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.

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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.

2. Sweet taste of a clean sheet in the league after a long time

Juventus kept their first clean sheet in Serie A after going 20 games without one. In the match against Torino, Allegri decided to rest Leonardo Bonucci and instead fielded Giorgio Chiellini. It was a much-needed rest for the Italian international. Chiellini, 37, was an interesting topic last summer, with rumours claiming that he could leave Juve or rather hang his boots. He did neither, alternatively put pen to another contract extension with the Old Lady.

Alongside Matthijs de Ligt, Chiellini was monstrous in his own box. They were up against an enthusiastic Torino press, led by Antonio Sanabria and Saša Lukić. Apart from some rather trivial scares, there was no catastrophic moment when it felt as if Juventus defence would be in danger.

There was a galore of crosses in the first half. Each of them was dealt with by the centre-backs of the Bianconeri. Sofascore stats show that Torino attempted 13 crosses to Juve’s three in the first half. Only three of them were successful. Sensing the danger from crosses, Allegri, however, was able to shut down the route to some extent in the second half, where Torino had success with one cross from five attempts.

While the Dutchman won four out six aerial battels against Torino, Chiellini won five out of six, signifying how much their aerial astuteness came to avail Juventus on Saturday. Now that they have kept clean sheets in their last two games against opponents like Chelsea and then a rejuvenated Torino, Allegri’s men should be focusing on accomplishing something else, something of a greater value — winning a league game by more than a one-goal margin. It has been a long time since we last saw Juventus winning convincingly.

1. Bernardeschi or Kulusevski — it remains a debate for Juventus

Judging by his facial expression, Federico Bernardeschi felt it hard as Massimiliano Allegri this time chose to use his leg rather than his words to wake up the Italy international. A kick up the backside was enough for Bernardeschi to regain his consciousness. Even so, he was not as bad as Weston McKennie but also was not as good as Manuel Locatelli.

Allegri put his team in a 4-4-2 formation on Saturday evening, which could rearrange in 4-1-3-2. On the right side of the three was Federico Bernardeschi. In the first half, Bernardeschi was getting involved in helping Danilo with his defensive duties so much that he was the quickest to join the attack down the right. A hint of lethargy was apparent in his performance, with the former Fiorentina man completing no crosses, no long balls, and just one key pass against Torino.

Federico Bernardeschi got subbed off as Kulusevski entered the pitch in the 80th-minute of the game. During the brief spell on the pitch, the Swede managed to take one shot, which was more than Bernardeschi on the night. Considering that there were not many attacking outlets available on the pitch, Kulusevski did well after coming on.

Nowadays, whom to pick between Bernardeschi and Kulusevski should spark an engaging debate. Bernardeschi adequately had his chances. If Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala remain out after the international window, Kulusevski now deserves one or two opportunities from the start to run at the opposing defence.