Serie A 2019-20: Fiorentina 0-0 Juventus| Three reasons why the Old Lady failed to win the game
Juventus continued their title defense with a visit to The Stadio Artemio Franchi, home of a struggling Fiorentina side who'd failed to win even a single point till this fixture.
Fresh from a four-goal haul at the EURO 2020 qualifying campaign with Portugal against Lithuania, all eyes were on Cristiano Ronaldo to repeat some of his magic in the league fixture, but he failed to inspire the last season's champions to a victory, as the slow-paced fixture ended in a goalless draw.
Juventus suffered an early blow in the match, as they lost speedster Douglas Costa to a thigh injury, forcing a substitution in the seventh minute of the game, cutting short the birthday boy's contributions to the game.
Maurizio Sarri's men were lucky not to concede not one but couple of goals within the first 20 minutes of the game because of sloppy defending and miscommunication between the defenders and the goalie.
The side looked nothing like the team that defeated arch-rivals Napoli in extra-time last time around, after losing a three goal lead.
So, with the Serie A table toppers dropping points for the first time this season, we chalk out the three reasons as to why Juventus failed to take home the three points from the seemingly easy fixture.
#1 Douglas Costa's early injury threw Sarri's gameplan completely off balance
Though he has not been completely appreciated during his time at the Allianz Stadium, Douglas Costa brings something to Sarri's side that no other player can offer to the former Napoli manager.
His blistering pace and exquisite quick feet make him an asset for the Juventus side. He can carve his way through any defense on the right flank, moving the ball forward in a flash, as seen in his performances last time around.
He was pivotal to all of Juve's three goals against Napoli in the exhilarating fixture, providing two assists and also laying down the ball which eventually Gonzalo Higuain converted against his former club.
He perfectly complements Ronaldo, who tends to move into the center from the opposite flank.
Without him, Sarri had to bring Federico Bernardeschi on the pitch, who, in all honesty, failed to match the Brazilian's energy and flair on the wing and slowed down their game.
With the former Bayern Munich star out they were left with no player who could run at the opposition defense and thus in absence of such key player, Juventus struggled with creating chances in the final third, which eventually made them settle for a draw.