Juventus vs. Olympiakos: Lessons Learned from Champions League Game

Juventus managed a thrilling 3-2 win at home against a charged Olympiakos side that definitely sent out a strong message that they'll fight for that second spot in the group table until the final matchday.

While it wasn't a convincing defensive effort, Juve's midfield and attack created plenty of chances and were once again unlucky that they didn't score more goals.

A few great stops once again, including the pivotal one on Arturo Vidal's penalty, means that a tiebreaker at the end of the group stage would see the Greek side advance because of goals.

Here are five lessons we learned from the Champions League group stage encounter between Juventus and Olympiakos.

Llorente Shouldn't Be an Afterthought

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Fernando Llorente has scored just one goal so far in Serie A, but he came on in the second half against Olympiakos and made an instant impact. Llorente tends to work very well alongside Carlos Tevez, where he can play with his back to goal and provide very clever triangles with the Argentine striker.

With Alvaro Morata waiting in the wings and putting in several positive performances, it's normal to see fans getting excited and wanting the youngster to start. But Llorente shouldn't be cast off and should be viewed as the primary option going forward in Europe.

Morata provides a very different look to Llorente, and he'll continue getting plenty of time as Juventus have to play in three different competitions. Morata has very deceptive pace and likes going straight at the defense, while also being a decent aerial target.

Last season, Llorente was brilliant against Real Madrid in the Champions League and shouldn't be the forgotten man just because of a few mediocre performances domestically.

Allegri Should Switch to Four-Man Defense for Good

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Juventus haven't been able to transfer the success they've had with the 3-5-2 to Europe. It's a formation that has really caught on in Italy ever since Antonio Conte made it the blueprint for his success with Juventus.

Now, teams have finally started figuring out how to attack it, and we've seen the Bianconeri struggle against provincial sides with this setup.

Max Allegri decided to go for a more offensive route by switching to a 4-3-1-2, which deployed Arturo Vidal in an attacking midfield position, similar to how he plays for the Chilean national team. 

This formation allows Allegri to use all of his very talented midfielders who can each offer a different flavor. Andrea Pirlo can coolly pick his passes in front of the defense, while Claudio Marchisio, Paul Pogba and Vidal make the runs forward and join the attack when necessary.

We Still Haven't Seen Serie A Version of Juve in Champions League

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While this Juventus side has been up-and-down domestically, they still shouldn't suffer so much at home to Olympiakos.

The Juventus stadium has been a fortress for the Bianconeri in the past few seasons, and conceding two goals at home to a lesser opponent is simply unacceptable. 

Juve have been creating chances but still look out of sorts on the final ball once they do get into a dangerous position. Plus, they haven't been able to recreate their magic Serie A form that has seen them win three consecutive Scudetti and go on a near-historic 49-match undefeated streak.

In Serie A, Juve lead the table and have a grasp on a fourth consecutive Scudetto. In the Champions League, they could be facing their second straight group stage exit in two years if they don't pick up the necessary results against Atletico Madrid and Malmo in their next two fixtures.

Injuries Are Really Being Felt in the Defense

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The recently used four-man defense will be much stronger once the likes of Martin Caceres, Patrice Evra and Andrea Barzagli come back to action.

Against Olympiakos, Kwadwo Asamoah was played out of position as a left-back. He has found success as a left wing-back in a 3-5-2, but the four-man back line means he has more defensive duties and was exposed several times by the Greek side.

Once Evra comes back, he could be the mainstay for the rest of the season, assuming Allegri goes with his preferred tactical setup.

Also, Leonardo Bonucci would almost certainly be relegated to the bench once Andrea Barzagli comes back from injury. If Allegri wants a more defensive setup, he could opt to use Martin Caceres as a right-back, with Giorgio Chiellini and Barzagli in the middle and Evra on the left.

Either way, Juventus need some of these players on the defensive end to get healthy so that Allegri can truly put his plans into action.

Every Goal Counts

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Had Arturo Vidal scored that penalty in the final minutes of the match, Juventus would go through to the next round in the Champions League if Olympiakos and Juventus finish level on points.

However, another brilliant save from the goalkeeper Roberto meant that Juventus now need to go for six points in their last two matches and hope that the Greek side doesn't win as well.

It's an unfortunate situation for the Bianconeri, who really put themselves in so many dangerous scoring opportunities in both matches against the Greek champions, but were ultimately not clinical enough in front of goal, wasting too many golden chances by just slightly misplacing that final ball.

If Juve can finally take full advantage of all the opportunities that come their way, then the Turin side could make a strong run further into the competition.