In protest against the extravagantly high price they are being charged to attend next weekend’s match at AS Roma, Juventus supporters in the Curva Sud remained silent for the first ten minutes of Saturday’s home game against Bologna. Keeping scarves and flags out of sight, these regulars – unquestionably the club’s most vocal and passionate fans – turned every banner in their end of the stadium upside down.
It is a common way for Italian supporters to express disapproval, but for an hour of this encounter it seemed the entire game had also been turned on its head. Juve were once again disjointed and disappointingly negative, while their mid table opponents pushed forward and certainly looked the most dangerous side. When Gigi Buffon carelessly played a pass to Daniele Rugani, Rossoblu midfielder Lorenzo Crisetig pounced on the ball and the Italian defender clumsily bundled him over in the box.
The mistake from the goalkeeper was an uncharacteristic one, but the game’s farcical air would grow once again when referee Massimiliano Irrati could not communicate with the VAR official to review the incident. Eventually, the spot kick was taken and Simone Verdi – who turned down a move to Napoli in January – slotted home past Buffon, and Bologna confidently still held their lead when the half time whistle blew.
Then Douglas Costa entered the game
Introduced for Blaise Matuidi as the match resumed, it took him just 60 seconds to make an impact, a wonderful cross from the Brazilian almost allowing Juan Cuadrado to equalise immediately. Juve were now on the front foot and when the Colombian flyer swung a ball into the box himself, Bologna defender Sebastien De Maio shinned it into his own net.
Costa then tried to put the Bianconeri ahead, speeding beyond two defenders before seeing his shot saved by Antonio Mirante, then moments later picking out Sami Khedira with another superb pass. It appeared the German international shoved his would-be marker in the build up to the goal, but the official allowed it to stand after consulting with VAR, and Juve’s no.11 would soon put the result beyond doubt.
Pushing past the full-back yet again, he pulled the ball into Paulo Dybala’s path and the Argentinian smashed it beyond Mirante to make it 3-1. Costa then tried to beat the goalkeeper with a sublime rabona effort that missed by mere inches, but there was little doubt that – despite only playing for 45 minutes – he was still the man of the match.
The graphic in the tweet below shows just how influential he was, but in truth it’s nothing new. He has registered six assists and two goals in his last seven appearances, doing so despite being on the field for just 465 minutes in those games.
Named Juve’s Player of the Month for April, he is the one player who refuses to be downtrodden by Max Allegri’s ultra-negative approach, instead driving directly towards the opposition penalty every every time he receives the ball. With the speed, skill and tenacity to take him beyond defenders almost at will, his proactive style is in stark contrast with the club’s other attacking players and that was particularly evident against Bologna.
Before Costa entered the game, the front three of Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala and Alex Sandro had done very little and their production remained almost non-existent even as the game progressed. Instead it was once again the former Bayern Munich man who made the difference, with Allegri admitting he only excluded Costa from the starting XI because his wife gave birth to a daughter on Friday.
“He is one of those players who can make the difference and break a game open,” the Coach told Mediaset Premium shortly after the final whistle. “Last night he became a father to a little girl, so he didn’t get much sleep and he didn't train yesterday either because his daughter was born so I only saw him today and I left him initially on the bench.”
Having once again played a decisive role as the Old Lady closes in on her seventh consecutive league title, there is no question he will be on the field from the start on Wednesday night when they take on AC Milan in the Coppa Italia. Right now, Douglas Costa is Juventus’ best player, the one man able to unlock opposing defences and electrify the fans, whether their banners are upside down or not.
