Juventus Defender Andrea Barzagli's Return Instantly Boosts Bianconeri Back Line

Earlier this month, Juventus were locked in a tough battle with Sassuolo, the Serie A minnows giving the league leaders everything they could handle. Very few teams have entered the home of the reigning champions over the last three years and gone toe-to-toe with the Bianconeri, yet Eusebio Di Francesco’s men had given an incredible account of themselves over the opening 80 minutes.

Just as it seemed the Neroverdi were going to escape Juventus Stadium with a vital point, two things happened which highlight just why the current incarnation of Italian football’s grand Old Lady is a truly great side, rather than just a very good one.

First, Paul Pogba broke open the stalemate with a moment of pure individual brilliance, his thundering half-volley leaving visiting goalkeeper Andrea Consigli utterly helpless to stop it. It confirmed the Frenchman was capable of winning a match single-handedly, a trait he shares with Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez, meaning La Madama are even more difficult to beat.

The goal was wildly cheered by the home crowd, but a few minutes later, they would once again be on their feet, this time for a rather different reason. Looking to secure the result, Massimiliano Allegri turned to his bench, opting to send on a defender for one of his two strikers and switch to a three-man defence.

While that in itself is no cause for celebration, it was much more about what had brought this particular defender to this point. Having completed his warm up and taken off his tracksuit, Andrea Barzagli went to the touchline and waited to be allowed to enter the fray.

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As he did so, Allegri walked over and gave his visibly emotional player a hug, after which Barzagli took a brief embrace from Tevez and ran onto the pitch. The stadium sung his name, and just four minutes later, it was over; a win, three more points in their pursuit of a fourth consecutive title and a clean sheet.

Juventus may well be seen as an impressive side defensively, but that was their first shutout in seven games and it would not be the last. The match was Barzagli’s first of the season, finally overcoming a list of calf and heel issues that had plagued him since the World Cup. He underwent surgery to address the problem but struggled to recover his fitness.

Having finally done so, he would be given his first start of the campaign the following week, Juventus once again running out 1-0 winners against Palermo. Again, holding their opponents scoreless was no mean feat, particularly given the fact Paulo Dybala and Franco Vazquez had already shared 19 goals and 16 assists in 2014-15.

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Four days later, Barzagli would not retain his place for the most important game of the year, a trip to the Westfalenstadion in the Champions League. Having netted a vital away goal in the first leg, Borussia Dortmund knew a win would likely see them advance, but Juventus turned in a stunning all-round performance and swept Jurgen Klopp’s men aside with relative ease.

The 3-0 final scoreline reflected that dominance, and Barzagli was still at the heart of it, coming on with less than 30 minutes played when Pogba went off injured. The defender was flawless, helping the Bianconeri neutralise the threat of the German side who mustered just two shots on target in the entire match.

Barzagli was again in the starting XI as Genoa travelled to Turin this Sunday, with another 1-0 win duly following. Just as Pogba had against Sassuolo, the defender would have what must be seen as a match-winning moment, knocking the ball away from Diego Perotti who seemed almost certain to score.

“We’ve got an important and extraordinary defender back,” Allegri told Sky Italia shortly after the final whistle (h/t Football Italia) before going on to say how important Barzagli is to the tactical flexibility of the side. “With him we can play with three or four at the back, plus can afford to rest someone like Leo Bonucci who has played non-stop.”

There is no arguing with either opinion, nor in underestimating just what the 33-year-old means to his team-mates, who had turned up en masse to watch him play a youth team game shortly before his first team return.

Make no mistake, the man known as “The Rock” to Juventus supporters is the calm, stoic heart of their defence, and with clean sheets in each of his four appearances this term, there will be more cheers to come.