Juventus' Priorities Elsewhere as They Register Ugly Win vs. Pescara

Juventus welcomed Pescara to Turin on Saturday night, recording a routine 3-0 triumph over one of Serie A’s worst teams.

Given that the Bianconeri have dominated Italian football for the past five years and seem on course for a historic sixth consecutive league title, this result was almost a foregone conclusion before the match began.

The Delfini have recorded only a single victory all season following their promotion from the second tier, ranking worse than all but one other side in terms of goals scored and conceded (nine and 23 respectively) in 2016/17.

As Pescara coach Massimo Oddo explained in an interview shortly after the final whistle, his side lacks confidence, particularly as the team's only win was awarded by a disciplinary commission after Sassuolo fielded an ineligible player, per ESPN FC’s Ben Gladwell.

"We held out well for as long as we could, naturally against a side with such quality, and once we ran out of steam, they took over," Oddo told Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia). "What we need is the victory. Technically we haven’t won yet this season, so that would give us so much self-belief."

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The statistics from the match make uncomfortable reading for the visitors, WhoScored.com showing that the Bianconeri enjoyed 61.8 per cent of possession, outshot their opponents 14-9 and completed 646 passes to Pescara’s 407.

Yet despite this result appearing both convincing and comprehensive, Juventus struggled to overwhelm an opponent that never looked like troubling them. The reigning champions worked much harder for this win than it appears, and that should not be surprising to anyone.

Coming into the game, coach Massimiliano Allegri was missing a number of players through injury, with Andrea Barzagli, Medhi Benatia, Dani Alves and Paulo Dybala all absent. In addition, he opted to rest Gigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Claudio Marchisio and Miralem Pjanic, leading to very much a second-string starting XI.

While those looking on from afar might have expected that team to still overwhelm Pescara, those who have watched Juve in recent weeks could easily anticipate how the game would unfold.

The attacking partnership of Gonzalo Higuain and Mario Mandzukic has been blunt every time the duo have been fielded together, with neither truly comfortable moving deep in search of the ball.

Each prefers to lead the line and is unlikely to create a goal for the other. They rarely exchange passes, and both prefer to score rather than present chances to team-mates.

Yes, Mandzukic ended the match with a goal and an assist. His interplay with Sami Khedira to open the scoring (see video below) is proof that the Croatian can help the team, but that does not alter the fact that he is not a suitable partner for Higuain.

The main problem when Allegri rotates is the sheer lack of quality in midfield, with a starting trio of Kwadwo Asamoah, Hernanes and Khedira hardly a unit to induce fear into any opponent.

None of them were particularly poor against Pescara, but like the strikers ahead of them, they simply do not work well together, lacking any real cohesion or quality. Khedira’s smart movement and ability to exploit space saw him also register a goal and an assist. Asamoah was involved throughout the game and continues to be a valuable reserve.

Ultimately, that is the takeaway point from this match. If the Bianconeri are to succeed in the UEFA Champions League, this kind of lineup and this level of performance in Serie A must become acceptable.

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It is futile to demand progress in Europe, then complain when Juventus rest players and record an ugly domestic win. Brazilian midfielder Hernanes is arguably the physical embodiment of the issue.

In important games, seeing his name in the starting XI should rightly lead to concern, but his skill set is perfect for picking off Serie A’s smaller teams, and supporters who have previously jeered him must learn to appreciate that.

In short, when Allegri rotates ahead of a crucial fixture, that is exactly why a reserve such as Hernanes is part of the squad. He can never be expected to carry Juventus in the Champions League, but he can help them overcome the likes of Cagliari, Empoli and Pescara.

That is exactly what he did on Saturday night, as the FourFourTwo StatsZone graphic in the tweet above illustrates. Connecting with 52 of his 60 pass attempts, the 31-year-old ensured Juve maintained possession and tempo, while he also proved to be defensively solid throughout the game.

Recording three tackles, two interceptions and winning the one aerial duel he contested, Hernanes proved that while he may not be a world-class midfielder, he can perform well against the minnows.

Yes, it was only Pescara, but as a backup to the likes of Pjanic and Marchisio, that is his job, and the Recife native certainly enjoyed his work here, particularly as he found the net with a wonderful long-range effort.

After the final whistle, Hernanes took time to discuss the goal and the 3-0 victory with Mediaset Premium (h/t Juve’s official website), explaining that the result was far more important than any individual display:

"

I'm pleased with the goal but even happier with the win. Three points are the perfect fillip for us ahead of this big game we have at Sevilla. The fans want to see things like that [goal]. I've scored quite a few similar goals in Italy. I've tried it a lot recently and I struck it sweetly today.

It's nice to know Allegri has so much faith in me. I'm improving and we have to keep growing as a team because the biggest games are yet to come.

"

That is undoubtedly true, as the clash with Sevilla will likely determine which of the two sides finishes top of their group, something Juventus learned the importance of last term, when they drew Bayern Munich in the last 16 after ending up in second place.

It appears their focus was already on Tuesday’s game at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, but there was one final positive note for the Bianconeri. Their dominance against Pescara allowed Allegri to send Moise Kean into action, with the 16-year-old striker becoming the first player in Serie A to have been born in the 21st century.

But the coach was far more impressed with his usual reserves. "When we bring in the guys who have played less, they show they're up to the task too," Allegri said at his post-match press conference. "That's crucial because it means the other lads can take a breather."

It does, and it must. If Juventus are to compete in Europe, then this kind of display is going to become more frequent. It was a simple, straightforward win, but it was an ugly performance. With their priorities clearly elsewhere, that has to be OK.