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It was another hotly contested tie as the two Italian giants Juventus and Inter Milan went toe to toe at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, and it was the Old Lady who came out on top against their fierce rivals.
Juventus started the game on the back foot, looking a little disjointed at the back, with Mattia Di Sciglio deployed at left-back to cover for the injured Alex Sandro. The home side looked much better after the Italian swapped flanks with the Man of the Match, Joao Cancelo.
The Portuguese put in a superb shift tonight, keeping everyone against him at bay, whilst making his typical attacking forays. He was the player with the most chances created tonight, with 4, and had the all crucial assist for Mandzukic's back post tap in.
The visitors tried their best to cut through Juventus in the early stages and came incredibly close through Roberto Gagliarini, whose scuffed shot struck Szczesny's post and came back out at the half-hour mark.
The Milan outfit came into the match hoping to cut down their deficit to 8 points, but the Bianconeri are looking to run away with the Scudetto before the halfway mark of the season, sitting 9 points clear at the summit of the table and 14 points clear of their opponents tonight whilst remaining undefeated in the league.
Here are the talking points from the fixture:
#1 Can anybody stop Juventus?
Juventus are looking a shoo-in for an eighth consecutive Scudetto, sitting with 43 points out of a possible 45 after 15 league games, making this year their best ever start to a domestic campaign. This side seems to have elevated from their level last year after the arrival of 5 time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the league's top scorer with 10 goals after 15 appearances.
The Old Lady has the best defence in the league, having conceded only 8 goals so far this year, whilst also having the best attack, having put 32 goals past their league opponents.
The Juventini are currently one of the most fearsome sides in all of Europe, and it's scary, considering they haven't even looked close to hitting their best levels so far, with the team constantly being hampered by niggling injury issues to several starters.
No side in Europe can currently match Juventus' defensive acumen. With Ronaldo in the line-up, they instantly possess one of the most fearsome attacks in the World. Watch out UCL.
#2 Inter lack pace
Inter Milan have been pretty good so far this year, certainly having a better start to this campaign than last year, and many had tipped them to loosen Juventus' stranglehold on the league. That has not been the case so far, and it looked far from it tonight, as Juventus are again running away with it and nobody looks to be capable enough to do a damn thing about it.
Inter suffered a big blow in Radja Nainggolan's absence, as the Belgian is a man for the big occasions and would have certainly helped his teammates not look toothless for large parts of the game tonight with his never-ending energy and grit. His presence could have certainly troubled a shaky Juventus midfield, but that wasn't to be as he has been ruled out for the next couple of fixtures with a back issue.
Inter Milan possess a great lineup, but their flank certainly lacks pace, as Perisic constantly looks to cut in from the left, and Asamoah is good, but not good enough to make one of the best defences in the world sweat.
Vrsaljko and Politano looked threatening for periods of the game, with the Italian, in particular, creating Inter's best attacking moments of the entire game, but he was strangely taken off by Spaletti at the hour mark for 32-year-old Borja Valero. The Milan outfit is good, but still need to invest in their squad a bit more to really elevate themselves and become a challenger for the league again.
#3 Cancelo's growing importance
Joao Cancelo put in a mammoth display tonight and was the man of the match in my book for certain, not allowing any runners past him, all while being a constant outlet down the left-hand flank, supporting his team-mates in every way possible.
The Portuguese right-back started in his natural role but switched with Di Sciglio after 5 minutes in the game as the Italian was being targeted by the Inter attackers. The former Inter player shut down his flank, being a defensive rock, making 2 tackles, 2 interceptions and 6 ball recoveries, all while creating 4 big chances, one of which lead to Mario Mandzukic's winner. He did this whilst playing out of his natural position.
The 24-year-old is slowly growing into one of the finest right-backs in Europe, putting in one impressive display after another. Inter Milan's choice to not exercise their option to buy him after last season is becoming more and more puzzling, and the right-back certainly punished his former side and reminded them of what they were missing by putting in one of his finest performances in the black and white of Juve.
#4 Politano is the real deal
Matteo Politano was one of the less glorious signings by the Italian giants in the summer, coming in on loan from Sassuolo with an option to buy at the end of the season. He has hit the ground running for the Italian giants, making the right flank his own with his electric pace, killer vision, and abundance of energy.
The Italian forward has started 11 games so far this season, scoring twice and laying on 3 assists, but his stats don't truly reflect the impact he's had on this team as he has been one of the most threatening Inter players not named Icardi this year.
He put in a great first half performance, looking by some distance, the most threatening player for the visitors, creating two of their best opportunities around the half hour mark, one of which was scuffed by surprise starter Gagliardini.
The decision to sub him off for Borja Valero of all people was truly baffling to me, as he looked the Inter player most likely to create something for his side tonight, with all of his teammates devoid of ideas. Strange choice by Spaletti.
#5 The evergreen Mario Mandzukic
Many fans had Cristiano Ronaldo or Mauro Icardi pipped to be the man to break the deadlock tonight. I'd predicted earlier amongst a group of my friends that it'd be the three lunged Croat who'd be the match winner tonight and they'd laughed me off, pipping Ronaldo, Icardi or Dybala as their match winners.
The Croatian machine scored his 4th goal in his last 5 games, and his 7th of the season overall, heading in Cancelo's brilliant cross at the far post beyond the sprawling Handanovic. His presence and style of play are absolutely crucial for Juventus' success this season, as he is their first line of defence, pressing the opposition players deep in their own half, harrying them and never giving them a moment's rest.
In attack, he drops to the flanks to let Ronaldo get into better shooting positions, and despite that, the 32-year-old still constantly pops up with important goals on big occasions, like he did tonight.
He is one of the most important players in this Juve team, with his tactical acumen, brilliance in front of goal and never say die attitude is essential for the players around him to flourish, particularly the partnership of Ronaldo and Dybala, who have benefited immensely from the Croatian's presence.
His importance to the Croatian National Team's run into the World Cup Final cannot be understated, and the Silver medalists are still struggling in trying to find the best fit to replace the 32-year-old, who announced his international retirement after the final's heartbreak.
