Juventus 2-0 Fiorentina: 5 Things We Learned

Juventus picked up a crucial three points against a Fiorentina side that, to be frank, battered them at the Artemio Franchi in the reverse fixture earlier in the season.

Mirko Vucinic broke the deadlock, providing a moment of genius that he is so capable of when he feels like it and Alessandro Matri scored a second—even without his boot that fell off in the buildup.

Fiorentina never really threatened, and Juve were good value for their victory and could have won by more in truth.

Celtic now await in the Champions League, and Antonio Conte knows that this is the beginning of a period that will define the team's success this season.

Here's what we learned.

Mirko Vucinic Reestablished Himself as the No. 1 Striker at Juventus

Juve's attack this season has been, in truth, pitiful.

Antonio Conte has yet to find a combination of Mirko Vucinic, Sebastian Giovinco, Alessandro Matri and Fabio Quagliarella to fire the Bianconeri to glory.

Of course, Nicklas Bendtner was originally another option for Conte, but the Danish international is sidelined long-term through injury.

Nicklas Anelka will hope to be able to push his way into the starting lineup, too, when afforded the opportunity.

Instead, Juve have tended to rely on goals from their midfield, but although Juve cannot change their striking personnel again this season, it is quite apparent who the attack should revolve around.

Vucinic possesses exceptional technique and plays the game in such a unique style—something that is not always an asset to the Montenegrin.

Vucinic displayed his marvellous ability in the opening goal when he swiped the ball, on the volley toward goal, bending and dipping with pace and flashing past Emiliano Viviano.

Vucinic also demonstrated the more frustrating side of his game which has often held him back from becoming one of Europe's elite attackers.

Vucinic was sent clear later in the game, one on one with Viviano, but with ample time to pick his spot, or square the ball into the middle where several Bianconeri shirts were galloping in for a simple tap-in, Vucinic tamely finished straight at the goalkeeper.

When your side is not relying on Vucinic for a source of goals, the former Roma star can be a magician and will relish the free role that he tends to be handed.

But without a clinical finisher to relieve him of this pressure, Vucinic can often become an easy target for criticism.

Juve need to persist with Vucinic and partner him with the most in-form striker—currently Matri—to give the Old Lady the best chance to pick up silverware this season.

Matri Deserves to Start in the Champions League Against Celtic

Alessandro Matri has found some form in recent weeks that leads me to believe that he deserves to start for Juventus in the Champions League against Celtic next week.

With five goals in his last seven games, Matri is Juve's most prolific goalscorer right now.

Matri is a predator inside the penalty area, and that is exactly the type of striker that will work best with the mercurial talent of Mirko Vucinic.

The Montenegrin has struck up a connection with Matri in recent weeks, often dropping into deep areas and trying to find his partner with clever passes and flicks into the area.

If Matri can give Kelvin Wilson and Mikael Lustig something to worry about, then it will add more diversity to their attack and prevent Celtic from solely defending deep for the entire match.

Viola Need to Help Jovetic

Fiorentina have been credited for their transfer strategy and acquiring talents such as Borja Valero, David Pizarro and Alberto Aquilani who missed the Juventus clash through suspension.

Jovetic carried the Viola for far too long, so it was no surprise that the Della Valle family provided manager Vincenzo Montella with plenty of funds to relieve the pressure on their star player.

While Jovetic has been experiencing a blip in form of late, Viola's other star players have yet to help the Montenegrin out.

Luca Toni has sporadically scored a goal or two, but rarely have Fiorentina been able to highlight other players capable of being match winners like Jovetic has been on so many occasions in the past.

Fiorentina's problem is that their players all tend to play well at the same time, but when the game is drifting away from them and the star players are not enjoying outstanding games, rarely will somebody stand up to snatch the points from their opponents.

Juve's Depth at Centre-Back May Cost Them in the Champions League

Juventus are currently coping with a mini crisis in defence as Giorgio Chiellini has been plagued by injuries and Leonardo Bonucci has been serving a suspension for his behaviour in the aftermath of the draw with Genoa.

Martin Caceres was somewhat fatigued due to his involvement for Uruguay in their friendly with Spain that took place midweek in Qatar, so Juve fielded a back three that involved two players who are not considered primarily centre-backs.

Luca Marrone came through the ranks in Turin as a centre-midfielder, and while Federico Peluso can play centre-back, he is more comfortable as a left-back or a left midfielder in Juve's 3-5-2 formation.

Lucio was allowed to depart to São Paulo midway through the season and was not actually replaced, something that Juve could regret if they advance to the latter stages of the Champions League.

No Pirlo, No Party

Andrea Pirlo has returned to full fitness in the last fortnight after missing three games and being unable to start a fourth since the turn of the new year.

Juve could only muster one victory in that spell without the Azzurri international and appeared disjointed without the 33-year-old to dictate the tempo of the game.

Fiorentina were never allowed to establish any sort of rhythm to their game, despite possession exceptional technicians like David Pizarro and Borja Valero.

Pirlo was able to control proceedings which allowed Juve to make light work of a potentially tricky game and provide them with a huge boost ahead of the beginning of the knock-out phase of the Champions League.

Against better opponents in the Champions League, Juve will need to be able to vary their approach—both patient and direct—which emphasises the importance of Pirlo so much because of how seamlessly he can fit into any tactical approach that Conte conjures up to conquer Europe's elite.