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Opinion: Three takeaways from Juve’s cagey win over Spezia

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Yesterday, Juventus returned home with all three points following a labored win in Spezia.

At the Picco Stadium, it was always going to be a cagey affair, especially in the absence of Federico Chiesa. Nonetheless, Max Allegri’s men took the lead through Moise Kean following an extremely uneventful half an hour of play.

The Italian then sustained what seems to be a slight knock at the start of the second half, but luckily, his replacement happened to be Angel Di Maria. The Argentine veteran extended his red-hot form with another impressive cameo, consolidating the visitors’ lead with a long-range strike that landed in the bottom corner.

So here are three takeaways from the Bianconeri’s solid, if unspectacular win over Spezia.

Not Working for Paredes

First of all, let’s admit that none of our starting midfielders managed to impress this weekend. For instance, Manuel Locatelli had a horrendous first half, and only saved face with a passable second period.

But in Leandro Paredes’ case, underwhelming performances have become an unpleasant habit. At the moment, the Argentine is receiving more playing time, but that is mostly due to the lack of options rather than the quality of his outings.

Sadly, the PSG loanee appears unable to shift into second gear, while his time in Turin is destined to end in June.

Questionable Pecking Order

This weekend, Allegri handed Daniele Rugani a rare start due to the suspension of Gleison Bremer. However, the Italian looked both rusty and shaky at the back, completely losing track of Eldor Shomurodov on a couple of occasions.

Although we’re not against squad rotation at all, one has to wonder why Rugani is ahead of Federico Gatti in the pecking order. At least the latter displayed some encouraging signs and still has large margins to improve, while Rugani’s career has sadly regressed in recent years.

Dusan on the Right Path

Dusan Vlahovic isn’t just another piece in Juve’s jigsaw. On the contrary, the Serbian might be the cornerstone of the entire project. Therefore, tracking his progress remains of great interest for every Bianconeri supporter.

Reminiscently to last weekend’s fixture against Fiorentina, the 23-year-old only managed to hit the net on an offside goal, but the progress he’s making on all levels (physical, tactical and mental) shouldn’t go unnoticed.

At the start of the season, Dusan used to cut a frustrated figure when isolated from his teammates. But nowadays, the bomber is finding ways to make himself involved in the match despite the lack of service, including tracking back to retrieve the ball and helping his side in the buildup.

Naturally, goals remain every striker’s bread and butter, but modern football is more complicated and demanding than ever, so it’s pleasing to see Vlahovic rounding up his game and making himself even more instrumental for this club.

The post Opinion: Three takeaways from Juve’s cagey win over Spezia appeared first on Juvefc.com.

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