Udinese 2-2 Juventus: 3 key takeaways from the game

3, What was that from Wojciech Szczęsny?

It could’ve been a huge win for Juventus on the opening day of a new season. But it is not. They succumbed to the pressure posed by Udinese, or should we say “he” instead of “they”?

You know who’s the scapegoat here. “How can a goalkeeper make not one but two mistakes in one game, which was actually their first game of the season?” Well, you should’ve watched Wojciech Szczęsny for context, pal!

Udinese, going against their usual norm of playing with two out-and-out forwards, were playing with one forward in Ignacio Pussetto and one playmaker behind him in Roberto Pereyra.

Truth be told, they didn’t boast the kind of threat needed to worry a De Ligt-Bonucci defence. Yet, the Juventus goalkeeper emrgred out of the blue to extend his hands of hospitality towards the hosts of the game, giving away a cheap penalty in the 50th minute.

Licking his lips after seeing the empty net and sensing the golden opportunity to score from the spot, Pereyra put the ball past the Pole with utter ease. In the 83rd minute of the game when it was looking as if Juventus were in full control of the game, a back pass abruptly tempted Szczęsny to come out of his box to take part in the build-up. He did that despite seeing that Stefano Okaka, who had just come on to the field as a substitute for Pussetto, was awaitng to pounce on his mistake.

The howler took place as Okaka found Gerard Deulofeu, yes that former Barcelona player, with the simplest pass of the night. He did nothing other than guide the ball into the empty, unguarded net. And Juventini has kept on denouncing his name ever since. That would be no help to the club or the player under the microscope.

Instead, Juventus need to make sure that this kind of tragedy does not happen every week. Perhaps the time has come to try Mattia Perin and give him another chance. It will be beneficial for both players individually and for Juventus collectively.