Juventus Wingers See off Sassuolo Ahead of Bayern Munich Clash
While helping to temporarily extend their lead at the top of Serie A to six points, Sassuolo's visit to Juventus Stadium on Friday evening also served as a timely reminder of just how far the hosts had come since the two sides last went head to head.
Running out 1-0 winners courtesy of Paulo Dybala's excellent strike, various members of the Bianconeri setup had reiterated the significance of their loss to the same opponent back in October, as Leonardo Bonucci explained to Mediaset Premium before kick-off.
"The last time we met Sassuolo it was a fundamental match, as from that moment onwards we returned to being the real Juventus," the defender said (h/t Football Italia). "We have to thank that game and that defeat, as it allowed us to become reborn."
While that first meeting saw the Neroverdi run rampant over a struggling and incoherent Bianconeri who were labouring in the bottom half of the table, coach Massimiliano Allegri ensured his team was perfectly prepared for this fixture against one of his former clubs.
The Juve boss won the prestigious Panchina d'Oro earlier this weekโthe "Golden Bench" that serves as Italy's coach-of-the-season awardโand he quickly set about making a case for earning the same honour this term.
Setting out his side in a familiar 3-5-2 formation that has served them so well in the past, there were none of the tactical errors discussed in this previous post. Clearly given instructions to attack from the first whistle, Juventus were unfortunate not to take an early lead as Allegri's choices immediately paid dividends.
"We played with three at the back to have a different development going forward," the coach told Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia), and it was the men chosen at wing-back who would have the most impact.
Sassuolo goalkeeperย Andrea Consigli needed to be alert to deny chances that fell to Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Sami Khedira, while he also made a solid save when Alex Sandro stole in at the far post with a header.
The Brazilian's powerful running ensured Juventus dominated the left flank, with Juan Cuadrado's trickery and pace doing the same on the opposite side of the pitch. It would be the on-loan Chelsea and former Fiorentina flyer who created the decisive opening, easily beating Federico Peluso before setting up Dybala.
His team-mate would make no mistake as he curled home a beautiful 36th-minute effort, and Cuadrado would continue to trouble Sassuolo for the remainder of the match. According to statistics compiled by WhoScored.com, the 27-year-old created three further scoring chances while completing two dribbles and swinging no fewer than seven crosses into the box.
Yet, as influential as he was, Sandro arguably outshone him as the graphic in the tweet below highlights. Connecting with 32 of his 38 passes (84.2 percent), he also completed three of his four take-on attempts, won both aerial duels he contested and recovered the ball on six occasions.
Also registering four interceptions, one block and three clearances, he showed himself to be an astute defender as well as an attacking threat, an essential balance if he is to replace Patrice Evra as first choice in the role.
Having not represented his country since August 2012, Sandro's performances for Juve have seen him earn a place in the Brazil squad for their forthcoming friendlies, per FourFourTwo, but first he must help the Bianconeri overcome Bayern Munich.
"Itโs a huge game for us and we donโt want to leave Germany with anything less than a positive result," Cuadrado told reporters on Friday, per the club's official website. Perhaps this gameโand the performance of their two South American flyersโshowed Juventus just how that could be achieved.
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