08 February 2016
Could Juve have prepared for Saturday night’s Serie A showdown with Napoli in any better fashion yesterday afternoon?
**Voices around the dressing room before Sunday’s encounter** with lowly Frosinone were in agreement that if the Bianconeri failed to defeat Roberto Stellone’s side, next weekend’s top of the table clash with the league leaders would lose its value.*
*
Following a slow and laboured first half, the Bianconeri maintained their focus once more to register a 14th consecutive Serie A victory, eight of which have come on the road, thanks to second-half goals from Juan Cuadrado and Paulo Dybala.
While yesterday afternoon’s win ultimately served to keep the gap between Juve and Napoli at just two points (as the league table demonstrates below), it also acted as another example of the defensive solidity and patience of Massimiliano Allegri’s men.
Once again, a rearguard of Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini – withdrawn late on through injury – and Leonardo Bonucci prevented their opponents from taking a single shot on target, the fourth time they have done so this season, all while restricting their hosts to just two touches in the penalty area.
Facing an enthusiastic and tenacious Frosinone front three, the workload was evenly spread for the Bianconeri back three, who all regained possession on 18 occasions each.
If it is the backline that keeps this Juve side balanced defensively then it is the man immediately in front of them who invariably keeps the ball moving.
Claudio Marchisio kicked off his Juventus first-team career with wins over Frosinone and Napoli in 2006 and the midfielder’s composure and calm at the centre of the field played a huge part in ticking off the first half of another double header 10 years later.
Operating in his withdrawn role behind Stefano Sturaro and Paul Pogba, Marchisio completed 70 passes, 14 clearances, three interceptions and 12 recoveries of possession: producing the kind of excellently rounded and assured midfield performance that has made him an indispensable part of this Juventus team.
Further forward, it would not be a post-match statistical round-up without some mention of the Bianconeri’s leading marksman Dybala whose beautifully placed stoppage-time effort was his 13th strike of this Serie A season. In fact, the Argentine has yet to go three league matches without scoring a goal this term, a clear indicator of his consistency.
Fellow South Americans Alex Sandro and Juan Cuadrado completed the picture for the Bianconeri on Sunday afternoon, with the wing-backs complementing their assured defensive displays with real attacking menace.
With the pair rarely featuring together at the same time, Allegri decided that the Stadio Matusa was the perfect venue to unleash the full force of his two wide men and did so yesterday to great effect.
Cuadrado, always a threat with the ball at his feet, added a goal to his crucial midweek intervention against Genoa, while from the other side Alex Sandro created a match-high six scoring chances for his team-mates, including the cross for Juan’s tap-in.
All in all, these are numbers that point to a side peaking just at the right time ahead of one of the most eagerly anticipated games of the season.
