5 Keys for Juventus Ahead of Their Champions League Opener
For Juventus, the beginning of the Champions League campaign provides an opportunity to begin washing out the taste of last year's group-stage crash-out.
Their first match of the season will be a chance to rectify a problem that has plagued the Bianconeri since their return to the Champions League two years ago. In each of the last two years the team dropped points early on against relatively light Scandinavian opposition. Their trips to Parken Stadium to play Copenhagen and Nordsjaelland, who were using the capital club's ground in place of their own smaller stadium, both ended in 1-1 draws.
Two seasons ago the slip ended up being moot when Juventus buried Chelsea 3-0 at home and then toughed out a 1-0 away victory against Shakhtar Donetsk to win the group. Last season, though, the dropped points made up the difference between Juve and Galatasaray after the controversial group-stage finale in Istanbul.
This year Juventus will again confront an early test from a Scandinavian side, but things will be different. This time their opponents come not from Denmark but in the form of Swedish champions Malmo. The other significant difference: The first game will be played at Juventus Stadium, not on the road.
Getting three points to start will be huge in a group that is manageable but potentially tricky. What are the keys to the game for the Italian giants? Let's take a closer look and find out.
Tactics
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The blame for last year's crash-out—and for the previous season's quarterfinal exit—has often been pinned on Juve's tactics.
To apply that argument for the quarterfinal loss to Bayern Munich is a stretch. The Bavarians were a buzz saw two years ago. Consider: They went on to pummel Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate in the semifinal and top Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the final. Antonio Conte could have put together the best tactical games in history and still lost that tie.
Last year's elimination bears further study. The 3-5-2 system's inherent weaknesses on the wing were often on full display. Indeed, Conte did experiment with a 4-3-3 in the team's games against Real Madrid.
The problem with making that change permanent, however, was that he didn't have the players to run a 4-3-3 (or something similar) on a regular basis. For most of Conte's tenure at the club he didn't have any true wingers nor an effective left-back. That lack in the squad was the major reason Conte gravitated—rightly—to the 3-5-2 in the first place.
Massimiliano Allegri is less hampered by this problem. Simone Pepe is finally healthy, and while he's no Arjen Robben he's a tireless worker who can provide quality minutes on the wing. Youngster Kingsley Coman, who has been deployed in a more advanced role than anticipated in his first two games, may also be able to man the wings, as can versatile summer signing Romulo. Another signing, Roberto Pereyra, can certainly play outside—although he's suspended for this match due to yellow-card accumulation from his last European action with Udinese.
So far in the league Allegri has employed the old adage of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and kept the 3-5-2 in place. Whether he will do so in European competition has yet to be seen.
The fact that he gave Patrice Evra the start on the left wing against Udinese may be a clue. It was a somewhat surprising move, as Evra doesn't have as much experience in the 3-5-2, and former Udinese man Kwadwo Asamoah would have known the opponents better.
Evra had not played in the opener, and if Allegri intends to play a four-man defense, it would only make sense that he give his only true left-back a run for fitness' sake.
Allegri's choice of tactics will be interesting—and potentially decisive. If he gets it wrong and Malmo are able to exploit a weakness, the team will again be in an early hole.
Finishing
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The biggest problem in Juve's previous draws against Nordsjaelland and Copenhagen was wasteful finishing.
Last year against Copenhagen the Bianconeri outshot their opponents 25-8. According to UEFA's game recap, 13 of those shots found the target, three were blocked and one more hit the woodwork. All they could show for this display of attacking dominance was a solitary goal by Fabio Quagliarella.
It was eerily similar to their visit to Parken Stadium the previous October. In that match, they outshot Nordsjaelland 30-8 and hit the target with a full half of their attempts. But they only managed the point on an equalizer by Mirko Vucinic with nine minutes left.
The talent gap between these two teams suggests that there might be a similar disparity in the statistics. What must be different is how the team finishes in front of goal.
Last September, Fernando Llorente had still not settled in with his new club. The partnership between the Lion King and Carlos Tevez, which became one of the most prolific in Juve history last year, had not yet been forged.
To that potent tandem sporting director Giuseppe Marotta has added Real Madrid product Alvaro Morata. The youngster didn't start often for Los Blancos, but he has some Champions League experience and was put on the field in May's final when Real was chasing the game.
Enormously talented, Morata is equally effective on the ball and off. He is expected to bring a cutting edge to Juve's forward line and may be a better partner for Tevez than even Llorente.
