Serie A 2018-19, Juventus 1-0 Roma: 5 Talking Points and Tactical Analysis
Juventus hosted Roma at the Allianz Stadium and came through unscathed. The Turin-based outfit was hardly troubled by their counterparts from the capital as the home side racked up their 16th league victory of the season.
The game was a cagey affair throughout with both sides not willing to give the other an inch.
In the first half, Juventus got the ball rolling and applied the early pressure. However, they had to wait till the 35th minute for their breakthrough when Mandzukic towered above Santon to nod home the ball.
With both sides not creating a lot in the final third, the Croatian’s goal proved to be the difference.
The win solidified the Old Lady’s position at the top of their table whereas their visitors were consigned to 10th place.
Here is a look at five talking points from the game:
#5 Roma fail to offer a threat
Juventus and Roma have served some classics over the years yet this was a game that never threatened to scale those peaks.
Though the Juventus defence should be commended for their sixth straight clean sheet in the league, the lack of a cutting edge in Roma’s attack would give Eusebio Di Francesco sleepless nights.
The away side started with their talismanic striker Dzeko on the bench. In the Bosnian’s absence, the responsibility of leading the line fell to Schick.
Though the Czech international is an extremely talented player, he has been highly inconsistent. Thus, it wasn’t a surprise when he failed to turn up at the Old Lady’s stomping ground.
The likes of Florenzi, Under and the effervescent Zaniolo too had a tough time imposing themselves on proceedings and eventually failed to create an impact.
Apart from Schick’s failure to hold the ball up, Roma also couldn’t get its midfielders involved in an attacking sense. At times, Juventus left space in midfield to exploit yet there were hardly any surging runs made from deep by the away side. Moreover, the Roma players were anything but confident when presented with half-chances.
The Rome based outfit are currently languishing in 10th spot. Though it might not be panic stations yet, surely the club hierarchy and its fans would want them competing for the European spots.
While drawing a blank against Juventus isn’t the greatest crime in the world, Roma’s failure to continuously display imagination against the bigger teams is a cause of concern.
If they are to get their season back on track, they need to start scoring and scoring against the big boys more often.