Juve continue their tough schedule with a match against Roma, who were above the Bianconeri on the table prior to this game. Through a steady 2-0 win, Juve are now in third place with a game in hand.

4-4-2

#1- Szczesny

#13- Danilo

#19- Bonucci

#19- Chiellini

#12- Alex Sandro

#14- McKennie

#5- Arthur

#25- Rabiot

#22- Chiesa

#9- Morata

#7- Ronaldo

The Bianconeri got off to a great start, scoring a goal in the 13th minute. Danilo runs the ball deep on the left side, passes to Morata, who played it to Ronaldo. CR7 takes one quick touch and unexpectedly shoots straight into the bottom right corner. Even though it wasn’t a powerful shot, it was perfectly placed and quick enough to find the back of the net. Juve get an early lead.

So close! Less than ten minutes after the first goal, Ronaldo almost makes it a brace. Once again it was Morata who finds Ronaldo and the latter hits the woodwork. Juve begin to play smart tactically, not necessarily focusing on keeping possession but being clinical and getting the results with less energy. The defense remains solid, and the first half ends 1-0.

2-0！At 65 minutes, Cuadrado and Kulusevski enter the pitch for McKennie and Morata. The subs later prove to be on-point, as the two players force an own goal out of the opponent just four minutes later. Cuadrado makes a through pass to Kulusevski, who then tries to find Ronaldo right in front of the goal. The 2-0 was inevitable- but ultimately Roma’s defender creates an own goal in an attempt to prevent Ronaldo from getting to the ball instead. 2-0!

Juve keep the backline strong for the rest of the match and keep a clean sheet. Along with Chiesa and Alex Sandro, Bonucci is later subbed off seemingly suffering from a minor injury. Roma get a few shots but nothing threatens Szczesny too much and the Bianconeri win their three points.

Pirlo:

“We'd prepared for this sort of game. We knew that Roma play very good football and we were ready to sit tight and hit them on the break. It's difficult to keep harrying them all the time but when we did up the pressing we did it well, then we dropped off again… We might play this way again in future because when you're playing every three days it's not easy to always have the energy to close down the opposition.”

Bonucci:

“It's games like this when you see the real heart and soul of the team. We knew that Roma like to have a lot of possession and use the width of the pitch so we had to be humble, work hard and then strike when we had the chance. It was a great team performance.”

This match really reminded me of Juve’s Allegri days. The team did not play the most exciting football, but they grounded it out with a solid defense and the win was never too much in doubt. Going off on what Pirlo said, it’s impossible to expect the players to play with super high energy levels week in week out, and sometimes a match like this is needed as long as they take the win. Pirlo really seems to be getting a hold of the team, as his substitutions were perfect and got the Bianconeri their second goal. The defense line was the star of this match. Despite Roma’s possession, Szczesny never really had to be called into action since the defenders did a good job of keeping the Romans at bay. It seems that Juve are getting back into the habit of winning, looking forward to seeing if we can keep this up. Sempre Forza Juve!