Atalanta vs. Juventus: Winners and Losers from Serie a Game

Juventus travelled to Bergamo on Saturday night to face Atalanta, a side who had suffered back-to-back defeats in the previous seven days. With the Bianconeri perfect thus far in all competitions, they were overwhelming favourites against a team they have beaten in each of their last seven meetings.

However, the club known as the "Queen of the Provinces" was expected to make life difficult for Massimiliano Allegri’s men, who also knew Roma had beaten Hellas Verona earlier in the day. Speaking shortly before kickoff, Beppe Marotta said winning was vital regardless of other results, telling Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia):

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We must try to win every week regardless of what our rivals do. We are in a period of the season where the results aren’t the only things that count, but also the performances.

I believe Juventus are called to pass a test in every game, regardless of how prestigious their opponents are. Atalanta are perhaps considered a provincial side, but they are very competitive and hard to beat.

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The Juventus director general’s comments also appeared in line with his coach’s thoughts, Allegri opting to field a strong lineup despite the looming trip away to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. That his side recorded a comfortable 3-0 win here will be important as they prepare for that difficult Champions League tie, allowing confidence to remain high.

Over the following pages is a look at the best and worst performers from the Atalanta match, highlighting Saturday’s individual winners and losers.

Winner: Carlos Tevez (Juventus)

Felice Calabro'/Associated Press

The least surprising part of Juve’s win was the name of the man opening the scoring, the sensational early 2014-15 form of Carlos Tevez seeing him once again deliver for the Bianconeri. The Argentinean added a second, marking his sixth goal in his last four appearances for the club in all competitions, continuing where he left off last season.

The strike also took his Serie A tally to 23 in 38 appearances overall, underlining just how consistent the 30-year-old star is for the Turin giants.

Winner: Gigi Buffon (Juventus)

Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

Juventus could consider themselves unfortunate to have conceded a penalty for an alleged foul by Giorgio Chiellini early in the second half. The defender hooked the ball out of play, only for Salvatore Molina’s fall to be rewarded with a spot kick and a yellow card for the Bianconeri man.

German Denis looked unsure as he prepared to take it, his stuttering run up giving Gigi Buffon time to guess which way to dive. Going strongly to his left after pointing in that direction, the captain saved it comfortably, preserving yet another clean sheet for his side.

Winner: Alvaro Morata (Juventus)

Felice Calabro'/Associated Press

If Buffon and Tevez were merely continuing their seemingly routine displays of excellence, the substitute appearance of Alvaro Morata serves as a reminder of the changes the club underwent this summer.

Rather than maintaining the status quo, Juventus sold Fabio Quagliarella and Mirko Vucinic, putting their faith in a pair of talented young forwards.

Kingsley Coman showed against Chievo that he has a bright future, and now former Real Madrid striker Morata has done the same. A well-taken header opened his account with the Bianconeri, a goal the club and player will hope is the first of many to come.

Loser: German Denis (Atalanta)

Felice Calabro'/Associated Press

Atalanta captain German Denis has endured a tough start to the new campaign, failing to build on his superb 2013-14 season. He ended last term with 13 goals and five assists, but has yet to record on either count this time around, and his weak penalty attempt showed a striker struggling for confidence.

With the Argentinean misfiring, the Orobici are struggling and have only found the back of the net twice so far, with both goals coming in their win over Cagliari earlier this month.

Loser: Marco Motta (Juventus)

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Despite the on-going injury problems at Juventus, Allegri has steadfastly refused to call upon Marco Motta, once again denying him a place on the bench against Atalanta. With Romulo the latest to suffer a knock, the full-back joined fellow defenders Andrea Barzagli and Martin Caceres in missing the tie.

That left the Bianconeri able to name just 10 reserves from the 12 permitted in Serie A, but Motta’s name remained conspicuously absent from the list of players. Clearly unwanted in Turin, the 28-year-old was linked with a number of moves in the summer, including interest from Derby County and Leicester City per Forza Italian Football, but refused to leave.