A hard-earned win from a cagey affair. Simply put, another typical Derby della Mole. The absence of the best strikers on both sides was plain to see, with very few chances to speak of throughout the match.
However, Juventus now possess a midfielder who can score for a change (would you believe it?!), and Manuel Locatelli’s late strike delivered a third win on the trot for Max Allegri’s men in Serie A, and the fifth overall.
So here are three takeaways from the Old Lady’s derby victory over Torino.
The Missing Piece
One outing after the other, Locatelli is cementing himself as the best midfielder at the manager’s disposal and by far (Not that the competition is too tough).
The former Sassuolo man is simply undroppable at this point, as he’s the man who shields the defense, helps in the buildup and even finishes the chances in desperate times.
Manuel is living the dream. Born and raised as a Juventus fan, he knows the importance of winning the derby, and to score the late winner… it must be euphoric to say least.
His positive run continued outside the pitch as well, as his girlfriend said ‘Si’ following his proposal on Sunday (who would say ‘No’ for a Bianconero anyway?)
The Right Duo
Many observers accused Andrea Pirlo of being a slow learner last season. It took the Maestro a while to figure out what his best lineup (and we’re still unsure if it even happened), but by the end of the season, he decided that Giorgio Chiellini and Matthijs de Ligt are his best combination at the back.
On Saturday, Allegri decided to drop Bonucci for the first time, giving him a well-deserved rest, and his two teammates put on a solid display, as the Bianconeri escaped with a Serie A clean sheet for the first time in 20 matches.
Now that’s not to say that Leo was the culprit behind Juve’s defensive woes – after all, he put on a heroic display facing Romelu Lukaku last Wednesday – however, the Torino encounter felt like one of the matches where the team suddenly collapses defensively for no apparent reason.
But with Chiellini marshalling the backline and making once decisive interception after another, while de Ligt provided some youth energy beside him, Allegri’s men maintained their composure until the very end.
The point is, giving Bonucci more days-off is not a terrible idea.
Reinforcement Needed
Following his heroics against Chelsea in midweek, we were all excited to see Federico Chiesa playing as a striker once again.
The Euro 2020 winner eventually provided the assist for Locatelli’s goal, but it still felt like an underwhelming performance overall.
Nonetheless, this wasn’t the player’s fault, after all, this wasn’t exactly his favorite stylistic matchup, as he wasn’t afforded with enough space to launch his trademark thrilling runs.
This should serve as a reminder for the importance of having a player like Paulo Dybala in the squad, someone who can simply break defenses with a simple touch or a sublime piece of talent.
While Chiesa remains one of Allegri’s most devastating weapons, he simply can’t do it all by himself every match, and the Old Lady will need some of her other soldiers to step up to the plate throughout the long campaign.
