Juventus gained three more points after victory against Genoa to continue their unbeaten start to the season. 2-1 was once again the result. Not that Sarri would mind whatever scoreline (as long as it’s a win) but the signs are evident Juve are running on a thin thread that could cut off anytime soon.
Juventus have won six of their last nine games by that margin (2-1 via Skysports) and the football has suggested that they have not yet clicked as a team although they are winning. On Wednesday night, they were saved by a late Cristiano Ronaldo penalty after a game which they were not at their best. To make matters worse, the struggling Genoa team were even down to nine men as at the 56th minute in the second half.
While Juve were taking enough shots on the occasion, the Bianconeri took a staggering tally of 27 shots but once again the final cutting edge let them down as only 11 shots (less than 50%) were on target via Whoscored. Eight more shots were blocked while the remaining were off target. It continues the trend of a Juventus side struggling for ruthlessness upfront and I did point in my previous article that for a team with the calibre of players Juve boast in their ranks, these numbers should be far behind them and goals should not come as a struggle in anyway.
Maurizio Sarri’s assessment of his team’s performance after the game was a frank one as he pointed out their lack of cutting edge and determination.
“At the moment, we are not converting enough of our scoring opportunities and we are conceding some really avoidable goals.This is a squad that has won eight Serie A titles, so I think they might be lacking a bit of determination both going forward and defending. Sarri said after the Genoa win via Football-italia.net.The victory only arrived at the end, but I feel it came as a consequence of all the work we’d done and the chances we’d produced before.
The Italian manager certainly didn’t mince words there. The team is still trying to play the way the manager wants but there have been setbacks for the team in performances rather than results.
Winning games show character even when you don’t play well as a team. It shows the mentality of champions and the ability to win at all costs regardless of the circumstance or opposition. This is a good trait to have but how long till the patience of the fans grow thin?
When Sarri was appointed, it was a case, for the fans at least, of a better brand of football that will definitely be accompanied by success. The results have come but with a hint of dissatisfaction. Sarriball has not kicked off yet and his change from his familiar 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 diamond formation is a sign to that effect results aside.
Juventus have continued to get positive results but all it takes is just one bad result for things to turn on its head and the team from there could crumble. At the same time a result like that could show the players their errors and reignite their usual hunger for victory and silverware. With Inter hot on their tails, Juventus need to find a solution to their problems on the pitch in order to continue to be top of the division or risk losing their place at the top.
