Serie A 2018-19, SSC Lazio 1-2 Juventus: Five Talking Points

#4 Juventus sorely missed Mandzukic

Dybala had a poor outing

Mario Mandzukic is the type of player who may not win games for his side everytime, but without him, the Bianconeris just don't look the same.

Take today's game for instance when they looked utterly lost in the final third and didn't manage a single effort at goal until around the hour mark.

Paulo Dybala started as the focal point of the attack in the Croat's absence, with Ronaldo and Douglas Costa shoehorned behind him as wide forwards.

However, the Portuguese was often in the striking role during the match as Dybala drifted to the left, a position he isn't quite accustomed to. This negated his influence in the match and rendered largely marginal.

Ronaldo was pretty devoid of service upfront too as Lazio boxed him up by pinning three to four players around him when was at the receiving of a pass.

The case with Mandzukic is he often drifts to the left flank, allowing Ronaldo to take centre- stage with Dybala then operating right behind him.

This attacking combination then produces incredible fluency, which was absent all night, thanks to the Croatian international's injury layover.