Juventus V FC Nordsjaelland: 6 Things We Learned

Juventus thrashed Nordsjaelland 4-0 on Wednesday to give their hopes of qualification a boost.

The Bianconeri made light work of the Danish champions—who held Juve to a draw two weeks ago—ending the contest by halftime with a three-goal lead.

Juventus remain third, though, one point behind Shakhtar and Chelsea, who occupy the two qualification places.

Here are six things we learned from this vital victory for Juventus.

Giovinco Needs a Traditional Centre-Forward as His Partner

Sebastian Giovinco flourished for the Bianconeri on Wednesday, showing a glimpse of his capabilities when partnered with a traditional centre-forward, Alessandro Matri.

Formica Atomica replicated his scintillating form for Parma against Nordsjaelland, buzzing in and around a focal point to the Juve side, which is never the case when Mirko Vucinic starts.

The Montenegrin enjoys to wander into the channels and drop into the space between the opposition's defence and midfield to dictate proceedings moving forward. Antonio Conte might find this to be a problematic theme moving forward, as Giovinco prefers to operate in a similar way.

While Matri might not be capable of snatching a starting role from either of the two incumbents, he might just have pushed Juve to finalise a deal for a new striker in the January transfer market.

Fenrnado Llorente, who has been linked to the Bianconeri lately, would be the perfect fit in this regard, providing more substance to Juve's attacks.

Matri Is the Perfect Striker Against Weaker Opposition

Alessandro Matri grasped his chance against Nordsjaelland with both hands, putting in an unselfish performance that served the team perfectly.

The Italian occupied Jores Okore and Ivan Runje throughout, which is something that neither Sebastian Giovinco or Mirko Vucinic tend to do.

Weaker opponents are mostly happy to drop deep and invite pressure. Juve really struggle to break down their opponents when they fail to field a striker who can provide a threat in behind or facilitate runners from deep with his back to goal.

Matri performed this duty superbly, and it now becomes a littler clearer as to why Juve handed him what seemed at the time to be a generous five-year contract extension. 

The Draw in Denmark Feels Even More Costly

Juventus drew 1-1 in Denmark two weeks ago despite absolutely dominating Nordsjaelland for the vast majority of the game.

When you consider that Chelsea and Shakhtar are likely to complete a clean sweep against the Danes in their remaining fixtures in the group, Juve's qualification is significantly tougher as a result of this disastrous result two weeks ago.

By remaining outside of the qualification spots despite already playing the Nordsjaelland twice, Juve would have considered this position a disaster before the tournament started.

Only four points from their remaining two matches—away to Shakhtar and at home to Chelsea—will now suffice in all likelihood, a daunting task indeed.

Nordsjaelland Are out of Their Depth

Nordsjaelland, despite earning a point from Juventus two weeks ago, are out of their depth at this level.

The Danish champions—who admittedly lost a couple of key players since being winning the Superliga— have now conceded 11 goals in four matches, scoring just one.

It was perhaps the biggest shock in European football last season when The Wild Tigers pipped FC Copenhagen for the title, so to survive in the Champions League was never really a realistic ambition for the side.

Juve Can Maintain League Push If They Qualify

Juventus have proven in the Champions League this season that their squad is formidable enough to compete on two fronts (for the moment)—the Champions League and Serie A, as well as the Coppa Italia when it starts.

Paolo De Ceglie, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Simone Padoin and Luca Marrone were all unable to make the bench despite being useful players in Serie A at one point or another over the last season or so.

Martin Caceres, Nicklas Bendtner and Emanuele Giaccherini all failed to come on as substitutes as well, while Mirko Vucinic's absence from injury was not felt hard.

Lichtsteiner Has a Fight for His Right-Midfield Spot with Isla

Mauricio Isla was handed a start against Nordsjaelland, continuing his successful rehabilitation from a serious injury suffered with Udinese last season.

The Chilean tended to operate in a central role for the Zebrette towards the end of his stay with the Friuli club—much like his teammate, Kwadwo Asamoah—but his immediate future will be in a wide berth—again, like Asamoah.

Despite being in direct competition with the current first choice for the right-midfield role Stephan Lichtsteiner, Isla is certainly capable of winning a start on a regular basis.

The Universidad Catolica youth product delivered a fine performance against the Danish champions on Wednesday, showing tremendous industry and work rate.

The international, with La Roja, can provide greater power and drive than his Swiss team mate, with more penetration in the final third, even if both players fail to score a significant amount of goals.