Juventus still have some work to do when it comes to finishing
Juventus have the leading goal-scorer in Serie A, as Cristiano Ronaldo has found the back of the net 15 times as he stands in the thick of another Capocannoniere race. But the Bianconeri, as a whole, haven’t been one of the most efficient finishing sides in Serie A this season.
According to a recent study from the CIES Football Observatory, Juventus rank just ninth among Serie A clubs in the number of shot attempts it takes them to score.
Inter are first, Roma second, Fabio Quagliarella’s Sampdoria third, and Milan fourth. Fellow Champions League contenders Atalanta and Lazio are above Juve, as are derby rivals Torino and lowly Spezia.
In Europe’s top five leagues, Juventus sit in 27th, comfortably outside of the top 16 despite being through to the Champions League Round of 16.
Juventus need someone to step up more behind Cristiano Ronaldo
The Bianconeri are third in the league behind Atalanta and Inter in the percentage of shots inside the penalty box and seventh in average distance from goal when shooting. So for them to be ninth in scoring efficiency is a huge letdown, especially in comparison to their other numbers.
Ronaldo may be Serie A’s leader in goals, but Juve need to receive more scoring contributions elsewhere. Federico Chiesa has stepped up recently, but the Bianconeri still only have one other player with at least five goals in the league – and that’s Chiesa, due to his recent run of form since the start of 2021. Behind Chiesa is Alvaro Morata with four, and youngsters Dejan Kulusevski and Weston McKennie have three goals apiece in their first seasons in Turin.
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Juventus have bigger problems elsewhere in the squad, such as at fullback and in midfield, but finding a secondary scorer for Ronaldo is still an issue. A healthy Paulo Dybala could change things, as he was Serie A’s MVP last season and scored 11 goals. So far, he’s had a meager two league goals in 2020-2021.