Tevez has a duck to break in the Champions League—he hasn't scored in the competition in four years—and the entire unit is motivated to do better than they did last year, when the team's leading scorer was midfielder powerhouse Arturo Vidal.
Vidal won't be on the field Tuesday, but Juve still have midfielders who can finish in Paul Pogba and Claudio Marchisio. If they combine with the forwards to finish off the chances that they've missed in years past, the rest of the group stage will be easier to navigate.
The Midfield
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Since the beginning of the Antonio Conte era, the midfield has been Juve's greatest strength.
Unfortunately, the unit is coming to the Champions League opener wounded. Football Italia reported Monday that both Vidal and Andrea Pirlo were left off the 21-man squad for the game due to injuries.
Marchisio has deputized in Pirlo's "regista" position capably and showed on Saturday that he may have rediscovered his finishing touch with his cannon goal against Udinese. Relegated to the bench last year by Pogba, Il Principino has been a good soldier for his boyhood club and deserves the success he's had in Juve's first two games. He plays the regista role at a slightly faster pace than Pirlo, and while he doesn't fully possess the maestro's magical passing ability, he has manned the position more than effectively.
Vidal's slot is more of a mystery. Against Udinese his place was taken by Pereyra, but as previously said the Argentine is suspended for Tuesday's match.
At this time last season the replacement options would have been narrowed down to Simone Padoin—a situation that would have sent shivers down supporters' spines. Fortunately, the team used the transfer window to beef up midfield depth.
Romulo, who tied for fifth in Serie A in assists last year with Verona, could be installed in Vidal's spot. With Evra able to play either as a full-back or wing-back on the left, Allegri could shift Kwadwo Asamoah central. Asamoah grew up as a central midfielder and still plays the position internationally for Ghana. Given his attacking talents, he could be a high-quality replacement for Vidal.
Most of the time, whoever wins the midfield wins the game. Juve's midfield unit is hurting, but there is still more than enough talent there to control the match.
Fitness
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Serie A starts later than any other major European League. Juve are coming into their Champions League opener with only two competitive matches under their belt.
As evidenced by Napoli's loss to Athletic Bilbao in the playoff round, that might be a disadvantage the FIGC may need to address in the future. There's nothing, however, that can offset the potential fitness difference in this game.
Out of necessity due to the frigid nature of Swedish winters, the Allsvenskan operates on a March-to-November schedule similar to MLS in the United States. There are only seven games left in the 30-game Allsvenskan season.
By comparison, Juve has only played two competitive games since May.
In his pre-game press conference Malmo coach Age Hareide claimed that the difference in match fitness "could be an advantage for us." In scouting the Bianconeri, Hareide said, "We noticed they were a bit tired toward the end against Udinese."
The disparity in fitness could be used to Malmo's advantage, but it's just as likely that the talent gap between the two teams will equal things out. Napoli lost out to Bilbao in part because of a fitness disparity, but they were of comparable quality.
Inter, on the other hand, hadn't played a single competitive match when they matched up with Icelandic side Stjarnan in the Europa League playoff. The Icelanders were already halfway through their season—but still got pummeled 9-0 on aggregate.
As long as the Bianconeri keep their heads this may not factor in, but if they switch off the Swedish side will be able to take advantage.
Focus
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Juventus developed a winning mentality under Antonio Conte, one that seems to have carried over with Allegri. But some of their problems in European competition have arisen because one individual or another switched off.
The biggest example was in the home match against Galatasaray. Afther Juve clawed back to take a 2-1 lead, Mauricio Isla missed an instruction to drop into a back four and allowed the Turkish side to equalize—a critical result that proved the difference between the two teams at the end. It's no surprise that Isla is now on loan at Queens Park Rangers.
Another man guilty of the occasional mental lapse is Leonardo Bonucci. The 27-year-old has come a long way since being named one of the scapegoats of Juve's disastrous 2010-11 season, but he can still switch off.
The first leg of the Europa League semifinal last season was a case in point. Bonucci was directly responsible for both Benfica goals—goals which proved decisive after the second leg ended goalless.
In his pre-game press conference Hareide expressed the hope that his team could take advantage of Juve looking past them. "Juve will think that this is the easiest game for them and that the Olympiacos and Atletico Madrid games will be their hardest."
Max Allegri has tried to nip that attitude in the bud. In his own press conference, Allegri insisted that "in Europe there are no easy games...in Europe the group defined as easy isn't always."
If last year taught Juve's players anything, it was those last words. They may have looked beyond their Danish opposition the last two seasons, and if they did they paid the price. They cannot afford to do the same against Malmo.
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