The Old Lady’s dominance in Serie A continued on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Empoli at the J Stadium. Mario Mandzukic remains a man of distinction after another impressive performance, scoring one and setting up a host of others. Juventus remain firmly in control of the Serie A championship, opening up a twelve point gap between themselves and Napoli who lost to Atalanta earlier in the day.

Empoli boss Giovanni Martusciello can take much satisfaction from Saturday's contest. The Tuscan's showed a brave approach to press the Bianconeri high up the field, but they lacked a presence in attack and never really troubled incoming goalkeeper Neto. In addition to Buffon, Max Allegri was also able to rest Khedira and Dybala, which will be necessary considering the extensive match schedule over the next three weeks. 

 

Without Paulo Dybala in the starting XI, Juventus’ attacking and possession strategy saw Higuain playing slightly deeper allowing Mandzukic to occupy the more traditional number 9 role. The big Croatian was a constant danger going forward for the Bianconeri, his aerial ability giving the Empoli back line constant trouble. Mandzukic also helped his side in defence, showing enormous heart and incredible work-rate. On the opposite wing, Juan Cuadrado had another good showing and the Colombian has become a key figure in the Juventus offence. His speed and one on one technique allows Juve to stretch teams, often resulting in crosses or passes back across the box. In the centre of the park Claudio Marchisio and Miralem Pjanic were patient and disciplined in attack, yet balanced and hard working in ball recovery. 

 

Although it would be impossible to justify saying that Empoli deserved to take any points away from the match, their fortitude was commendable. The Tuscan side played well, especially in the first half where they closed down passing lanes and limited space for Juventus. When Empoli did have the ball, they were not afraid to keep possession. They had a few series of one and two touch passes that were promising, unfortunately they could not do enough in the final third to create any truly dangerous chances. Omar El Kaddouri flashed in and out of the match, always lacking the key to unlock the Juventus defence. For Martusciello and Empoli, they stay in 17th position and need to be cautious, as Palermo and the relegation zone are now only seven points away.

​Juventus have little time to relax. Their Coppa Italia semi final first-leg against Napoli is on Tuesday night, giving Max Allegri and his squad short time to catch their breath before another tense match. The Bianconeri have won nine on the spin and they are getting back to a fully healthy squad. With this winning form going into this stretch of games, Juve tifosi will be eagerly awaiting every match with excitement and confidence. Though the Old Lady have shown their dominance in many ways over the past five years, the depth of squad and the consistent high level play give Juventus the opportunity to believe in a possible treble. 


David Baleno