Daniele Rugani Isn't the Future of Juventus, He's Already a Vital Player

AS Roma visited Juventus Stadium on Saturday evening, the teams arriving for a top-of-the-table clash with just four points separating them in the Serie A table and with important wins under their belts.

A week earlier, the hosts had overcome a resilient Torino side in a hard-fought local derby, while the Giallorossi had beaten third-place AC Milan in their previous outing. “Our position is easy to explain: this is a fundamental game for us,” Roma boss Luciano Spalletti said at his pre-match press conference. “We can’t go there and look for a draw, we’d lose for sure.”

Despite in-form forward Mohamed Salah only being fit enough for a place on the bench, while Alessandro Florenzi, Bruno Peres and Francesco Totti missed out completely, the coach was certainly true to his word as Kostas Manolas and Daniele De Rossi flew into early challenges.

Yet the game soon followed the usual path of Juve-Roma clashes. The capital club—having lost on their five previous away clashes against the Bianconeri—fell behind after just 14 minutes.

Gonzalo Higuain battled for the ball with De Rossi, eventually leaving the Roma skipper on the ground, evaded Manolas and then fired a shot into the top corner that Wojciech Szczesny was powerless to stop.

The strike marked the Argentina international’s fourth goal in three matches, Higuain rounding into form at a crucial point of the campaign. However, Juventus did not have things their own way, Spalletti’s men rose to the challenge and dominated much of the game.

Salah came on at half-time, adding some much-needed impetus to the attack, while Stephan El Shaarawy was also introduced as Roma chased an equaliser. By the time the final whistle blew, they had controlled 60.2 percent of possession and out-shot Juve 10-7 over the 90+ minutes, according to WhoScored.com.

“Despite the final siege, Roma emerge beaten, and it all becomes more difficult,” Spalletti admitted in a post-game interview with Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia). “Juve were stronger than us in the individual duels and proved their strength.”

It was a vital win for the Bianconeri and helped them open a seven-point gap on their closest rivals, but that they did so with an injury-ravaged squad was equally impressive. Andrea Barzagli and Paulo Dybala were deemed not fit enough to start, while long-term absentees Dani Alves and Leonardo Bonucci missed out completely.

Those players obviously left Massimiliano Allegri short in defence, but the Juve boss was rewarded for his continued faith in Daniele Rugani. Rather than opting for Medhi Benatia, the young Italy international retained his place in the starting XI, delivering a superb performance as time and again he thwarted promising Roma attacks.

As the FourFourTwo Stats Zone graphic in the tweet above highlights, his effort was astonishing against Serie A’s most prolific attack. Their opponents had scored more goals than any other team in the league before this encounter, but Rugani ensured the Bianconeri kept a clean sheet.

It was their first in domestic action since beating Pescara on November 19, and Allegri was happy to single out the young central defender for praise for the work he did alongside Giorgio Chiellini.

“Rugani played a very important match and displayed great technique and personality,” the coach told Sky Italia (h/t GianlucaDiMarzio.com). “I believe he can improve even further. He also gives a lot of assurances. The national team and Juventus are lucky to have him.”

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The player himself was overjoyed with the result, telling Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia) that he was “happy with my performance, but above all with the result” before going on to explain further:

"

With every game I feel more confident, that’s normal for a player. When you are called into action, it helps you to mature.

I feel that I have improved in several areas, but perhaps the most important step was a psychological one. I came from a different level at Empoli and it took the right amount of time to adapt.

"

He has certainly done that, starting Juve’s last four matches and seemingly getting better every time he steps on the field. They have not been easy fixtures either, also including a win over high-flying Atalanta and a UEFA Champions League triumph over Dinamo Zagreb that helped Juve clinch top spot in their group.

Rugani scored in both those games, and has yet another reason to celebrate this week with Juve rewarding his growth with an improved contract. According to the club’s official website, the 22-year-old penned a deal until June 2021, much to the delight of a self-confessed Juventus supporter.

“I want to say lots of things about it, it means that the club believes in me, that I'm doing well and I’m happy and proud of this,” Rugani said after the announcement, per Football Italia. "I’m happy because I was born a Juve fan and to extend for five years gives me the greatest satisfaction of all.”

Stefano Sturaro agreed a similar deal the following day, with Allegri expressing his own happiness at locking down two talented prospects. He told a press conference that the renewals are “a sign of the club’s vision for the future.”

“They are two young and promising players,” the coach went on to say, adding that Juventus are “looking for them to become the spine of this team for years to come." That was certainly the case on Saturday evening and the Bianconeri will now head to Doha for their Supercoppa Italiana clash with AC Milan.

That gives them their first chance for silverware this term, already safe in the knowledge they will end 2016 at the top of the table in Serie A. Gaining revenge for October’s league loss to the San Siro outfit would be almost as important as collecting the trophy, but the win over Roma also saw them notch an impressive mark.

The Old Lady have collected 100 points in the calendar year and registered their 25th consecutive domestic victory at Juventus Stadium, the latter accomplishment equalling a club record set just two years earlier.

Many players have played their part in that incredible run of form, but few are playing to the same level as Rugani at the moment. Back in April, Opta noted in this tweet that he collected the first booking of his career, incredibly managing to make 52 full appearances without being shown a yellow card.

“The coach has often told me to become more aggressive, not more dirty,” Rugani told Tuttosport (h/t Football Italia) last term, and he certainly accepted that advice. His instincts have become more finely tuned, his desire to have an impact on matches now much greater and he is no longer the squeaky-clean player he was at Empoli.

Previously expected to wait a while for a sustained run in the side, he showed against Roma that his time has already arrived. Rugani is better, he is part of the side and he is more than just the Juventus defender of tomorrow—he’s performing now, when the team so desperately need him to.