Juventus' Nostalgic Win over Lechia Gdansk Offers Glimpse of Old Lady's Future
Having lost to Borussia Dortmund last week, Juventus travelled to Poland for a match that managed to offer both a trip down memory lane and a glimpse into what the future may hold for Italian football’s grand Old Lady.
Indeed, while their opponents called to mind the club’s all-conquering team of the mid-1980s—discussed in detail here—this 2-1 victory over Lechia Gdansk perhaps said much more about what lies ahead for the current Juventus team.
Just four minutes had been played when a corner from Paulo Dybala found Paul Pogba, the Frenchman heading home Juve’s first goal of this pre-season campaign. Many questions have been asked about how the Bianconeri will fare following the loss of some key players, but this outing at the PGE Arena saw Massimiliano Allegri’s men offer some answers.
"Pogba's goal. Dybala's assist. #LechiaJuve https://t.co/sRUqncpx4K
— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) July 29, 2015"
The coach named an interesting lineup that contained four new signings, with Sami Khedira, Simone Zaza and Daniele Rugani given places in the starting XI alongside Dybala. That latter duo—as well as Stefano Sturaro and Pogba—meant the team also boasted no fewer than four players under the age of 22, showing how seriously Juventus have invested in the future.
Among others joining them on the field was Leonardo Bonucci, fresh from agreeing a new contract that will keep him in Turin until 2020, per the club’s official website.
On Tuesday, sat beside Juventus president Andrea Agnelli at a press conference to announce the deal, the Italy international discussed his desire to help Juve’s new signings settle in just as he had five years earlier.
"It's the start of a new era," he said (h/t Ben Gladwell of ESPN). "I'm here to offer my years of experience to help those who have joined the club. We've maintained our strong spine. This is vital for us to build on and go in search of further successes.”
With Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez all having left, that base will certainly rely upon Pogba to carry a much heavier burden—but one that the youngster is almost certainly ready to embrace.
As Euro 2016 draws closer, the Paris native will be eager to have another excellent campaign before leading Les Bleus into action in his homeland in the same manner he pushed Juventus forward in this game.
Following his goal, Pogba showed the wide range of skills that have become the hallmark of his game, spinning away from opponents with ease and unleashing a string of powerful long-range shots on goal.
He would be taken off at half-time as Allegri fielded even more young players, sending on 18-year-old Luca Clemenza as well as Alberto Cerri (19), Andres Tello (18), Roman Macek (18), Mattia Vitale (17) and Giulio Parodi (17).
That introduction of youth—and the coach’s faith in them to perform—bodes extremely well for the future, and Juventus would eventually secure victory as Mario Mandzukic grabbed a late winner following Adam Buksa’s equaliser for the hosts.
"gol Mandzukic https://t.co/TngvmgQmJC
— JUVENTINO (@ROROjuventino) July 29, 2015"
Collecting an excellent pass from Macek inside the box, the Croatian striker showed a wonderful touch and turn to create space, prodding a low shot beyond goalkeeper Mateusz Bak to secure the win.
The team has just one more game—against Marcelo Bielsa’s Marseille on Saturday—before the Italian Super Cup clash with Lazio in China. It's a competition the Bianconeri will hope to win after a penalty shootout defeat to Napoli cost them the trophy last season.
They certainly have their eyes on a bigger prize, however, with Allegri telling reporters earlier this week that, “the goal is the Scudetto, we have the opportunity to make history by winning the fifth in a row,” per Football Italia. Their performance here gave them a glimpse of what lies ahead, and while the past for Juventus was glory-filled, the future looks extremely bright too.
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