Juventus: 3 keys to victory against Napoli on Matchday 3

Juventus will face Napoli on Sunday night in what will be another difficult Serie A matchup for the new-look Bianconeri.

After defeating Sampdoria 3-0 in their opener, Juventus were lucky to escape with a point at the Stadio Olimpico against Roma. Cristiano Ronaldo was the star of the night with a penalty goal and a trademark leaping header, with his brace ensuring Juve wouldn’t wind up losers for the first time under Andrea Pirlo.

Napoli will be a major challenge for Juventus on Matchday 3. They are playing great football under manager Gennaro Gattuso, so here are three things the Bianconeri must do in order to get the win they want.

Juventus need to get more from Alvaro Morata

Alvaro Morata had a nondescript debut for Juventus after completing his loan move from Atletico Madrid. His reunion didn’t have a warm start, as he was on the periphery of the game and looked lazy at times when in offsides positions, failing to work back in front of the back four.

Napoli have a great defense with Kalidou Koulibaly playing a starting role. Against this side, Juve need Morata to play a more active role in the trenches, so to speak, picking up the ball and linking up with the other forwards.

Juventus needs the back three to be more aware

Matthijs de Ligt is still out with an injury, and it looks like the Bianconeri will continue to roll with Danilo, Leonardo Bonucci, and Giorgio Chiellini as their center backs.

While Danilo played well and assisted the game-tying goal for Cristiano Ronaldo, Bonucci and Chiellini were poor against Roma. Bonucci put on a disasterclass against Edin Dzeko, outright failing to mark Roma’s clear top scorer.

Whenever Bonucci makes silly mistakes, Juve are punished accordingly. He will have stretches of games where he doesn’t look like the top center back he’s supposed to be. And against Napoli, he and Chiellini must be on alert at all times, because this team has so many exciting attackers who love to pounce on defensive mistakes. They thrive off creating errors and punishing them.

A full start from Arthur Melo could mean a lot to Juventus

Juventini saw their first glimpse of Arthur Melo in a Black and White kit on Sunday night at the Stadio Olimpico, as Arthur came off the bench to give the Bianconeri a boost. He didn’t do anything earth-shattering, but his ball-carrying and composure were evident.

Arthur brings a different kind of class to midfield as a passer and dribbler than either Weston McKennie and Aaron Ramsey. Both are good players, but Arthur has the technical quality of Adrien Rabiot with the slickness that could make him one of Serie A’s elite midfielders.

An exciting acquisition, Arthur is perhaps the most important upgrade to this Juventus side for the 2020-2021 season. He should draw his first full start for the Bianconeri this Sunday vs. Napoli, and with him pulling the strings, Juve could nab the full three points.