Juventus vs. Verona: Sebastian Giovinco Alerts Arsenal, Toronto FC in Cup Tie

Hellas Verona travelled to Juventus Stadium on Thursday evening, the first of two visits this week, as a strange schedule quirk also sees them face the Bianconeri in Serie A this Sunday. This encounter was a last 16 tie in the Italian Cup, however—a competition that has not been kind to the Turin giants over the previous two decades.

Having failed to lift the trophy since 1995, no one could accuse Juve of failing to take the competition seriously under Antonio Conte, with the coach regularly continuing his strongest available XI even as others implored him to rotate. He guided them to the final in his first season, losing to Walter Mazzarri’s Napoli before overseeing semi-final and quarter-final exits in the following years.

It is a record Massimiliano Allegri has promised to rectify; he declared at his pre-match press conference that “the Coppa Italia is one of our targets for the season,” per the club’s official website. He went on to add that his side would “do everything we can to go all the way” but did admit he would be resting a number of key players.

The coach was as good as his word, omitting Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez from the squad completely while opting for Marco Storari in goal ahead of Gigi Buffon. In addition to sitting the captain, Allegri made no fewer than eight changes in total from the weekend victory over Napoli, with Leonardo Bonucci, Paul Pogba and Claudio Marchisio the only ones to retain their places.

It was a similar story in the opposing dugout: Andrea Mandorlini also only retained three players in his own side, with a number—including Luca Toni—absent through injury. Things got worse for the visitors just five minutes into the game, as they found themselves a goal down following Sebastian Giovinco’s free-kick.

While Gialloblu goalkeeper Rafael will be disappointed not to have kept out a relatively routine effort, the strike could not have been better timed for the Juventus striker. Out of contract at the end of the season, the Italian international will know the match served as a shop window for those interested in signing him.

He would add a second goal on Thursday—Juve’s third of the night in an eventual 6-1 victory—just before half-time as he finished off a smart team move with a simple finish.

Having progressed through the youth ranks of the club and once seen as the heir to Alessandro Del Piero, he has struggled to make an impact since returning from a spell with Parma. Giovinco appeared to finally be ready for the limelight after his time with the Ducali, recording an impressive 15 goals and 11 assists in 2011-12.

Conte appeared to have faith in him at first, but WhoScored.com shows he played just 565 minutes last term and has made even more sporadic appearances in the current campaign. The same source shows he had been on the field for only 180 minutes before this cup tie, and he seemed determined to maximise the opportunity.

There has been no offer of an extension from the Bianconeri, leading to a raft of links away from the club for the local-born star. Speculation on the peninsula has mentioned him in connection with a move to Arsenal, per Football Italia, but another destination has also been touted.

Gareth Wheeler of TSN believes Toronto FC could be the 27-year-old’s next home, reporting that the MLS outfit are “on the verge of signing Giovinco.”

Despite his failure to make an impact at Juventus, his signature would be quite a coup for the Canadian side that recently released Jermaine Defoe. Still in his prime, the Italian is currently a regular with his national team, scoring once in 17 appearances for the Azzurri, but the potential $7 million annual salary disclosed by TSN would be difficult to refuse.

What would Toronto be getting for their investment? Clearly, Giovinco is excellent in set-piece situations, as the strike against Hellas was relatively tame in comparison to his usual standard.

There have always been question marks over his 5'5" (1.64 m), 130-pound (59 kg) size and lack of speed to take him away from defenders who muscle him off the ball. However, he possesses good acceleration, which often enables him to create room for a shot or cross, and he is usually accurate with both. Statistics from Squawka show he found the target with 53 percent of his attempts last term, while WhoScored.com highlights an impressive pass completion rate of 90.9 percent.

At his best, as he was on Thursday evening, he continually beats opponents and frustrates defenders, as he did to earn a penalty that Alvaro Morata slotted home. He can provide chances for his team-mates and weighs in with his own fair share of goals, although that form has sadly been all too absent in the famous black-and-white shirt of Juventus.

Yet Giovinco remains a skilful and talented striker, one who could provide a timely boost for Toronto FC in 2015.