Chievo vs. Juventus: Winners and Losers from Serie A
Juventus travelled east to Verona for Serie A’s Sunday lunchtime match, taking on Chievo at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi. The Bianconeri would equal their all-time best winning streak by recording a 12th consecutive victory, eventually recording a 4-0 scoreline which perhaps failed to underline their dominance.
Hitting the bar twice, the Turin giants could’ve scored even more goals but will be more than satisfied with a result that temporarily sent them to the top of the league table for the first time in 2015/16.
It was a result that piled on the agony for their opponents, Chievo having lost 4-1 to Lazio in their last outing, and they will need to put these results behind them before their midweek clash with Inter Milan.
What follows is a look at the winners and losers from this encounter for the Old Lady, highlighting the best and worst performances from what finished as a routine victory for the reigning Italian champions.
Winner: Alvaro Morata (Juventus)
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Alvaro Morata came into this week without a goal since October 4 but ended it with four more to his name. After netting a brace against Inter in the Coppa Italia, the Spanish striker followed up with another two here but preferred to discuss the team effort when speaking to reporters after the game.
“This was a highly important win, as we knew that we had to collect all three points in order to keep fighting for first place,” Morata said per the club’s official website. “I’m happy with the goals, the overall performance and, of course, the victory.”
Loser: Albano Bizzarri (Chievo)
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Continually left exposed by his defence, goalkeeper Albano Bizzarri will hope to quickly forget his 95 minute outing against Juventus. The Chievo stopper made no fewer than six saves according to statistics courtesy of ESPN FC, yet still conceded four times as the Bianconeri ran rampant against the Veronese side.
Winner: Massimiliano Allegri (Juventus)
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Once again Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri’s decisions paid off. The coach made five changes from their last match, yet the side never missed a beat. It meant that the Bianconeri equalled their longest-ever winning run, but the man on the sidelines was in no mood to celebrate when he spoke to Sky Italia shortly after the final whistle.
“I can just say the players go on the field and win the games. I can give them a hand with advice, but as I’ve already said, I am not interested in records,” Allegri said (h/t Football Italia). “I’d be upset if we won 20 in a row and then didn’t win the Scudetto. The trophies are what count, and the results are just a way of getting there.”
Loser: Daniele Rugani (Juventus)
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While Allegri continues to rest and rotate his squad, there is little doubt that Daniele Rugani can consider himself unfortunate not to be earning more playing time. The young defender has made just three starts in all competitions and will hope to feature in the coming weeks rather than watch his team-mates win without him.
Winner: Alex Sandro (Juventus)
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Brought into the starting XI in place of the suspended Patrice Evra, Alex Sandro would deliver another superb performance on the left, netting a well-taken goal and hitting the crossbar on another occasion.
The Brazilian was his usual energetic self, powering forward at every opportunity but recording three tackles, three interceptions and two clearances according to statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com. Per the same source, Sandro also completed 59 passes, testament to his involvement in the Bianconeri attack.
