Inter’s recent draw against Fiorentina came as brilliant news for Juventus. The bianconeri were trailing by two points before La Viola held Inter, but are now tied at the top and only behind on goal difference. Despite that, there is a clamour from many for Juve to make some January signings, as the winter window approaches.
The club got Matthijs de Ligt this past summer, also bringing in Merih Demiral. They signed Luca Pellegrini and Cristian Romero before letting them out on loan to Cagliari and Genoa. The two free-agent signings were Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot. The bianconeri sold Joao Cancelo, bringing in Danilo in a swap plus cash deal.
While it hasn’t been the best of seasons, but it is an adaptation to a newer playing style. It was always going to take time. But despite the style of play not always being upto the mark, making January signings isn’t exactly a huge priority.
The bianconeri have lost only one game in all competitions this season. That came in a 3-1 loss to Lazio, who are unbeaten in a total of ten games so far. In a lot of other games, Juve have almost ambled through.
The Genoa game saw Cristiano Ronaldo score a late penalty. Paulo Dybala found a late goal to beat AC Milan. Gianluigi Buffon came up with a sensational save to deny Bologna. Gonzalo Higuain came alive in games against Inter and Atalanta. Some Miralem Pjanic magic saw them through against Brescia and SPAL. De Ligt’s header had won them the Turin derby last month.
It has been a season full of games like these. Some impressive individual performances have helped them go past teams. It shows that even when things aren’t completely going right, they have players who can make an immense impact and get the result. This depth has been making up for a lack of spark.
But that lack of spark is something that will always take time. Juve are a club that have been playing a pragmatic brand of football over the last ten years. From Antonio Conte to Massimiliano Allegri, it is this style that has won them the Scudetto eight times in a row. It has taken them to a couple of Champions League finals. They are still favourites for this season’s title according to this compilation of betting sites in Nigeria who are offering great odds.
Even at Chelsea, Sarri took his time and 2020 is a great year for new casinos in the UK given how the Blues are currently doing under Frank Lampard. They were unbeaten for 12 games in a row, but were hardly exceptional. They too have been playing a different brand of football over the years. They were always going to take time. The same goes for Juve.
The midfield does look uncreative at Juve. Ramsey has been their most creative central midfielder with just one key pass per game. That isn’t good enough. It is a reason for why Juve look more like Allegri’s from last season.
But the purpose of signing Rabiot and Ramsey is yet to be solved. Both are slowly getting to grips with their fitness. This is forcing Sarri to play Blaise Matuidi more often. Rodrigo Bentancur has four assists to his name and is growing in a creative midfield role.
It shows that the right combination will probably come for Juve soon. Douglas Costa’s return to fitness will add more dexterity in the forward areas. There are players in that squad who can make an impact and there is a lot of quality in there too.
If Juve don’t get a signing right, it could disturb the balance. It could disrupt the progress the current batch is making. It will hinder their progress. The key for Juve is to trust the process. It was always going to take time.
