It was supposed to be the night Juventus ticked one off the list, but instead, they must head back to the drawing board. A point against Roma would on Sunday night would have been enough to secure a sixth straight Serie A title for the Old Lady, ahead of Wednesday’s Coppa Italia final against Lazio and of course facing Real Madrid in the Champions League final on June 3.
But Roma came into the game at the Stadio Olimpico with faint title hopes themselves, although their main focus will have been regaining second place after Napoli beat Torino 5-0 to leapfrog them earlier in the day.
Here are five talking points from the events which unfolded:
#1 Gigi Buffon is human after all
Some players deserve a status of the highest order within football and Gianluigi Buffon is one of them. Few have made an impression on the game like Juventus’ 39-year-old goalkeeper, and such is his reputation, it is hard to think of him making any mistakes at all.
But on two occasions, he proved costly. His side took the lead in the first half after calming the game down, Roma had started well, but despite a weakened side, Juve appeared keen to get their 33rd title wrapped up as soon as possible.
Just four minutes after scoring, though, Juve let in an equaliser. A corner was met well in the first phase, only for Buffon to parry the ball as opposed to catching it. He didn’t get anywhere near enough purchase on it, and it fell to Roma captain Daniele De Rossi, who bundled home.
Fast-forward to the second half, when Stephan El Shaarawy cut in from the left-hand side and unleashed an extremely tame shot that crept in, leaving Buffon stranded. The lack of pace on the ball meant that someone of the Juve captain’s quality really should have saved it, even if it is tough for us to admit it.
#2 Max Allegri made too many changes
There is no doubting Juve’s strength in depth, but that doesn’t mean they will not be significantly weakened without some of their first-choice stars. While the likes of Stefano Sturaro and Mario Lemina took their opportunity in midfield, Kwadwo Asamoah and Stephan Lichsteiner certainly didn’t.
Under both Antonio Conte and current boss Allegri, Juve have perfected a system which centres on defensive strength and stretching the play with fullbacks. But without Giorgio Chiellini, Dani Alves and Alex Sandro, they fell apart from a tactical point of view.
Asamoah did not offer the outlet Alex Sandro does typically and was also targeted by Roma in the first half. The Ghanaian struggled, with very little defensive help from Mario Mandzukic, who played further up on the left-hand side.
Alves replaced Lichsteiner early in the second half, but the damage was already done. Juve had control in the midfield early on, but when they lost it, they could not overload the area with both their first choice fullbacks on the bench.
Up front, too, they lacked the potency they have taken for granted. Paulo Dybala wasn’t called upon from the start, leaving Gonzalo Higuain isolated.
#3 Roma missed Kevin Strootman in a number of ways
Dutchman Kevin Strootman couldn’t play because he was retrospectively banned for diving in the derby against Lazio. He was missed, in more ways than one.
When Roma are at their best, Radja Nainggolan is at their heart of everything they do. The Belgian is not a typical playmaker in terms of passing range, but he makes driving runs from deep to push his team forward. Without Strootman, he was made to sit closer to both Daniele De Rossi and Nikola Maksimovic, thus decreasing his impact before the break.
Neither Lemina nor Sturaro would have started for Juve if Allegri had played a full strength side, but they both took their chance with grateful hands, often finding pockets of space in behind both Maksimovic and De Rossi, which they perhaps wouldn’t have if Strootman was involved.
The opening goal came from high Juventus pressure, which allowed Sturaro to pick up possession and find Higuain with a floated cross, with the Argentine nodding into Lemina’s path
Nainggolan’s quality eventually shone through with his sublime goal in the second half, but the team missed Strootman’s game-management and positional sense overall.
#4 Roma need more cover for Edin Dzeko
Serie A’s top scorer missed out through injury, but that wasn’t so much an issue. Spalletti’s response was to deploy Diego Perotti in a false nine role, just as Francesco Totti was in the coach’s first spell at the Stadio Olimpico, but he succeeded in living up to the pessimistic pre-match expectations.
Far too often, especially in the first half, he was cut off from the game completely. As well as the 27 goals he has scored this term, Dzeko has also provided a presence in attack to give Roma an option to get up the pitch quickly, and without that, Leonardo Bonucci’s job was unsurprisingly easy when it came to mopping up at the back.
But, further to the point of disconnect between Nainggolan and the attack, Perotti also failed to do the job that was expected of him and drop deep into midfield, receiving the ball to feet. That made it very tough for Roma to get a grip of the game after the first few minutes.
After the break, when Nainggolan became more involved, Mohamed Salah, who worked extremely hard all night, did the same. The Egyptian was able to use his pace to go up against Asamoah or get in behind Bonucci.
To have just one out and out striker as an option in the squad will always bring up limitations, and on another day that could have proved costly for Roma.
#5 Monchi has a lot to work with
Roma may have only delayed Juventus’ title celebrations, but they do have a lot of positives that can be taken from this game and the season as a whole. The Giallorossi are four points behind their opponents with two games to play, a gap that, if it stays the same until the end of the campaign, can definitely be closed next year.
In Monchi, Roma have attracted a transfer guru to the directors’ box at the Stadio Olimpico. His work at Sevilla helped the club punch way above their weight in La Liga at times, while progressing at a stunning rate in Europe. The knowledge of players he has, combined with his eye for a bargain, can bridge the gap for Roma.
As they showed on Sunday, they have a squad brimming with quality, but that has been done much in the Monchi image, with players either chasing a big break or redemption after struggling elsewhere.
Whether Spalletti is in charge next season remains to be seen after he admitted failure to win trophies would see him depart. But the foundations are there, in terms of quality and hard work. The players made the difference in the second half against Juve, can they do the same in Serie A with their new asset next season?
