Juventus: 3 takeaways from the 2-0 win over Sampdoria
Juventus defeated Sampdoria 2-0 at the Luigi Ferraris on Serie A’s Matchday 20, continuing a 2021 that has gone quite well to start out, with the exception of a Derby d’Italia loss that Juve can avenge on Tuesday in the Coppa Italia.
Let’s take a look at three takeaways from the Bianconeri’s commanding clean sheet victory over Sampdoria in Genoa.
Giorgio Chiellini is still important to Juventus
For a split second, it looked like former Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella had equalized at 1-1. But in a flash, Giorgio Chiellini stuck out his foot to block the shot, clearly saving a goal and leaving Quagliarella with a face that said it all. Chiellini is still the man.
A warrior at the heart of the Juventus defense, Chiellini has been out of commission frequently over the past couple of seasons due to nagging muscular injuries. But the injuries are the only thing holding back the Italian defender, because when he is healthy, he is one of Juve’s two best center backs alongside young phenom Matthijs de Ligt.
It was great to see Chiellini put in a Man of the Match effort on Saturday evening at the Luigi Ferraris, and his performance at Sampdoria is a clear statement to the rest of Serie A that he remains one of the league’s best defenders when he’s close to 100 percent.
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Weston McKennie, Arthur Melo continue to shine
Juventus entered the 2020-2021 season with question marks in midfield, and those questions were not fully answered over the first few months of the campaign. Adrien Rabiot and Rodrigo Bentancur had some bright moments, but, as a whole, they didn’t show the consistency needed by the Bianconeri. Arthur Melo had some lumps, particularly when it came to making progressive decisions on the ball.
While it would still be wise for Juve to sign either Manuel Locatelli or Houssem Aouar in the summer 2021 transfer window, they don’t need to break the bank on, say, a Paul Pogba reunion if Weston McKennie and Arthur Melo can keep this up. Especially Arthur.
McKennie has been Juve’s best midfielder for the duration of the 2020-2021 season, so his heart-filled performance on Saturday afternoon was no surprise. But Arthur was the real standout, making good plays offensively and completing over 96 percent of his passes, according to WhoScored.com. Bentancur was quite good, too.
It’s great to see Arthur in this form. He can be one of Juve’s stars in midfield, and the same could even be said for McKennie, who was great in a right-sided role in this match.
Federico Chiesa is becoming a huge threat for Juventus
Federico Chiesa now has four goals in five Serie A matches to start 2021, as he added his fourth to open the scoring against Sampdoria. Alvaro Morata’s pass into the six-yard box was brilliant, splitting a Sampdoria player’s legs, but Chiesa deserves credit for making the run and finishing off the chance in a manner that poacher like Morata would have been proud of.
The Fiorentina loanee is certainly sticking around in Turin for the long haul, and Juventus could not be happier with what the 23-year-old is doing. He seems to be better on the right-hand side, where crossing is easier, but starting him on the left allows Juve to take advantage of Juan Cuadrado’s creative capabilities.
Next. Juventus Player Ratings from the win over Sampdoria. dark
Cuadrado assisted the second goal of the match, but Chiesa led the way with three key passes. He has been a revelation for the Bianconeri in 2020-2021 despite some doubts before the season if the wide man would be worth the price.