Juventus vs. Malmo: Winners and Losers from Champions League Game

The importance of the Champions League to Juventus this term—discussed in detail here—cannot be understated. After three years dominating Serie A, the Turin giants know it is time the club re-joined the continental elite.

While the club will have one eye on the latter stages of the competition, Massimiliano Allegri warned at his pre-match press conference that their focus must be firmly on today’s opponents. Speaking about the clash with Malmo, the coach told reporters:

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I believe that Juventus currently have the objective closest to them, which is to win this game, which will certainly not be easy. In Europe there are no easy games, all the teams play to get a result, because it is a very short competition, where you are not permitted to manage the outcome, where you can only try to win games.

We have a group that is apparently simple, but even last year that was the case and Juventus were eliminated. This demonstrates that in Europe the group defined as easy isn’t always.

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Those comments were particularly poignant, with the Bianconeri struggling against similar Scandinavian opponents over the past two seasons. However, despite those disappointments against Nordsjaelland and FC Copenhagen being fresh in the memory, there were no such problems at Juventus Stadium this time.

The home side emerged 2-0 victors, and over the following pages is a look at the winners and losers from this opening Group A fixture.

Winner: Carlos Tevez (Juventus)

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After his much-publicised goal drought in the Champions League, Carlos Tevez netted a brace to seal the points for Juventus against Malmo. With his last goal in the competition coming on April 7, 2009, the Argentinean striker had gone an incredible 1,003 minutes without finding the net.

Speaking after the game, the 30-year-old downplayed the drought, explaining the team’s tactics also affected him. He told Sky Italia, (h/t Football Italia):

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I truly did not miss it. It is an honour to play with this jersey and we play every game as if it were our last.

I am getting into deeper positions, but that is also a problem as I cannot reach the goal. I need to improve on that.

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Winner: Massimiliano Allegri (Juventus)

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Following Antonio Conte at Juventus may seem like an impossible job, but Massimiliano Allegri knew from the moment he arrived in Turin there was one area in which he could surpass his predecessor’s excellence.

For all the domestic dominance Conte’s team exerted over the past three years, they failed summarily to have a major impact in Europe. Never was that more apparent than last season, when the Bianconeri failed to emerge from a group containing Galatasaray and FC Copenhagen.

The new coach got off to the best possible start, winning the opening fixture here and providing hope that under his guidance, the Champions League may also see Juve shine. He knows that they must work harder, however, and promised that there is much more to come from his side.

“I think these lads are doing fairly well, but have the qualities to do a lot better,” he told Sky Italia shortly after the final whistle (h/t Football Italia).

Loser: Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus)

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It seems harsh to pick out Stephan Lichtsteiner for a poor performance, the Swiss wing-back once again essential to Juve keeping a clean sheet. However, with Malmo managing just to earn just 29 per cent of possession according to WhoScored.com, the Bianconeri needed more from him in attack.

As ever, he put forth the effort and was a willing runner, but he wasted two one-on-one chances with opposition goalkeeper Robin Olsen. Against tougher opponents, his side will perhaps rue those squandered opportunities and Lichtsteiner will need to be much sharper should they fall to him.