Following the national team’s embarrassing failure to qualify for the World Cup, fans of Italian football will be happier than most to see the focus shift back to domestic competition this weekend. Indeed, Serie A could not have served up a better round of fixtures to draw attention away from the Azzurri collapse, Saturday’s games including not only another fiery Rome derby clash, but also a mouthwatering meeting between Napoli and AC Milan.
But even as those games allow supporters to forget the complete ineptitude of Italy under Gian Piero Ventura – a subject analysed in detail here – Juventus will be preparing for a month of matches that will have a major impact on their hopes of success in 2017/18. The Bianconeri went into the latest international break after a fine month that saw them bounce back from disappointing results against Atalanta and Lazio.
They slammed six goals past Udinese and scored another four against top-flight newcomers SPAL in impressive fashion, while recording a vital Champions League victory over Sporting Lisbon. It was also a run of games that allowed Max Allegri to begin integrating the new signings, the coach having previously been criticised for relying on last season’s players way too much.
With Douglas Costa and Federico Bernardeschi finally making their presence felt, the Bianconeri have far more weapons at their disposal and they will certainly need them in the next few weeks as some seriously testing opponents await. The first of those will be Sampdoria, Juve traveling to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris this weekend to take on a team flying high after beating AC Milan and notching a derby win over crosstown rivals Genoa.
Though a combination of meticulous attention to detail and wonderful man-management skills, Blucerchiati boss Marco Giampaolo has his team playing superbly well and they will be ready to capitalise if the visitors are not at their very best. Even with Barcelona set to visit Turin next week, the Bianconeri cannot afford to overlook Sampdoria, yet the Catalan giants present a chance for Allegri’s men to show just how much they have improved in recent months.
Back in September, Lionel Messi and co avenged last season’s Champions League quarterfinal loss at Juventus Stadium by completely outplaying them at Camp Nou, even the 3-0 scoreline perhaps not wide enough to emphasise the gulf in class that day. Key to Juve’s hopes of an improved showing will be the resurgence of Gonzalo Higuain, who ghosted through that first clash while he endured a rare scoring drought.
Brilliant move from Juventus finished by the deadly Gonzalo Higuaín for his 101st Serie A goal.
Now firmly back among the goals, the Argentinian striker has found the back of the net five times in his last four appearances, including an excellent brace in a win over Milan. However, Higuain’s return to form has coincided with a slump from compatriot Paulo Dybala. Juve’s new number 10 began the campaign in spectacular fashion, but has now scored just once in his last nine outings, a streak that stands in stark contrast with talk of him as a future Ballon d’Or winner.
Stars who collect those personal accolades cannot go though so many games as mere passengers, which the 24-year-old is certainly guilty of in recent weeks. He has been sucked far too deep in search of the ball, and – while it may be reductive to say so – had he just converted late penalties in those aforementioned games against Atalanta and Lazio, Juve would be sitting top of the Serie A table rather than chasing Napoli.
The ability to deliver in moments like those are what makes the difference between good players and great ones, something Dybala has both the ambition and potential to do, but which he is currently falling far short of. Capable of spectacular highlights, he must learn to persevere when things go against him and Juve, to rise above difficulties the way he shimmies his way past a would be marker when at his very best.
When Higuain and Dybala both perform well, there is an unstoppable air to Juventus, something they will need following that meeting with Barca as they take on Napoli and Inter. Those two sides have been impressive thus far in 2017/18 and look set to push the Bianconeri in a title race that appears in will be much more hotly contested than in previous years.
Sandwiched between those two games is a Champions League encounter with Olympiacos that will likely prove crucial in the Old Lady’s hopes of advancing in the knockout stages of the tournament. All in all, the Serie A title and their European dream will not be won in the next few weeks, but the Bianconeri will be acutely aware that they could be shaped by it.
It’s time for the key men to stand up and be counted, time for Allegri, Dybala and Higuain to deliver. It’s time for Juventus to show just how ready they are.
