Juventus Win Against Sampdoria Despite Struggles of Alvaro Morata and Hernanes
Juventus travelled to Genoa on Sunday night to face Sampdoria, the visitors armed with the knowledge a win would see them climb into second place in the Serie A table. Losses for Inter and Fiorentina meant that the weekend's results had fallen perfectly for the Bianconeri, and a 2-1 victory saw them capitalise.
It was far from a straightforward result, however, with Sampdoria looking particularly dangerous after Antonio Cassano scored with a little over 25 minutes remaining. It also saw the away side begin nervously, with Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri forced to make some changes that were ultimately to blame for their stuttering display.
The coach went into the game without a number of key figures, with Andrea Barzagli and Mario Mandzukic injured while Claudio Marchisio sat out because of a one-game suspension for his accumulation of yellow cards.
Having seen Martin Caceres given the nod against Hellas Verona in midweek, it was a relief to see promising young defender Daniele Rugani take his place in the starting XI here. The 21-year-old showed why he is so highly regarded, turning in a solid performance as part of the visitors' three-man back line.
According to statistics on WhoScored.com, Rugani made five clearances and blocked one shot, completing a respectable of his 92.5 per cent of his 40 pass attempts while not committing a single foul.
Yet while the former Empoli man deputised admirably for Barzagli in defence, the same cannot be said of Morata's contribution to the attack. Chosen over the in-form Simone Zaza, the Spain international continued to look devoid of confidence and nowhere near the high standard he set for himself last term.
With only three goals to his name in 2015/16, he last found the net in the win over Bologna on October 4 and never looked like ending that barren spell at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Having made little impact on the game in the first half, a cross from Hernanes picked out an unmarked Morata in the 63rd minute, the striker inexplicably heading wide when it seemed easier to score.
"Morata's miss after a great pass from Hernanes. https://t.co/GRftL3dgAb
— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) January 10, 2016"
But if that miss added to his woes, it did the same for the chance's creator, the Brazilian playmaker also yet to discover anything close to his best form since joining the club from Inter back in August.
Juventus paid their rivals an initial €11 million for the 30-year-old, per their official website, but he has yet to begin to repay that investment, putting in a string of poor displays.
His inclusion against Sampdoria marked Hernanes’ 13th appearance since completing that deal, and his first-half display left much to be desired. Yet after the break, he found more space, with the graphic in the tweet below fully highlighting the much-improved performance of the former Sao Paulo and Lazio star.
Guilty of giving the ball away cheaply on a few occasions, his two shots tested Sampdoria goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano. His display was praised by Allegri as he spoke to reporters after the match.
“If [Hernanes] continues to improve in that position in front of the defence, then he will be a very important player for us,” the Juve boss said, per the club’s official website. “I thought he was very good both offensively and defensively tonight.”
There is still much room for improvement for both him and Morata, with a return to their respective peaks likely to help the Bianconeri make significant progress over the rest of the season. Rugani’s outing was hugely positive, and the decision to start that trio ultimately mattered little as the reigning champions secured yet another victory.
