Juventus Loss to AS Roma Shows Serie A Champions Have Much Work to Do

Having lost their opening game of the season, the pressure was on Juventus to bounce back as they travelled to the Italian capital on Sunday afternoon. Yet, the Bianconeri failed to do so, following up last week’s defeat to Udinese by falling 2-1 away to AS Roma as a result of a disjointed and disappointing performance.

For the Giallorossi, the match was confirmation of their belief that the events of the summer have served to close the gap between themselves and the reigning champions, a gulf which saw the Turin giants march to the Serie A title with consummate ease last term.

The league will now pause for two weeks as international football takes precedence once again, and the break is undoubtedly well-timed for Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri. The coach cannot fail to be aware of the work he and his players must now undertake, with this loss hammering home the deficiencies of his side.

Riccardo De Luca/Associated Press

AS Roma clearly dominated almost the entire encounter, with statistics from WhoScored.com serving to highlight the superiority they enjoyed. Their figures show that they enjoyed no less than 61.4 percent possession, outshooting their opponents by 18 attempts to 10 while winning more tackles and aerial duels.

Indeed, Rudi Garcia’s men—who played a quarter of the game against 10 men following Patrice Evra’s red card—controlled every single facet of the game. Yet, when the full-time whistle blew, they were a superb Wojciech Szczesny save away from dropping two points, with the Old Lady clawing her way back into contention as time ran out.

Paulo Dybala’s goal showed what this new-look Juventus is capable of and after the match, Allegri was keen to point out a number of key reasons for his side’s struggles to reporters at his postgame press conference:

"

I’m not worried about our zero points in the league, that’s something that can happen in football. Yes, we have to catch up, but we’ve got all the time and quality to do so. We need to remain calm, clear headed and run through what didn’t work for us.

When we come back we’ll have [Claudio] Marchisio ready and [Sami] Khedira won’t be far off. [Alvaro] Morata will be in better shape, while [Juan] Cuadrado, [Mario] Mandzukic and Dybala will be more in tune with our way of working.

"

The first two names on that list are important, as it was in midfield where Juventus most clearly struggled. Simone Padoin—for the second week in a row—was overwhelmed in the centre of the pitch, simply unable to provide the quality needed in such a competitive environment.

"

Dybala's goal. #RomaJuve https://t.co/QG0VD424UF

— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) August 30, 2015"

His lack of ability on the ball clearly hurt the team, and the distance between his input and what a player like Khedira can deliver in the same role is staggering. That simple change would make a huge difference for Allegri, and the same is true of Marchisio’s attacking impetus in comparison to the promising Stefano Sturaro.

Paolo Bruno/Getty Images

There is also pressure on Paul Pogba to become more decisive, and Juventus must hope that as the team becomes more cohesive, he begins to do just that. Now wearing the club’s prestigious No. 10 shirt, the 22-year-old is expected to carry more of the burden and must prove himself worthy of such an honour.

Allegri is right to say he is not yet worried, but he must ensure his side return from the break with renewed vigour, as Roma showed they cannot be taken lightly in 2015/16. The real Juventus must show they are ready to fight once again for the title, starting with Chievo’s visit to Turin in two weeks' time.