Juventus 2-0 Cagliari: 3 key takeaways from the final game of 2021

So, there you have it. A tumultuous 2021 is in the books for Juventus after they claimed a 2-0 victory over Cagliari on Tuesday night.

The triumph extended Juve’s unbeaten run in all competitions to six games and ensured that their last four wins in Serie A have all come by a 2-0 scoreline. The Bianconeri have certainly feasted on the poor to close out the calendar year, but key absentees during this period mean Massimiliano Allegri deserves some credit for overseeing a prosperous end to 2021.

It’s been a difficult start to the 2021/22 season for the Old Lady, who expected so much more when it was announced that Allegri would return to the sidelines following Andrea Pirlo’s exit. While a Scudetto pursuit is incredibly unlikely, Juve’s recent run has them in a position to pounce on vulnerable Milan, Napoli and Atalanta sides next year.

3 takeaways from Juventus’ 2-0 win over Cagliari in Serie A

For now, though, let’s dissect what went down on Tuesday night as goals from Moise Kean and Federico Bernardeschi ensured Juve ended 2021 on a high note against Cagliari. Here are three takeaways.

Szczesny’s huge save

Juventus didn’t cede control as they did against both Bologna and Venezia, but their inability to fashion a high-quality chance after Kean opened the scoring ensured the game didn’t get away from the lowly visitors.

Cagliari’s attacking threat was close to nil for the opening hour as Juventus sustained pressure effectively without posing a major threat themselves. They lacked the requisite profiles to create and penetrate the visitors’ deep-lying defence.

Nevertheless, Cagliari’s brave defensive showing should’ve been rewarded on the hour when Dalbert somehow skewed his close-range effort wide. Then, eight minutes later, leading scorer Joao Pedro, who’s found the back of the net nine times in Serie A this season, escaped the clutches of Matthijs de Ligt to create a yard of space in the penalty area. He was picked out brilliantly by Gabriele Zappa, but Pedro’s free header was denied expertly by the reflexes of Wojciech Szczesny.

It was a high-quality chance (0.44 xG), but Szczesny’s impressive concentration helped preserve Juventus’ lead. The Juve goalkeeper hadn’t been tested up until that point, which has been a feature of the Bianconeri’s recent outings.

Since the Salernitana victory, teams have struggled to lay a glove on Juventus. In their last five Serie A games, Juve have conceded just once and in the four league matches leading up to Cagliari, they’d surrendered a mere xGA of 1.73! On Tuesday night, their xGA was 1.13 – depicting just how gilt-edged both Dalbert and Pedro’s chances were. The visitors created almost nothing else.

Anyway, back to Szczesny. While the Polish international has rarely been tested as of late, there’s no questioning that he’s rediscovering the form that helped him usurp Gianluigi Buffon in Turin. Tuesday’s save from Pedro was one of his best of the season, and it ensured Juventus concluded 2021 on a high.