Juventus could be a very low-scoring side until their two main strikers return from injury and manage to regain some form, despite their recent form continuing with a 1-0 win over Torino on Saturday.
The Derby della Mole win will have given great satisfaction to Massimiliano Allegri and the Bianconeri fans, returning to Serie A action after the important victory over Chelsea in the Champions League just three days earlier.
There is, however, no disguising the fact that the performance against Torino was not one that will often end with three points and a happy fan base. Many fans, completely fairly, are not overly worried about the quality of performance in a derby, it’s just about getting the points and the local pride. That doesn’t work every week.
Juventus didn’t manage a single shot on target until the 53rd minute and they really ought to have been punished by Torino in the first half, who placed the Juve defence under a lot of pressure. It was the first time since the 2004/05 season that Juve have not had a shot on target in the first half of a match against Torino.
It is evident that Allegri is working hard to make Juve a very difficult team to beat, rather than one that blows teams away with four or five goals. That plan only works when you know you have a certain incisiveness in attack that can take the rare chances that come your way.
Without Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata in the side, Juve look very passive in attack. The qualities of Federico Chiesa are of course clear for all to see. He can take on a lot of the goalscoring burden, but unless at the top of their games, the players around him don’t seem capable of picking up the slack when he has an off day.
Federico Bernardeschi was non-existent against Torino out on the left, and it seems that Allegri ought to put him back in that false nine position that he played very well in against Chelsea. Moise Kean is still feeling his way back into proceedings and was substituted at half time for Juan Cuadrado.
The Colombian played with high energy and intensity, as he always does, but he is essentially a provider. He needs someone to be in the right positions to take advantage of his running down the right-wing.
A winning goal from a midfielder who has never scored more than four goals in a Serie A campaign was enough to get Juve out of jail against Torino, but don’t be surprised to see the Bianconeri involved in a few 0-0 draws before they get the cavalry back up to speed in a month or so.
