the proceedings.
Argentine star Paulo Dybala was magnificent in attack, outshining his compatriot Messi by scoring the first two matches of the match.
The opening goal was a collector’s item. He received Cuadrado’s pass from the right goal line, turned on a sixpence, and curled the ball nonchalantly into the bottom left corner of the net. The second was a finish a pure striker would be proud of as he diverted Mandzukic’s cross from the left with a thunderous strike.
Gonzalo Higuain failed to score but the Juventus striker had a couple of chances to score and was involved in the first goal. Central midfielders Sami Khedira and Miralem Pjanic were able to contribute offensively in addition to their defensive duties, and while Giorgio Chiellini was a rock at the back, he sealed the win with a header in the second half.
Allegri and his men will travel to Spain to play the second leg on April 19 but it is unlikely they will collapse like Paris Saint-Germain did in the Round of 16. A team with Juventus’ experience should not possess such naivety and should once again render Barca’s philosophy to little value.
Although neutrals will crave for entertainment, a victorious team needs to be organised offensively as well as defensively and Juventus were not going to leave themselves exposed in any way against Barcelona.
