With another enjoyable weekend of Serie A action in the books, the fixtures over the last few days confirmed a number of theories about some of Italian football’s biggest sides. AS Roma are in free fall and their Coach, Eusebio Di Francesco, seemingly has no answers for how to arrest their slide, losing 2-0 on Sunday to a Bologna side that had previously failed to score a single goal this season.
Later that day AC Milan’s Jekyll and Hyde performances continued as they drew 2-2 with Atalanta, while 24 hours earlier, Inter won yet another game in the dying moments and Fiorentina proved that their young attacking talent continues to be extremely dangerous for any opponent.
However, the final game of the weekend saw minnows Frosinone buck the trend. Previously seen as subpar and not worthy of a place in the top flight, they had already capitulated against Atalanta (4-0) and Sampdoria (5-0) this season. Yet for 82 minutes they stood firm, the Stadio Benito Stirpe rocking as Canarini supporters vociferously backed their side as they went toe-to-toe with the reigning Serie A champions.
Eventually, they did succumb, Cristiano Ronaldo and Federico Bernardeschi netting well-taken goals to maintain the Old Lady’s perfect record this term, heading into the midweek round as the only team to have taken three points in all five matches thus far. The game should still serve as an inspiration to the home side though, Frosinone boss Moreno Longo calling on his players to retain the spirit they showed on Sunday in their forthcoming fixtures.
“Of course when you’re at 0-0 with eight minutes to go, the thought is there to grab a precious point with determination, sacrifice, hanging on with your teeth and nails,” the Coach told Sky Italia shortly after the final whistle. “On paper, this could’ve been lost before we even started, but we put up a real fight and made them work hard for their victory. In these big games against the top clubs, the most important thing is to stay in the game.”
It was remarkable that they had done so, particularly – through a combination of injuries, suspensions and necessary squad rotation – Max Allegri had named a surprisingly strong and attacking lineup. Juan Cuadrado came in at right-back while the midfield contained Miralem Pjanic, Emre Can and Rodrigo Bentancur behind a forward line of Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo.
With so many creative and dangerous players on the field, it was incredible to think Frosinone came so close to recording a shutout. Juve enjoyed 72.4% of possession, allowed their hosts just two shots during the 90 minutes and completed over 90% of their passes, completely dominating proceedings but somehow wholly incapable of finding a goal.
Some of that was due to Frosinone’s determination of course, their tally of eight blocked shots showing that they were willing to do everything possible to frustrate the visitors, but it has to be said that much of the Bianconeri struggle was self-inflicted.
Firstly, they were guilty of looping crosses aimlessly into the box, an approach that central defenders Edoardo Goldaniga and Bartosz Salaman relished. The duo stand 6ft 4” (1.93m) and 6ft 5” (1.96m) respectively and spent last season in Serie B, making them well practiced in the art of fending off a long ball approach, even when marshalling Ronaldo and Mandzukic.
Yet time after time, Cuadrado and Alex Sandro fired away, somehow believing that the next cross would be the one that caused panic in the resolute Frosinone backline. Unsurprisingly it did not, Salaman alone making 17 clearances during the game as he constantly took up good positions and won crucial headers.
But that only led to Juve’s other plan of attack: force feed Ronaldo as often as possible. Just as they had last weekend against Sassuolo, the rest of the team looked to pick out no.7 at every available opportunity, countless promising moves breaking down because a player tried to play a risky ball to the Portuguese star rather than making the best pass and keeping the attack flowing. Of course, when you have such a prolific striker it makes sense to get him in possession, but not at the expense of others and not at all costs.
Seeing Ronaldo smash promising free kicks in dangerous areas into the wall is – as fans of Real Madrid or the Portugal national team can attest – frustrating enough, but watching him do so while proven dead ball specialists Pjanic and Dybala stand idly by is painful. Yet there he was, shorts hiked and pose struck, standing over the ball and making it clear that nobody else was going to get near a set piece until he had a goal.
Ronaldo, of course, is a brilliant player and he will be a major asset for Juve moving forwards, but it was no surprise that the goals came when the team stopped either swinging in pointless crosses or trying to get him the ball at all costs. His moment arrived when a Pjanic shot was deflected into CR7’s path and he slotted home, while a great pass from the Bosnian midfielder to Bernardeschi opened Frosinone up a second time.
Clearly head and shoulders above the rest of Serie A, the Bianconeri have been guilty of trying too hard in the early matches. Yes they have spent a small fortune to get Ronaldo, while they are paying him a salary that is three times as much as Frosinone’s entire wage bill, but to get the best from him, they need to play as a team rather than sacrificing everything for one man.
As the focal point of the unit and a top class striker, he’ll get his goals naturally, just as he did on Sunday evening. At full time, Captain Giorgio Chiellini told Sky Italia that the current side is “certainly the strongest we’ve been over the last eight years,” and the Old Lady simply needs to relax with that knowledge.
Then perhaps the true potential of this Juventus – and the stout defences of opponents like Frosinone – can be unlocked.
