5 Reasons Juventus Dropped Points to Michael Bradley's Chievo Verona

Michael Bradley's Chievo Verona side stole a point in Turin with a 1-1 draw.  Juventus scored first when Giorgio Chiellini flicked an Andrea Pirlo free kick onto the Chievo post.  Juve hearts sank only to rise as the bouncing ball found the head of left-back Paolo De Ceglie who directed it into the net.

For all their attacking menace, Juventus could not break the Chievo defense down for a second goal.  The Verona side equalized in the 76th minute when Boukary Drame took a ball cut back from the right and drove it past Gianluigi Buffon to the far post.  Juve substitute Leonardo Bonucci took a swipe at the ball, but couldn't keep it out.

The draw saw league leaders AC Milan pull three points clear of Juventus at the top of the table.  Here are the five key factors in the game.

Chievo's Defense

Juventus looked dangerous going forward almost the entire match.  But Chievo's defense refused to allow Juve to convert that danger into clear chances on goal.

With the first half goal a notable exception, Chievo's central defensive pairing of Francesco Acerbi and Marco Andreolli was dominant in the air.  That factor helped neutralize the danger of 12 Juventus corner kicks and numerous set pieces.

Despite enjoying 61 percent of possession, Juventus only managed five shots on goal.  Time after time, Chievo managed to cut out the final pass, block the shot, and otherwise frustrate Juventus' attack.

Andrea Pirlo's Disappearing Act

Take away Andrea Pirlo's involvement in Juventus set pieces and there were vast stretches of the match when you could have forgotten the midfield linchpin was on the field.  His touch was most missed in and around the Chievo penalty area where Juventus struggled mightily to play that killer final pass.

In the first minute of extra time, Pirlo hit a screamer from 25 yards that Chievo goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino barely managed to keep out.  The strike served to emphasize how decisive Pirlo might have been in this game if only he had been more consistently involved.

Chievo's Counterattack

Chievo proved masterful at dispossessing Juventus in the middle third of the field.  Each time they won the ball, Chievo immediately looked to counter directly and at speed.

In the first half, many of these balls went awry and allowed Juventus to regain possession.  However, as the game went on, Chievo sharpened their passing and the counter became truly dangerous.  That consistent threat prevented Juventus getting too comfortable going forward.

Missing Penalty Kicks?

Twice in the match, Juventus players went down in the Chievo box.  The home crowd screamed, Juventus head coach Antonio Conte appealed, but the referee ignored it all.

The first came in the 11th minute, when the consistently-threatening Emanuele Giaccherini was played free in on goal.  Chievo's Siqueira Luciano struggled to recover and on first blush might have appeared to bring the onrushing Juventus player down from behind at the edge of the six-yard box.

The second came in the 87th as Juventus pressed to save the three points.  Substitute Alessandro Del Piero was sprung by a delicately chipped ball, only to go down very easily with a Chievo defender's hand on his shoulder.

Replays weakened the argument for penalties on both occasions, but that will do little to salve the wounds of the Juventus faithful.

Chievo Goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino

What the Chievo defense didn't take care of, goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino cleaned up.  A handful of magnificent saves first gave Chievo the chance to equalize and then saved the point.

The most significant came on two strikes from Juventus midfielder Simone Padoin on either side of halftime.  The first, a sizzling shot from 30 yards that sent Sorrentino diving desperately to his left to parry. 

The second saw Padoin dance beautifully at the top of the Chievo penalty area.  The Juve player created a yard of space and struck the ball toward the far post.  But a sprawling Sorrentino got his right leg in the way and Chievo's chances stayed alive.

Sorrentino had work to do in extra time to preserve the draw when Andrea Pirlo's 25-yard screamer came his way.  But the steady Chievo keeper refused to lose what his team had gained.  He threw himself at the ball and managed to knock it wide, eliminating Juventus' last chance at the full three points.