Juventus 2-0 Olympiacos
Scorers: Higuain 69 (J), Mandzukic 80 (J)
Gonzalo Higuain came off the bench to make the difference in Juve’s 2-0 victory over Olympiacos.
Biggest winner/biggest loser:
Gonzalo Higuain had his share of critics over the last few weeks and it felt only fitting that he came off the bench to answer/silence them. People will inevitably continue to pick fault in Pipita’s performance and raise questions about his form and weight, however he does what he does best, score goals; Be it a match winning strike in the Champions League or a hat-trick of goals in Serie A, he only plays one way, and that’s exactly why we bought him – He’s the clear winner tonight.
It’s hard to single out a single loser as I think Olympiacos played a good game in an effort to contain us and their players are still adjusting to the change in management and tactics. Stefano Sturaro was one of the only weak links in the Juve lineup but even he played a decent game with no frills so it would seem harsh to judge him as a loser.
Takeaways from the performance/areas of improvement:
Rodrigo Bentancur stole the show as the match developed (more on that later) but I think he has areas of his game that he obviously needs to improve on. As Allegri rightly said post-match, the Uruguayan needs to work on his vertical passing and his positioning on the short passes, but this will come with time and more minutes.
The game was frustrating for large spells and we lacked real width, despite having two natural wingers on the pitch. Credit to Olympiacos for being tough to break down, but it would have been nice to see is move the ball faster and for the players to move a little quicker off the ball as well. It took until the second half for the match to open up and thats when we took the lead, stretching the Greeks defence.
Injury updates:
Giorgio Chiellini took a nasty knock to the head and needed 8 stitches, but in true Chiello fashion, he said he was fine after the game and the 3 points were all that mattered. Miralem Pjanic was injured in the warm up and it seems unlikely that he’ll be fit enough for the game against Atalanta, with more tests and an announcement expected in the coming days. Sami Khedira was back in the squad and could feature at the weekend, although perhaps not from the start while Claudio Marchisio is back in training and will have the international break to fully recover and return to the squad. Marko Pjaca and Mattia De Sciglio continue their recovery and are expected back in October/November, respectively.
Outlook for next fixture:
I think there is an air of positivity in the side after the first Champions League win of the year, and also winning the local derby. Higuain was once again amongst the goals, Bentancur solidified his status as a star in the making, and Sturaro did admirably at right back. We must continue as we mean to go on. The results have been positive thus far, Barca aside, and the team seems to really be starting to click. I expect a difficult test at the weekend with Atalanta, but one which we should remain optimistic about. I’m up in the air in regards to rotation as it is our last game before another dreaded international break. The fixture at the weekend should be manageable, if nothing else, as Atalanta have a difficult Europa League challenge in Lyon before we see them.
Opposition:
Compact and resolute. This was a game that Olympiakos came well and truly prepared to defend in. In the first half both Sturaro and Sandro were as far up the pitch as Cuadrado and Costa. For a last minute managerial change, they did up their game just a bit, but it wasn’t enough to trouble us on the night. A few worries with counters, but nothing that wasn’t negotiable. I feel the battle for the 3rd spot in our group will be very exciting to watch. It will be interesting to see how they fare going forward with their new/old manager. He’s no stranger to the club and this is his fourth or fifth stint on the bench for Olympiakos.
Best new signing on the field:
There is no question that Rodrigo Bentancur stole the show this evening in this regard. Called into action at the last minute and he performed admirably. Possibly the best player on the field with 93% completed passes. Didn’t seem to put a foot wrong on the night and is well and truly showing that he is one to keep an eye on going forward. He plays beyond his years. While I was not the first to the Bentancur party, I’m really intrigued by his composure on the ball for his age and his range of passing. Obviously his engine is in top notch condition at twenty years of age, but he is like a gazelle. Graceful, incisive, thoughtful, and intelligent. Maybe the “big” midfield signing of the summer was Bentancur.
Manager Review
Today it’s a 5 out of 10 for me. Max seemed planned enough for the game, but we were lacking that little bit of forward prowess which may have been left out of the team talk. I can’t say I would have expected him to take an all out attack approach in the Champions League as he rarely does, but it was a controlled and calculated performance. I do have to commend him on giving Bentancur and Sturaro starting berths today. Bentancur was a stroke of genius and Sturaro did more than admirably at right back on the night. Typical of him to make substitutions late when we aren’t up on the night. He’s definitely starting to get the synchronicity in the team that we need. The side is looking more and more cohesive.
Formation/squad selection grade: B+
Everything worked out eventually and its hard to be overly critical of the starting XI – I think 4-2-3-1 continues to work well for us and against an opponent like Olympiacos, it was the right way to go, considering the personnel available. My only annoyance is that Daniele Rugani didn’t start. The youngster features in most league games and while I appreciate that the senior heads like Barzagli or Benatia get priority, young Daniele needs moments on the big stage as he is the future of the Juve backline.
Juan Cuadrado was ineffective for large periods of the game and considering Bernardeschi is fit and raring to go, it would have been a welcome sign to see the youngster start on a European night. Reducing him to 10 minute cameo appearances most matches when he was starting (and scoring/creating chances) for Fiorentina seems short-sighted.
