Leonardo Bonucci Edges Juventus to Verge of Serie a Title in Win over Lazio

Having overtaken neighbours AS Roma by moving into second place last weekend, Lazio travelled to Turin on Saturday evening hoping to continue their surge up the Serie A table.

Juventus Stadium has not been particularly welcoming to visiting teams this term, the hosts registering 13 wins and just two draws in their 15 previous home games this term.

But faced with the only team to have scored more goals than the Bianconeri this term, Massimiliano Allegri told reporters at his pre-match press conference on Friday that the side from Italy’s capital would represent a tough challenge to La Madama.

“Tomorrow is a match that could decide the Scudetto,” the coach said, per Juve’s official website. “Lazio are having an extraordinary season. They come into the game on the back off eight straight victories and have conceded the same as we have in the second half of the season.”

Marco Vasini/Associated Press

The turnaround was due in no small part to Biancoceleste boss Stefano Pioli, his arrival last summer completely transforming a side who had finished ninth in 2013-14. His impact made it impossible for Allegri to rest too many players despite facing a Champions League quarter-final second leg against AS Monaco on Wednesday.

The coach named a very strong lineup, opting to bench only Alvaro Morata, Roberto Pereyra and Stephan Lichtsteiner from the XI that beat the Ligue 1 side 1-0 last week. Andrea Barzagli, Simone Padoin and Alessandro Matri came in to replace that trio, the Bianconeri switching to a 3-5-2 formation in order to curtail the attacking threat of Lazio.

After an opening 15 minutes in which very little action took place, Carlos Tevez opened the scoring as he broke free to net his 26th goal of the campaign. The visitors immediately went in search of an equaliser but found the Juventus defence—and Leonardo Bonucci in particular—almost impossible to overcome.

The Italian international came to the rescue to make a superb block on Miroslav Klose, deflecting the ball for a corner when it seemed certain the striker would pull his side level. Bonucci was not done there, however, breaking forward to net an impressive strike amid some terrible defending from the Rome-based side, cementing the 2-0 final scoreline.

It was his fourth goal of the current campaign, with each strike coming in very important games for the Bianconeri—previously finding the back of the net in wins against Roma, Milan and Fiorentina. It represents his highest tally since joining the club back in 2010, when the Old Lady paid €15.5 million to bring him to the club from Genoa.

Bonucci has arguably been Juve’s finest defender this term, the one regular in what has been a constantly rotating cast at the back as Allegri has been forced to contend with a raft of injuries to the likes of Kwadwo Asamoah, Martin Caceres, Romulo and Barzagli.

According to statistics from WhoScored.com, Bonucci has recorded averages of 1.2 tackles, two interceptions and 4.6 clearances per league game, showing just how important he has been to the Bianconeri. He also continues to impress on the ball, making an average of 61.8 passes per game and completing 86.1 percent of those attempts.

Given the extra responsibility of leading the defence in the absence of so many others, he has blossomed into one of the best and deserves to be recognised as being among the finest in Europe at his position, with very few playing better in 2014-15.

Winning major trophies with Juventus can only enhance his standing on the continent, and the 27-year-old believes nothing is beyond the current side. “It doesn’t cost anything to dream,” the defender told Sky (h/t Football Italia) when asked about the possibility of the club winning a treble.

With Leonardo Bonucci in this kind of form, they can do just that.