Still flying high following a formation change and back to back wins against Lazio and Milan, Juventus were convincing again in a 2-0 victory over Sassuolo at the Mapei Stadium. Max Allegri kept the same 4-2-3-1 he used in the past two matches with Khedira and Pjanic in the double pivot roles, and the attacking foursome of Dybala-Cuadrado-Mandzukic-Higuain. For the third match in succession, the work rate of Mandzukic and the skill and prowess of the South American trio proved too potent. Sassuolo lacked any consistency in attack and could not take advantage of Domenico Berardi’s skill and poise as he and his teammates eventually fell victim to the strength of the Old Lady.

 

Eusebio Di Francesco did not hold back and his side were aggressive and playing high up the field and pressing to start. They forced the Bianconeri defence to play quickly and Sami Khedira linked up with Pjanic, both of them consistently finding a route through the Sassuolo midfield. The intelligent play and high work rate, makes the German and Bosnian a superb combination and they have been the difference of late in helping Juventus improve in advancing the ball. 

 

Paulo Dybala’s off the ball freedom created difficulty for the Neroverde throughout the match, as he appeared in spaces between the midfield and defence. Unfortunately for the young Argentine his hand shake (or lack thereof) with Allegri upon being substituted overshadowed his performance. The amount of work in both defence and attack that Mario Mandzukic has been putting into the past three matches is truly admirable, and the Sassuolo game was again a verification of his efforts. His combination with Alex Sandro to set up the first goal by Higuain was pure class. Gonzalo Higuain now with his fifteenth goal of the year will have silenced any doubters.

 

Meanwhile a similar point can be made of the return to top form for Juan Cuadrado, now that he is playing consistently with confidence and concentration. His pace and dribbling ability allows Juve to be able to stretch the attack quickly, giving space to run into for Dybala, Higuain, and the midfielders. Khedira was on the end of a Higuain pass and finished expertly for the Bianconeri’s second after a fine dummy by Dybala. 

 

On the day Sassuolo lacked calm and had difficulty linking passes and giving their forwards any quality service. The Juventus backline were actively collecting most of the long balls and did well to limit chances. Matri cut a lonely and frustrated figure for long periods of the game. Defrel replaced Matri midway through the second half, and he seemed more active and presented more of a moving target for Sassuolo, but still barely posed a threat for Gigi Buffon. 

 

Juventus again look like a team confident to play out of the back and possess the ball all over the field. The dominance they have shown in the past week is some of the highest quality football they have played this entire season--setting up a potential blockbuster this Sunday against Inter in the Derby d’Italia.



David Baleno