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Sassuolo 1-2 Juventus: 3 takeaways as Bianconeri all but secure Champions League berth

By James Cormack

REGGIO NELL'EMILIA, ITALY - APRIL 25: Moise Kean of Juventus celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo and Juventus at Mapei Stadium - Citta' del Tricolore on April 25, 2022 in Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images)
REGGIO NELL'EMILIA, ITALY - APRIL 25: Moise Kean of Juventus celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo and Juventus at Mapei Stadium - Citta' del Tricolore on April 25, 2022 in Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images) /
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Juventus celebrate Moise Kean’s late winner. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images)
Juventus celebrate Moise Kean’s late winner. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images) /

Max Allegri’s plucky Bianconeri were at it again on Monday night as they won a game of football they had no business winning. 

Moise Kean’s late strike handed Juventus all three points at the Mapei Stadium after Paulo Dybala had cancelled out Giacomo Raspadori’s opener in the first half.

Juve’s victory all but secured their place in the Champions League next season as fifth-placed AS Roma fell at Inter Milan on Saturday. The gap between the two sides is now eight points and the Old Lady now have their sights on Napoli in third.

3 takeaways from Juventus’ 2-1 victory over Sassuolo in Serie A

Here are three takeaways from Juventus’ 2-1 victory over Sassuolo in Serie A on Monday night.

Danilo’s limits as a midfielder

Danilo struggled to cope with Sassuolo’s tricky creators on Monday. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)
Danilo struggled to cope with Sassuolo’s tricky creators on Monday. (Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images) /

Juve’s midfield injury woes have forced Allegri into evasive action. Instead of handing young Fabio Miretti more minutes, the wily traditionalist has opted to utilise versatile full-back Danilo in the middle of the park.

The Brazilian was deployed in midfield by Andrea Pirlo last season, and his use as an inverted full-back under Pirlo and Pep Guardiola means he’s pretty well versed when it comes to occupying more central zones.

Thus, Danilo has looked at ease in the unfamiliar function in recent weeks, particularly impressing in the 1-1 draw with Bologna. However, his limits as a central midfielder were on full display in this one.

He struggled to create the requisite angles that’d aid Juve’s faltering build-up, often hiding behind Sassuolo’s screening front two. As a result, Danilo had just 59 touches on Monday night. Compare that to the Neroverdi’s metronome, Maxime Lopez, who touched the ball a staggering 138 times! Lopez often received in front of Juve’s front two to overload the visitors’ first ‘pressing’ line. He was able to contribute to a controlled Sassuolo display, while Danilo inhibited his side with the ball.

The Brazilian also struggled out of possession. He was constantly pulled out of position by the craftiness of Sassuolo’s creators, who sought to overload the zone between Juve’s defence and midfield. The Neroverdi’s swift combinations ran Danilo ragged, and he eventually ended the contest in a more familiar right-back position.

Here, Danilo impressed. His aggression prevented Hamed Traore from receiving in the left half-space.

Nevertheless, the Brazilian’s midfield display should concern Allegri with Weston McKennie and Manuel Locatelli likely to miss the Coppa Italia final. Danilo must be shrewder and braver against the Nerazzurri should the boss continue to deploy him out of position.

Continues on the next slide…

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