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Some weeks, there is nothing to write about. As much as the constant churn of the news cycle demands fresh content, the available information turns up nothing much. Then, hours are spent trying to find a new angle on why Atalanta are doing pretty well or why Sassuolo are struggling. If there’s really nothing, then just write about the latest stupid thing Inter have done. But this week is different.
Where should we start? We could mention the moment Carlos Sanchez tried to do his best Diego impression and Hand of God the ball into the Lazio net. He didn’t get away with it and Fiorentina lost for the second time this week.
We could mention Napoli and Torino scoring eight goals between them, admitting that Joe Hart did OK despite conceding five times. Mertens got another hat trick in that game, deputising ably for Arkadiusz Milik.
Pescare continued to toil at the foot of the table, Palermo managed to beat Genoa, and Inter won despite the fact that one of their big summer buys is already looking like he might retreat back to Brazil. The lament of Gabigol is an interesting story in and of itself.
But no. This week, there was a legitimate top of the table clash. This week, there was a match which really matted. This week, Juventus welcomed Roma to Turin, the top two sides battling each other for the title.
Even before the match, there were a number of narrative strands strung around the stadium like Christmas decorations. The most obvious of these was that Roma trailed Juve in the table by a mere four points. Take three here and Juventus might start to sweat.
There was also the Pjanic factor. The former Roma midfielder made the move to Turin in the summer, the Old Lady meeting the buyout clause in his contract as part of their mission to hoover up the best talent among their domestic rivals.
There was the fight to be top scorer in Serie A, with Edin Dzeko and Gonzalo Higuain already looking the likely favourites. Going into the game-week, it was Italy’s best attack versus its meanest defence. There were scraps of stories all over the show.
The rivalry between the two teams was beginning to heat up to the point where certain sections of the Italian press were labelling Roma as the "anti-Juve," the only side with a chance of taking down the reigning champions.
But, as much as the country might have been willing Roma to win (if only to salvage any sense of a competitive Scudetto), there were factors against them. Firstly, Juventus do not lose at home. This would be Juve’s chance to win 25 home matches in a row, matching a club record. Furthermore, Luciano Spalletti has faced Juventus 22 times in his career and has won only once, a cup fixture that took place almost a decade ago. In that time, he has lost 18 matches.
When the team sheets were released, there was both hope and confusion for Roma. Totti was definitely out, though De Rossi would assume the home-grown talisman role. But the real intrigue surrounded the 19-year-old Gerson, a Brazilian who had played less than 90 minutes in the league. He as picked to start, out on the right wing ahead of El Shaarawy and Salah, who was recovering from an injury. It was a bold move.
Juventus has their own selection choices to make. Injury has affected the famous back three, forcing Allegri to start the youngster Rugani as a centre back in a four-man defence. Rugani has been hailed as the next great Italian centre back, but has struggled to get game time at Juve with such an illustrious defensive trio ahead of him. This was his chance to stake a claim for a start.
And then the match started. Fifteen minutes later, it was over. That was all the time needed for Higuain to ponce, dodging a Manolas tackle and driving a long shot into the goal mouth. Juventus went one nil up, shut up shop, and the huffing and puffing of Roma could do nothing to get past them.
It would take a miracle for Gonzalo Higuain to pay back the €90 million he cost, especially given that he has recently turned 29. But this sort of match showed how he can make a real impact for his new side. While Rugani and Chiellini gobbled up, snuffed out, and effortlessly dealt with everything at the back, and the Juventus midfield recycled ball after ball, all that was required of the new star striker was to put the ball in the net. And he did so.
It was a workmanlike performance from Juventus, in the best possible sense. They did exactly what they needed to do to win the game.
The match didn’t teach us much we didn’t already know. Juventus are the best side in Italy by quite some distance. Roma, as good as they are, simply do not possess the quality or the nous required to beat them on a consistent basis.
Similarly, Juventus’s squad depth is unmatched. They were able to leave Dybala on the bench and play Mandzukic in his stead. The Croatian worked tirelessly, popping up in the areas no one would expect and winning the ball back. For a striker regarded as a penalty box poacher or a target man, his work rate is phenomenal. It was enough to justify benching Serie A’s best player.
Dybala will be a future contender for the Ballon d’Or, but he has a very different skillset to Manzukic. That Allegri can pick and choose depending on the what is required — without a drastic drop in quality — demonstrates the balance and depth apparent in this Juventus team.
Juventus are now seven points clear in the league. There seems no one able to match them. Getting the league done and dusted early doors might be preferable for the champions, who will now set their cross hairs firmly on Champions League success.
Roma, meanwhile, will drop back into the chasing pack. There is a dog fight behind Juventus, with as many as six teams all competing for the European places. The battle for the top spot might be over, but the war for second is only just beginning.