Lineups:
Juventus: Buffon; Sturaro (Benatia 81), Barzagli, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Matuidi, Bentancur; Cuadrado (Higuain 60), Dybala, Douglas Costa (Bernardeschi 84); Mandzukic
Olympiakos: Proto; Figueiras, Engels, Nikolaou; Koutris, Zdjelar (Fortounis 77), Romao; Pardo (Ben Nabouhane 72), Odjidja, Sebá; Emenike
Ref: Stieler (GER)
Statistics:
Man of the Match: Rodrigo Bentancur
Flop of the Match: N/A
Corners: 11
Pass Accuracy: 89%
Shots on Target: 8
Total Shots: 22
Ball Possession: 76%
Formation: 4-3-2-1
It would be interesting to see a cross comparison of match reviews from start of this season and a few seasons back. We always start slow due to a hard summer change in ranks, and then we build up to something that just lacked a few months to be perfect. I hope to see this squad (with maybe 1 more signing but we are ok as we are…) playing at least 2 years in a same formation…
A poor spectacle of a game. I saw a team which came well set up to defend, to stifle, to bother, to hack, to fall down when even breathed upon (absent of Bonucci’s garlic routine)…Some awful misplaced passes, from both the experienced and less so, I can forgive Bentancur, who is 20 years old and played okay, yet did little more than keep things simple, but the more seasoned, many really, were poor. Cuadrado was listless, did absolutely nothing, and as I have banged on about in the past, he is always in need of a RB to defend and support and overlap. Lichsteiner does all of this and his omission from the CL squad might well see us drop into the EL. The Sporting games will decide this, as seemed clear when the draw was made.
I watched the derby delle Mole…and enjoyed it, but…we were playing against ten men for the majority of the match, before which I felt things were quite even, though we had the ascendency. Sinisa demands attack attack attack, which is why we found so much space and goals, but also we had Pjanic, whose creativity was sorely missed in this game. Bentancur needs to be managed carefully, its a damn both to see us fielding him from the start in such crucial matches, especially when asked to perform creative duties, with a CM playing at RB who can not be expected to do anything but defend his area, which Sturaro did well, but in terms of going forward he offered next to nowt. There is zero chance we will win the CL with a central midfielder at RB…Nor with a 20 year old, in CM. Nor with Mandzukic leading the line, which he does well enough, but was absent for much of the game, as was Juan. You cannot reach for the ultimate glory when carrying one player, let alone two, and struggling to break down a Greek side bereft of any major threat.
We created so very little in the final third against very average opponents lacking confidence and talent. Deserved the victory, on endeavour and possession, but…I can but hope that Howedes or De Sciglio step up, get fit, get sharp for we will struggle against Sporting and Barca, with a CM playing at RB. Its appalling that Max made this decision. Truly. For Stephan has proven himself our strongest option there this season, has experience, grinta and is very much part of the team. That decision may come back to haunt us more horridly than some ponder.
I am glad we won, but did not enjoy the lack of cohesion, the stray passes in very poor areas and the absence of fluidity. Mandzukic is a warrior, but he is a shadow of Higuain when it comes to chances.
On a more positive note…we still have De Sciglio, Howedes, Marchisio and Khedira to join the CL show. And I am accustomed to Max focusing on March. Yet mark my words, the scudetto is more a focus for Napoli than for us, and presently, we look nowhere near CL contenders.
We are placing too much responsibility on Bentancur’s shoulders and it showed in this game. Costa has no connection to the team, everything he does well, is individual. From a CL focus, we desperately need Howedes and de Sciglio to come good. Cuadrado relies on others more than many understand. Dybala in turn, to a much lesser degree, for in this game he kept coming deep. Enough. We won, which was all that was needed.
Part agree with your comment. Stating aside this was a horrible performance against a low ranked team.
Sturaro playing on RB is completely Allegri fault. We can play 343 adding midfield bite and I can’t explain why we have young caligari entered against Barca or what’s him name in champions list and not Linc.
We surely missed Pjanic with matuidi is perfect but we have two CM sidelined therefore Bentacour was fine.
Douglas Costa is doing what the coach tell him to do. With Bayern he did not make any defending he is Brasilian and very dangerous upfront. He cannot be static but our slow build up do not help a lightning fast player.
Also the complete lack of right flank during first half did put pressure on both Sandro and Costa.
Dybala is in sleep mode during champions league meaning pressure is on the lad.
Chiellini passing is atrocious.
Have a good one poet we ll see against atalanta
Thanks for the response, mate…Caligara is there for the Home Grown rules. Not because he is anywhere near ready for senior or CL football.
As for choosing to play Rodrigo, its great for his development, but he has had a small handful of games in our colours, in our squad let alone at CL level. He did fine, but add in the Sturaro RB routine and other bothers I mentioned and I feel we needed to go with something more inspirational and experienced.
I forgot about that home grown rule. Sorry from my part.
Caligara is 17 yo so he can play CL without being on the list i guess.