Following last week’s defeat in the Italian capital, Juventus supporters were hoping for a rebound win at the expense of Sassuolo, especially after receiving a midweek morale-booster by beating Sporting in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals.

Yet, fate had a second successive domestic defeat in store for the Old Lady, and deservedly so, as the Neroverdi were the superior side from start to finish. Gregoire Defrel came in at halftime to deliver the goal that separated the two sides.

Though the Neroverdi performed admirably, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. However, it was the Bianconeri’s poor display that warranted the final result.

So here are our three takeaways from another letdown on the road for Juventus

Can’t Blame Frustrated Vlahovic

Another outing, another fire-blanking from Dusan Vlahovic. Based on the statistics, it’s easy to write off the Serbian and chastise him for his barren run.

Nonetheless, the action on the pitch tells a different version of the events. Yes, Vlahovic isn’t quite at his optimal level at the moment, however, he has all the right in the world to be frustrated with lack of service he’s receiving.

Moreso, the 23-year-old had the unpleasant task of chasing lost causes throughout the match, as his teammates kept throwing desperate long balls towards the final third, balls that no striker is ought to catch.

So kudos to Dusan for at least giving chase.

Fagioli’s Blunder and Allegri’s Handling

Sadly for Nicolò Fagioli, this was easily his worst display since his breakthrough with the first team. The young midfielder’s botched clearance allowed Defrel to score the winner.

Straight after this blunder, Max Allegri immediately hauled the youngster off the pitch, and the latter was reduced to tears while watching the rest of the action from the bench. The whole scene was just hard to watch.

So this sparks the following debate: Did the manager make the right call on this particular occasion?

On one hand, Fagioli was having an underwhelming outing even prior to his decisive howler. But on the other hand, the young man would have relished the chance to redeem himself on the pitch rather than getting his morale smashed by a swift substitution.

We’d very interested to know what our readers have to say about this incident in the comment section.

Juventus Must Stop Living Dangerously

Nowadays, some pundits are advertising this notion that Juventus enjoy living on the edge, trying to pass it as some sort of a tactical ploy on the manager’s part.

But even Allegri must admit that this maneuver is too dangerous to be methodically adopted. While the team can at times survive onslaughts and pull off results despite getting dominated for 60 minutes or so, this surely isn’t the right mantra for building a solid foundation.

Although it worked last Thursday against Sporting, this weekend delivered a contrasting outcome.

So instead of seeking fallacious alternative methods for success, perhaps Juventus should rather focus on improving the level of football for a change.