Juventus 0-1 Atalanta: 3 key takeaways from another uninspiring defeat

Some players are not good enough for Juventus!

Juventus’ collective performance against Atalanta was a testament to the general consideration that some of these players are not fit to wear the prestigious black and white jersey. It is not about separating the scapegoats but about pointing out the culprits that cost Juve the valuable three points in the weekend.

A victory on Saturday would’ve put right among the contenders for the fourth Champions League spot. Instead, they faced their fifth defeat having played just 14 games in Serie A this season. Even so, the most appalling thing of all was not the defeat but the manner in which the Old Lady were beaten.

From the beginning, Juve had little control of the contest. Atalanta’s high-press was so effective that it led to the Bianconeri players losing possession all over the pitch. Amid these circumstances, Alvaro Morata, instead of playing up top, would often come down to the midfield to receive the ball — he should not be blamed for dropping deep; Roberto Firmino does that too for Liverpool.

While it is indeed correct that touches on the ball make a player more confident in the initial phases of the game, Morata’s touches somewhat escalated the suffering for Juventus. The Spaniard’s misplaced pass in the midfield led to Atalanta breaking the deadlock in the 28th minute of the game.

The displays from Alex Sandro and Adrien Rabiot were not satisfactory either. Rabiot was seen making some predictable forward runs into the box and taking the shot that was ultimately saved by an alert Juan Musso. Alex Sandro was too static in his own half and hardly made runs into Atalanta’s final third. High-grade results are hard to be found if these regular starters continue to put up these kinds of miserable performances.