Juventus 3-1 Udinese: 3 reasons why the hosts secured much-needed victory | Serie A 2019-20
Juventus put an end to their awful run of form in the Serie A, as they secured an easy 3-1 victory over Udinese at the Allianz Stadium. Maurizio Sarri opted to start the trident of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain for the very first time in this fixture and they proved influential for the hosts, as they recorded their first victory in three league outings.
The reigning champions extended their unbeaten run at home to 28 games, thanks to a brilliant first-half performance. Ronaldo scored with his first two shots on the goal, breaking the deadlock in the ninth minute followed by another first-time finish in the 37th minute to double the scoreline. Defender Leonardo Bonucci added a third before the interval as the away side failed to deal with a corner, to give Juve an unassailable lead at half time.
It was a show of power by the hosts and it proved too much for the visitors who stood no chance against the pumped-up home team, who were eager to bounce back after a 3-1 drubbing at the hands Lazio last time around.
So, as the club went atop the Serie A table, at least temporarily, here is our roundup of the three reasons which led to a much-needed win for The Old Lady.
#1 Maurizio Sarri fields the lethal trident of Ronaldo, Higuain and Dybala
We got the first glimpse of the fearsome trio of Argentina and Portugal internationals in the second half of the Champions League fixture against Bayer Leverkusen. Both of the goals in that fixture were a result of some fine interplay between the trio and this synergy in the final third might've prompted Sarri to field Ronaldo, Dybala and Higuain together in tonight's fixture.
The players combined very well, especially in the first half with Dybala placed in the No.10 role just behind Ronaldo and Higuain in the two-striker system. They were heavily involved in testing the opposition defence in the first-half and were the reason for their two-goal advantage in under 37 minutes.
Dybala and Ronaldo combined for the first goal, while Higuain was the creator of the second goal for the former Real Madrid man. Though the trident worked well together, we can't assume this to be the norm for Sarri. It will be fascinating to see if they are all selected again for a trickier run of fixtures as the season progresses.