Juventus Take European Momentum into Serie A with Big Away Win over Genoa

On Tuesday, Juventus took a major step toward arresting their awful start to the season. Going into their Champions League opener at Manchester City, they were fairly heavy underdogs but played an organized game and scored two fantastic goals to come from behind and take a crucial early victory.

After only managing two defeats and a draw in their first three league games, the victory—which accompanied a surprise tactical shift to a 4-3-3—was a massive confidence boost. The team's many new parts came together a little bit more, and it was hoped Sunday's game would take Tuesday's positive start and consolidate it into real momentum.

Much to the relief of the team's fans, they delivered on that promise, even though it wasn't as convincing as some might have liked—a 2-0 win away at Genoa.

The Bianconeri were expecting a stern test. In the days before the game, full-back Martin Caceres pointed out to JTV (h/t Football Italia) the difference in Italian and English styles and predicted there would be a lot less space for Juventus to operate in than they had in Manchester.

The Uruguayan's statement proved prophetic. Playing a typically organized game, Gian Piero Gasperini's men defended well and didn't give the Bianconeri much room to create.

Juve did start fast, with Alvaro Morata testing Eugenio Lamanna a mere 20 seconds into the match. But after that, things bogged down for a bit. The new-look attacking trident of Morata, Mario Mandzukic and Juan Cuadrado took some time to get into the game, and for a while, Genoa had the majority of possession.

It didn't help matters when Morata—fresh off his fantastic winner against City—pulled up with an apparent abdominal injury after 22 minutes.

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He was replaced by Roberto Pereyra, and that seemed to signal a change. Pereyra consistently found holes in the defense, and as he pulled the Grifone out of place, Cuadrado began to do the same on the other side. Slowly, they began to cause more problems.

It was Pereyra who put Juve in for their first goal of the afternoon. His cross-shot from the right channel was perfectly weighted for Paul Pogba, who stayed onside and acrobatically tried to volley into the net.

Nothing has been easy this year so far, so it was fitting that what should have been an easy goal turned strange when Pogba mishit it and banged the ball off the underside of the crossbar—only for it to rebound off Lamanna's knee and into the net for an own goal.

Six minutes later, it was Cuadrado's turn to put a stamp on the game. Bursting through on a breakaway, Armando Izzo had no choice but to haul him down, earning his second yellow card—and an early shower—two minutes before the break.

It was then when Juve showed there was still room to improve. Up a man for 47 minutes, they heaped pressure on Genoa's goal, but no one was able to come up with a convincing effort to test Lamanna. Cuadrado scurried around the field and dragged defenders with him, but he also showed the glaring weakness in his game: a severe lack of directness.

The Colombia international is certainly skilled, but he frequently gets too cute for his own good. He takes dribbles around far too often, executing a series of pointless stepovers while actually being shepherded away from the danger zones or allowing defenders to get into his shooting lanes.

All this extra flair can win the odd free kick or penalty, but it sometimes looks like that's all Cuadrado is trying to do rather than actually, you know, score. Lionel Messi is the best player in the world and hardly ever bothers with such extra fluff. He identifies where he wants to go, gets there and finishes.

That's the kind of forward that has scored throughout Juve's history like Michel Platini, Alessandro Del Piero and Carlos Tevez. It's what Cuadrado needs to do more of.

Eventually, the penalty that sealed the game was drawn not by Cuadrado but Giorgio Chiellini, who was in an advanced position after a corner kick. Pogba slotted past penalty specialist Lamanna, and any hope Genoa had of leaving the Marassi with a point was all but extinguished.

It wasn't the dominating victory some were hoping for, but three points are three points, especially given the way the season has begun. Despite the win, the players are still very much feeling each other out.

But the positive signs are there. The defence—which had previously failed to keep a clean sheet since the Supercoppa Italiana in August—looked its old unbreakable self. Gianluigi Buffon didn't have to face a single shot on target. Mario Lemina made his Juve debut and showed flashes of the player who has drawn some comparisons to a young Arturo Vidal. Pereyra looked the best player on the field after a horrendous start to the campaign.

Slowly but surely Juventus are coming together. A midweek date with Frosinone is next before a crunch away game at Napoli. So long as Juve continue to improve at this pace, they'll be ready to make a climb up the table.