Torino 0-1 Juventus: 3 takeaways from Juve’s win in the Derby della Mole

Weston McKennie being wasteful in front of the goal, Massimiliano Allegri kicking Federico Bernardeschi’s backside, a late goal by the revolutionary Manuel Locatelli, and Juventus ultimately ending its drought of the clean sheet after 20 games in Serie A — it was certainly an eventful derby day on Saturday at Stadio Olimpico di Torino.

Gaining points from the local derby has turned into a habit for Juventus, with Sunday’s victory extending Bianconeri’s unbeaten run to 13 in the Derby della Mole. Torino would’ve deserved something positive out of the game, and it wasn’t a perfect outing for Juventus, either. But what now matters is that Juventus won all the three points, now racking up four victories from their last four matches across all competitions.

Thanks to the derby win, Juventus are on the verge of entering the fray for the European spots. From seven games, the Old Lady, currently eighth in the points table, have accumulated 11 points. A fortnight ago — when Juventus were on a miserable run, it would’ve been impossible to think of such an eventuality.

That said, let’s discuss the three key takeaways from Juventus’ derby win over a well-oiled Torino.

[Please note that this is a slideshow, which means you will have to press on the “next” button visible down the first page or at the top-right of the page to access the next slide.]

3. McKennie had a game he would prefer forgetting

Life in Italy has not gone smooth ever since joining Juventus from Schalke for Weston McKennie. From getting suspended by the club for breaking COVID-19 protocols after hosting a party to getting suspended from the U.S. men’s national team for the reason of a similar sort, Weston McKennie has endured the dark sides of being a superstar several times over the last few months.

Chances for resurrection don’t come to a player who doesn’t justify his selection. On Saturday, McKennie had the chance as he started the game in the place of Rodrigo Bentancur, but he chose to blow that up.

The game started, with the U.S. international getting a golden opportunity to break the deadlock in the opening exchanges. Nervous, the 23-year-old thumped the ball in the air, way over the bar.  A few minutes later, he got another opening but did what he had done in the first instance.

The first half ended with McKennie covering a good amount of ground and giving a good impression of his work rate in the midfield. McKennie played a slightly advanced role after Moise Kean was brought off at the stroke of the half-time.

He was found several times inside the opposing box but couldn’t capitalise on the odds. A couple of giveaways followed by persistent poor decision-making in the centre of the pitch saw the midfielder end his third start of the season frustratingly.

McKennie attempted two shots, with both being off-target (per Whoscored.com). Despite playing 90 minutes in the midfield, he was able to make only 25 passes with a below-par accuracy of 76 per cent. Albeit a derby victory, it was an outing McKennie would like to forget as soon as possible. Provided Arthur Melo is back in the contention, the competition for places is going to be much fiercer at Juventus.