Fiorentina 0-0 Juventus: 3 Talking Points | Serie A 2019/2020 

Fiorentina hosted defending champions Juventus in a matchday 3 clash at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence.

The visitors, sporting unique white shorts with red shorts came into the fixture having won their opening two fixtures, and have been dominant against the Viola in recent years, winning nine of the last ten fixtures between them.

Juventus would have been looking to make it three wins on the trot, and had the presence of new coach Maurizio Sarri who took his place in the dugout for the first time since being announced as the Bianconerri manager over the summer.

In what was a highly tactical and cagey fixture, neither side could find the winner, and a stalemate was a fairly balanced result on the balance of the run of play.

Here, we shall be taking a look at three talking points from the game.

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#3 Defensive frailties remain an issue for Juventus

De Ligt made a number of errors

It is widely common knowledge that Juventus have won eight Scudetti on the trot, and most of their success has been founded upon defensive stability, with Juventus' backline over the years haven't been near impenetrable.

However, in recent years, their defence has looked less assured, with Leonardo Bonucci looking a shadow of the player he was after returning from his one-year spell with AC Milan.

The one man who has remained omnipresent in the Juventus rearguard through the years has been Giorgio Chiellini, and the Juventus skipper is the definition of reliable.

The 34-year-old, however, pulled up with an ACL injury sustained during training at the end of August, and the Juventus backline has not looked the same in his absence.

There was a plethora of errors in the victory over Napoli, and it was more of the same against Fiorentina the record Serie A champions would have left Florence empty-handed but for some poor finishing from Fiorentina.

Of particular concern was the performance of Mattijs de Ligt. The 19-year-old was culpable for a number of goals conceded by the Partenopei a fortnight ago, and he followed that up with another substandard display today, being caught out on a number of occasions, while also failing to track the runs of the Fiorentina attackers.

With Chiellini set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, the spotlight would be placed on Bonucci and de Ligt, and they would do well to improve their performances.

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo devoid of quality service

Ronaldo was on the periphery of the game

While he did not have the most explosive of debut seasons in Turin, Cristiano Ronaldo still performed admirably enough to warrant a podium finish in the UEFA and FIFA Best awards.

He opened his goals account this term in the enthralling 4-3 victory over Napoli, and got the world talking with his five-goal haul in two matches over the international break.

While he might have come a long way from his explosive wing-wizard days at Manchester United, Ronaldo is still a goalscorer of epic proportions.

Once quality service is provided to him, goals are bound to be scored, but against Fiorentina, that did not happen, as the hosts limited the creativity of Juventus, and kept the visitors from creating clear cut chances.

The result of this was that Ronaldo was largely on the peripheries of the game, and he was limited to half-chances and speculative shots from distance which was a shame, seeing as he came back from the international break with superb confidence.

#1 Fiorentina's poor start to the season continues

Fiorentina should have taken all three points

While Fiorentina might not exactly be considered traditional heavyweights of Italian football, the Viola have had their own fair share of success over the years, and have a fiercely loyal fanbase who follow their club with feverish passion.

It would have therefore been very heartbreaking to see their darling team trudge through last season, flirting with relegation on occasion, and it was Fiorentina's poor form last term that saw them part with Stefano Pioli and appoint former Sevilla manager Vincenzo Montella in his stead.

They ultimately ended the campaign just three points clear of relegation, and while they would have expected their fortunes this season to have improved, it has been much of the same.

They lost their opening two fixtures of the season to Napoli and Genoa, and despite controlling most of the game against Juventus, they failed to claim all three points.

Though they picked up their first point of the campaign, it could have been much more, and they would have to get their act together in order to get their season running.