Big-Game Leonardo Bonucci Leads Juventus Past Sevilla in Champions League

Needing to beat Sevilla in order to regain top spot in their UEFA Champions League group, it was an injury-ravaged Juventus squad that travelled to Spain for Tuesday night’s meeting at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium.

Coach Massimiliano Allegri could name only 20 players for the trip, with the club’s official website revealing that Gonzalo Higuain (thigh) and Medhi Benatia (knee) had been added to the lengthy list of absentees.

It was therefore no real surprise when the Bianconeri allowed their opponents an early goal, with the home side punishing the visitors with their first real chance of the game. Juve failed to clear a corner properly, and Nico Pareja dispatched a superb volley through a sea of legs and into the bottom corner.

Gigi Buffon stood little chance of stopping the effort, and Sevilla’s defensive record meant the Italian champions knew they were in for a difficult night. The Liga side had yet to concede a goal in the competition this season, with their 2016/17 tally of four clean sheets including one at Juventus Stadium back in September.

But with half-time fast approaching, the Bianconeri were awarded a corner, and as Miralem Pjanic whipped the ball into the box, Gabriel Mercado refused to let go of Leonardo Bonucci’s shirt.

Mark Clattenburg had already sent off ex-Palermo star Franco Vazquez for two bookable offences, and the English referee was clearly in no mood for foul play, pointing to the penalty spot and incensing both Sevilla’s players and the vociferous crowd.

Claudio Marchisio was making just his third start of the campaign but was the coolest man in Andalusia as he promptly thumped the spot-kick beyond impressive goalkeeper Sergio Rico. It was the midfielder’s first Champions League goal since a February 2013 meeting with Celtic, but it was also just what the Old Lady needed: a route back into the game that she had otherwise struggled to find.

Allegri had few substitutes capable of providing a spark off the bench as his side continued to labour early in the second half, but he eventually opted to send Moise Kean into action once again.

Having already become the first 2000s-born player to feature in Serie A in the recent win over Pescara, his introduction here saw the 16-year-old take the same honour in UEFA’s elite competition.

Even so, the absences certainly seemed to be taking their toll—long-term injury victims Paulo Dybala, Marko Pjaca and Andrea Barzagli were joined by Higuain and Benatia in the treatment room, while Giorgio Chiellini was only deemed healthy enough for a place on the bench.

But Juventus still have Bonucci. With his side in desperate need of a goal, the 29-year-old repeatedly ventured forward, and when Kean contested a header on the edge of the box, the ball dropped kindly in the direction of the Italy international.

As he has done so often in the past, Bonucci rifled a shot towards goal, and his left-footed effort found the target and delivered a telling psychological blow to Sevilla. In one moment, the game was won—the home side crumbled instantly and eventually allowed Juve to run out 3-1 winners.

"

GOOOOOOOOL BONUCCI!!!!

JUVENTUS UP 2-1 OVER SEVILLA!!!! pic.twitter.com/dl3097aNT4

— ItalianFootballTV (@IFTV_Official) November 22, 2016"

Clearly delighted with his goal, Bonucci was even happier that it gave Juventus a much-needed three points, as he explained during in a post-match interview with Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia):

"

Sevilla did well to take the lead with their first shot on target, but we worked so hard and got the victory.

Sevilla closed up all the spaces, we made mistakes, but fortunately my left foot gave us a hand!

It’s normal in the Champions League that every game is difficult and extremely balanced. We knew this game was the crossroads of the season and we achieved our first target.

"

He was referring to the fact that the Bianconeri had confirmed their place in the last-16 of this competition, an accomplishment owed in no small part to the performance of their influential No. 19.

However, as can be seen in the FourFourTwo StatsZone graphic in the tweet above, Bonucci did far more than just level the scores. He registered one tackle, five clearances and recovered the ball nine times, also stepping forward to connect with 65 of his 79 pass attempts (82.3 per cent).

But that crucial goal is what really mattered. It is nothing new for the Viterbo native, who over the past two seasons has weighed in with vital strikes against AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, Inter Milan and AS Roma.

He showcased the same ability for his country at UEFA Euro 2016, too, converting a high-pressure penalty in the quarter-finals against Germany, though it wasn’t enough to prevent the Azzurri being eliminated.

His forays forward have become more and more noticeable, with the video above showing the wonderful on-ball skill he possesses. Perhaps that is understandable given he began his career as a midfielder, but in recent seasons, he has improved markedly as a defender, and Bonucci is now unquestionably among the best centre-backs in the world.

There is little doubt that Juventus would not have won this clash without him, but the contribution of his coach must also be noted. Allegri has come under much criticism this term for a lack of ambition, but that accusation certainly could not be levelled at him during Tuesday night’s performance.

The old adage that “necessity is the mother of invention” was clearly true in his starting XI, and those aforementioned absences almost forced the former Milan boss into the 4-3-3 formation he settled upon.

Adam Digby via WyScout

In this previous post, his negative tendencies were lamented, but with Juve needing a win and Sevilla in the lead, Allegri forced the issue in order to press home their numerical advantage.

The graphic above shows that the coach pushed his side even further forward, placing Pjanic and Sami Khedira behind Mario Mandzukic and leaving just Marchisio in central midfield.

That shift to a 4-1-4-1 formation lent far greater support to the Croatian striker while still exploiting the wide areas with the pace of Juan Cuadrado and Alex Sandro. It was a bold move, one that shows just what this side is capable of, and hopefully Allegri fits his returning players into a more impactful style rather than simply reverting to type.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/Getty Images

While happy with the result in Spain, he was already looking ahead to new challenges immediately after the final whistle, as the coach explained just what he and his team hope to accomplish before the winter break, per Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia):

"

We conceded a goal on the only real chance, a corner after 10 minutes.

In the second half Sevilla took away lots of spaces and there were many tactical fouls.

It’s not easy to win here, as Sevilla have some excellent players and a great coach. This now puts us in a position to lock down the top spot in the final game.

We achieved one target. Now there are two more, to be top of the Serie A table before Christmas and win the Super Cup in Doha.

"

That begins with Sunday’s trip to Genoa, where Allegri will hope to recover at least some of his injured squad. Higuain should almost certainly be ready, but if the Argentina international isn’t fit, then Bonucci has shown he is more than capable of grabbing an important goal when the Old Lady needs him to.