Wednesday night saw Juventus take a giant stride in the right direction, beating surprise package AS Monaco by two goals at the Stade Louis II in France, in their quest for a first Champions League title since 1995/96.
The Italians stayed focused and were in control throughout the game, thwarting wave after wave of Monaco attack before gaining a foothold through Gonzalo Higuain’s goal just before the half-hour mark. The second half saw El Pipita score his second goal of the night and fifth of the European campaign.
Dani Alves impressed on the night, providing both assists (surely Barcelona will have regretted selling him?), to put his side in the driver’s seat.
Juventus have never lost a two-legged tie against a French team in European competition and have seen off Monaco twice in 1997/98 as well as 2014/15. They go into next week’s home leg as clear favourites to reach the final.
In this piece, we take a look at five reasons why Juventus will go the distance to become champions of Europe this season.
#5 Focus, motivation and the law of averages
Juventus are at the top of the Serie A table with 84 points from 34 games played. With just four games left, the Bianconeri have a virtually unassailable nine-point lead over second-placed AS Roma. They also take on Lazio in the finals of the Coppa Italia but that is not until early June, leaving Massimiliano Allegri’s side well-placed to focus completely on Europe. On the other hand, Real Madrid and AS Monaco have Barcelona and PSG hot on their heels respectively, in their chase for domestic glory.
With a sixth consecutive league title almost in the bag and another domestic trophy to play for, Juve will have their sights firmly set on the Champions league trophy to make it a handsome treble haul.
If that is not enough motivation, there is also the added reason of winning it for their legendary captain Gigi Buffon. In a career spanning 17 years with Juve where he has been part of both good times and some difficult ones, the iconic keeper has won almost everything on offer except the crowning glory of Europe. Will this finally be his year? Only time will tell.
Having beaten Atletico Madrid 3-0 at the Bernabeu, defending champions Real Madrid have every reason to be almost certain of a place in the final for the second straight year. However, no team has won the Champions League back-to-back, giving their opponents a slight edge.
With a two-goal away advantage gained from the first leg against AS Monaco, this could be the Turin side’s second Champions League final in three seasons, a stupendously consistent record. Juve have lost six UCL finals in the last 50 years to Madrid’s none but this is no cause for alarm; the law of averages has a way of catching up when least expected.
#4 The most balanced squad
In Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, the Turin side has a world-class, commanding central defensive partnership which is bolstered by the presence of Buffon in goal and flanked by full-backs Dani Alves and Alex Sandro. Andrea Barzagli and Juan Cuadrado have also played vital roles whenever called upon during Juve’s run this season, providing their manager with the flexibility to tweak formations as required against different opponents.
The Italians can command the centre of the pitch with midfielders like Miralem Pjanic and Sami Khedira, a defensive forward in Mario Mandukic, and the wings with the help of their full-backs. Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain, meanwhile, form a threatening spearhead in attack, making the most of their chances to score.
While Atletico Madrid have a fabled defence, their attack is not as prolific as the rest of the sides still in the competition (yes, despite boasting the presence of a certain Antoine Griezmann). They have scored just 13 goals, the fewest of the four semi-finalists.
To Juve’s credit, AS Monaco have been stifled at home for the first time in the Champions League this season in the first leg of the semi-final. The prolific Frenchmen have shred apart defences in Ligue 1 as well as in the earlier stages of the competition but up against the Italians, their endeavours came to nought.
However, their unflattering defensive record of a single clean sheet –against CSKA Moscow in the group stage – speaks volumes of a backline that is yet to own the box effectively. It is only reaffirmed by the fact that they have conceded the most goals of the four teams.
Los Blancos have an undoubtedly mouth-watering frontline but there are a fair few gaps in their defence to be exploited. Casemiro has been a rock, shielding his team’s backline ably. However, it has come at the expense of crucial set pieces which Juve have the potency to make the most of. Real Madrid have let in 15 goals in the UCL, second only to Monaco’s tally of 18. In comparison to Juventus’ two and Atletico’s eight goals conceded, that sounds exorbitant.
