Although it remains to be seen whether or not these three points will change anything in the outcome of the season, Juventus maintained their slim hopes of reaching next season’s edition of the champions League with a 3-1 away win over Sassuolo.
Whilst the hosts seemed to be the better side in the first half, Adrien Rabiot broke the deadlock, before assisting Cristiano Ronaldo for his 100th goal for the club.
At the start of the second half, Giacomo Raspadori pulled one back for the Neroverdi, but Paulo Dybala ended their hopes by completing his own century of goals for the Old Lady.
So here are three lessons that we learned from Juve’s victory over Sassuolo
No one like him
Last night, the iconic Gianluigi Buffon might have played his very last Serie A match.
Even though we didn’t exactly need a reminder of his greatness, the 43-year-old pulled off a great save to deny Domenico Berardi from the spot early in the match.
The outcome of the encounter would have been very different had Sassuolo scored first, and therefore, Gigi delivered the goods right when his lady needed him the most, just like he has done hundreds of times in the past.
We will never see his like again.
Positive switch
For someone who has spent the entire season experimenting new ideas, it’s a wonder how Andrea Pirlo waited until the last couple of weeks of the campaign to switch Federico Chiesa and Dejan Kulusevski’s roles.
Against Sassuolo, and for the first time, the Italian went right, allowing the Swede to take the left flank.
Whilst the former Fiorentina man is obviously not at his physical peak, Kulu delivered a thrilling performance in his new role, delivering an assist for Dybala and could have grabbed another one or two.
Switching these two throughout the 90 minutes could be the way to go forward.
Counter attacking side?
Juventus may have ridden their luck in the first half, as Sassuolo went wasting in front of goal, but Pirlo’s men proved to be the more clinical side for once.
Whilst the team often struggled to create chances against the smaller clubs who decide to camp in their own areas, the Neroverdi’s adventurous approach allowed Juve’s attacking unit just enough space to display their talents, and punish their opponents on the counters.
Whether it’s Pirlo’s tactics, or the players’ characteristics, this side seems to be much more comfortable when playing counter attacking football.