Udinese vs. Juventus: Winners and Losers from Serie A Match
Having won their last nine Serie A matches, Juventus headed to the newly refurbished Stadio Friuli in search of another three points against Udinese. They would win the match, 4-0.
Coach Massimiliano Allegri understood the importance of gaining a positive result, explaining to reporters at his pre-match press conference that it was vital his side maintained their recent momentum.
“We’re on a good run of form, and we’ve made important strides thanks to the players,” he explained. “But you don’t win the title with 39 points, there are 19 games to go, and I’m almost certain the title race will go right down to the wire.”
With Napoli having won earlier in the weekend, continuing their impressive streak became even more important, while the home side came into this encounter having lost in their last outing away to Carpi, 2-1.
Yet they also knew they had taken three points against the Turin giants earlier in the season, giving them the hope and confidence that they could pull off a repeat as they played in front of their fully opened stadium for the first time.
What follows is a looks at the best and worst performances from Juve’s against Udinese, highlighting the individuals who stood out in this latest outing for the reigning champions against coach Stefano Colantuono’s men.
Winner: Paulo Dybala
1 of 5
Clearly Juve's key figure this season, Paulo Dybala once again exerted his influence on proceedings here. Netting with a free-kick and a penalty, the Argentinian also weighed in assists for his side's other two goals.
Loser: Orestis Karnezis (Udinese)
2 of 5
With his team under constant pressure, Orestis Karnezis did little to help the home side. The Udinese goalkeeper was repeatedly caught wrong-footed, barely moving as Juve's goals began to flow.
Winner: Sami Khedira (Juventus)
3 of 5
Sami Khedira turned in yet another superb performance here, calmly controlling the midfield as he has done every time he has taken to the field for Juventus.
The former Real Madrid man—whose influence was discussed in this previous post—was rewarded with his third goal of the campaign, netting easily to put his side firmly in command.
Loser: Stefano Colantuono (Udinese)
4 of 5
Udinese boss Colantuono looked on helplessly as Juventus dismantled his side, which was unable to match the ability and tactical advantage enjoyed by their opponents.
The coach had no answer to Allegri's approach and will need to bring more from his players if Udinese are to avoid a relegation battle.
Winner: Udinese
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They may have lost, but Udinese will now enjoy the benefit of playing at a stadium they own. They should reap major financial rewards from the newly refurbished Stadio Friuli, a modern 25,000-seat facility that is only the third privately owned ground in Serie A.