Given the players, quality and depth of all four teams, the Italians are definitely the strongest in all areas of the pitch – may or may not be man for man, but certainly together as a well-drilled unit.
#3 The tactical master-class of Massimiliano Allegri
Allegri took over from the exceptional Antonio Conte in the summer of 2014 and could have crumbled under the weight of expectations at the Turin-based side. However, he delivered in style with a double in his debut season in charge as Juventus romped home to their fourth league title while also grabbing the Coppa Italia.
They also suffered a crushing defeat to Barcelona in the finals of the 2014/15 Champions League, eventually having to settle being second best in Europe that season. The 2015/16 season saw Juve go one better with the trophy haul, bagging the league, Coppa as well as the Supercoppa Italiana.
They are well on course to complete a historic treble this season, with a nine-point cushion at the top of the league and a Coppa Italia finalist spot; a place in the CL final almost assured with the second leg more of a formality.
During the course of his stint at Juve, Allegri has masterminded his side going from strength to strength across the pitch. His transfers have been astute, to say the least; Higuain has provided the Old Lady with firepower, Pjanic provides comfort in midfield taking over from Andrea Pirlo and Dani Alves has been a revelation in the backline and on the wings.
The Italian coach has also provided ample evidence of his ability to adapt, by tweaking formations and rotating players. While a traditional back four was employed against Barca, Allegri resorted to a three-man defence against Monaco; this choked the French attack while his side stayed compact and found joy on the wings.
His reading of the game, opponents and their style of play has been spot on and the tactical changes have immensely benefited his charges. His stock has been rising highly (quite deservedly too) across Europe; a Champions league trophy can only propel it further up.
#2 A potent and clinical attack
The Argentine duo of Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala may not always run riot but have the ability to make the most of the opportunities afforded to them.
Higuain has scored 23 goals in the Serie A this season and Dybala nine, taking the Bianconeri to the threshold of their sixth successive league title. With 32 goals between them, the two account for nearly 50% of Juventus’ 70 goals in the league.
Their CL record is as impressive, with nine goals between them of a total 19 scored by Juve in the competition.
What is even more noteworthy is that both are big-game players for their side. After all, it was courtesy of Dybala’s brace that Juve saw off Barcelona in the quarter-final, while Higuain’s double against Monaco on Wednesday has given them the upper hand ahead of the semi-final second leg in Turin next Tuesday.
Ably shielded by their defence and aided by the midfield, the attack carries enough threat, fluency and clinical prowess as they have effectively demonstrated in the run-in so far. There is every reason to believe that this can carry on for the next two games (implicitly assuming Juve reach the final, of course) as they look to add another feather to the cap.
#1 An impregnable defence
Juventus have the meanest defence of the four semi-finalists in the competition. The Bianconeri have kept played 11 games in the UCL this season and kept clean sheets in 9 of those, with only Lyon and Sevilla managing to breach the fortress once each.
Since November 2016, the Italians have kept six straight clean sheets conceding goals at a miserly rate of 0.18 per game (compared to 0.73 for Atletico, 1.36 for Real Madrid and 1.64 for AS Monaco).
It is imperative to note the quality of opposition this immaculate record has come against, most notably FC Barcelona, whose famed MSN trio failed to register a single goal over two legs in the quarter-final. Dinamo Zagreb and Porto were the other teams who could not find a way around the Juve defence.
The Old Lady also neutralised AS Monaco in their first leg at the Stade Louis II, with the Frenchmen coming up short in front of goal. To put this in perspective, Bayer Leverkusen were the only side to manage a clean sheet against Leonardo Jardim’s charges in the 2016/17 Champions League season.
Irrespective of who the Bianconeri come up against, they have a solid, dependable backline that can put paid to opposition’s chances of scoring and their campaign so far has ably demonstrated that.
Also read: 5 world class players Juventus signed on free transfers in recent years
