The Brazilian left-footed center-back experienced a shocking 5-0 reversal inside the tiny Vitality Stadium, much to the dismay of his many admirers.
Murillo, who was snapped up for a bargain price of €12million (US$12.6m) from Corinthians in 2023, had been a standout player this season before Forest leaked goals in their one-sided Premier League contest.
The 22-year-old signed a new contract at Forest, which runs to 2029, this month. This appeared to be acted out in a bid to end the relentless speculation that he would be joining a European giant during the January transfer window.
His value has further increased this campaign courtesy of some top-class performances. Forest seemed to push through the deal in a bid to protect their prized asset as well as increase Murillo’s sell-on value, rather than demand his commitment. Yet the deal does not close the door to a big sale in the summer.
Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain were among the clubs that joined Juventus on the ever-increasing list of Murillo’s European admirers since last summer.
His daring range of skills, particularly his fearless ability to join attacks when given the space to run, would suit the tactics employed by head coach Thiago Motta.
Motta is openly eager to bring in another defender before the transfer deadline. Yet if he had sent any scouts to follow Murillo against Bournemouth, then they would no doubt have returned a report stating that he should avoid the player.
Although Motta has only lost one Serie A match so far, outsmarted by former Juventus hero Antonio Conte, there’s some trepidation among fans and pundits as to whether he’s the right fit for the Turin team.
Motta has been defensively-minded and eked out 13 league draws from 22 games, with some uninspiring team displays at times.
In contrast, Conte has overseen some entertaining yet sometimes erratic displays this season at Napoli. His 2-1 triumph over Juve showed fans what they are missing, with the victory widening the Serie A gap between the clubs to a staggering 16 points after just 22 matches.
What was pivotal to Conte’s success in clinching eight league titles with the Bianconeri, five crowns as a player and five as head coach, was a watertight defence and a stream of goals.
Motta savours having a solid defensive line, but he must surely be counting his blessings that he didn’t land Murillo. He could ill afford any of his defenders having a nightmare match, like the usually reliable Murillo experienced against Bournemouth, while his suitability in Turin remains under scrutiny.
What he should be chasing is trying to lure a creative player to supply service for strikers Kolo Mauni and Dusan Vlahovic. Paris Saint-Germain loanee Mauni found the back of the net with his only shot, while late substitute Vlahovic failed to have a single shot in his nine-minute appearance.
Vlahovic is Juventus’ top scorer this term with 12 goals, which includes five penalties, but has not joined the score sheet since mid-December’s 4-0 home thrashing of Cagliari.
Although Murillo only had a very rare off day and showed flaws that were not previously apparent, Motta’s forwards appear to be making it a habit of misfiring. If this persistent failure of bagging goals continues, it will only result in the Bianconeri drifting further away from table-topping Napoli.
Should the gulf between these teams widen, then Motta needs to address the situation rather than deal with any potential attacks on his own ability at the helm.