Juventus vs. Spezia: 3 takeaways from a 3-0 win on Matchday 25
Juventus got the job done on Serie A’s Matchday 25 at the Juventus Stadium, putting three past lowly Spezia in the second half to overcome a very poor first 45 minutes that left Juventini quite nervous about the result of this match.
But despite the nervy first half, the Bianconeri got the job done. Next up, Lazio over the weekend and a must-win Champions League battle at home the following Tuesday against FC Porto.
Before then, let’s look at the three takeaways from this 3-0 win over 15th-placed Spezia.
Alvaro Morata is crucial to Juventus
Juventus only have one striker in their ranks, and his name is Alvaro Morata. The Spanish international has been suffering from a bout with cytomegalovirus, but the Bianconeri had to call upon the veteran striker off the bench as they struggled to score vs. Spezia.
Morata quickly delivered the goods, finding the back of the net to break the deadlock. And then Juve scored two more.
Without Morata, Juve are in huge trouble. There is nobody else they can play next to Cristiano Ronaldo to success. Morata can finish chances and create for the No. 7. He can bring to the table what Dejan Kulusevski cannot up top. Not because Kulu is poor, but because he is not a striker. Morata is. That’s the difference we saw on Matchday 25 in that pivotal second half.
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Gianluca Frabotta is a huge liability
Gianluca Frabotta will be suspended against Lazio after picking up a fifth yellow card, and he was truly dreadful in this matchup. Andrea Pirlo likes him and sometimes he has bright moments, but Frabotta just doesn’t look like a player who should be getting meaningful minutes for Juventus.
He’s not particularly good at anything. Hard work counts for something and Frabotta occasionally has a good cross, but he offers too little offensively to play.
Federico Chiesa and Federico Bernardeschi deserve the highest praise
Once again, Federico Chiesa was the most consistent player on the pitch for Juventus. “Best” can be a loaded word, especially with a player like Cristiano Ronaldo in the lineup, but nobody has the Fiorentina loanee beat in the consistency department.
Chiesa was all over the pitch again, creating chances and working on both ends of the pitch to make sure Juventus would come away with the full three points on Tuesday night. He had two key passes, two tackles, and an interception, per WhoScored.com.
Funnily enough, Federico Bernardeschi was an even bigger game-changer, perhaps even moreso than Alvaro Morata off the bench. Bernardeschi really needs to step up as the left midfielder for Juve, because the club doesn’t have anyone who can be a better fit than him as a left-footed LM in a 3-5-2 or 4-4-2, usually the latter, setup.
Next. Juventus vs. Spezia Player Ratings. dark
The 27-year-old created Juve’s first two goals, earning the assist for the first after a well-timed run that was indeed not offsides. Bernardeschi tied Dejan Kulusevski for the lead with three key passes and played his best football of the season in a Black and White kit. I’m not sure we can count on an encore from him, especially not against Lazio, but we’ll see. He was a pleasant surprise and a key to victory on Matchday 25.