{"id":2072,"date":"2025-08-17T13:38:55","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T13:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/?p=2072"},"modified":"2025-08-17T13:38:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T13:38:55","slug":"juventus-2-atalanta-1-initial-reaction-and-random-observations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/?p=2072","title":{"rendered":"Juventus 2 – Atalanta 1: Initial reaction and random observations"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Saturday evening in Bergamo proved to be one final test and measuring stick for Juventus manager Igor Tudor before things start to count for real next weekend. And just like the previous weekend in which they faced one of the best in Germany, the trip to face one of the most competitive teams in Italy for the better part of the past decade was about as much of a dress rehearsal as Tudor could have gotten.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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(No offense to the Next Gen, of course. But that friendly is always going to be a little one-sided at minimum.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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So, how did Juventus look eight days before their season starts for real?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There\u2019s more than just a couple of commonalities between last weekend\u2019s win over Borussia Dortmund and this one. The final score, for one, was the same, with Juve recording another 2-1 victory. The point in time when Juve allowed their lone goal of the game was around the same, with Atalanta scoring right on the brink of second-half stoppage time a lot like Dortmund did. But unlike seeing a surprise goal scorer in Andrea Cambiaso pop up, it was Juve\u2019s biggest summer signing to date this year, Canadian striker Jonathan David, get on the scoresheet for the first time since moving to Turin and then Dusan Vlahovic finding the back of the net for the third time during the friendly calendar within a five-minute span to give Juve the win and close out the preseason.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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With it came the Trofeo Achille e Cesare Bortolotti. Who said this team won\u2019t win silverware this season!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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OK, so I say that totally in jest. A preseason trophy doesn\u2019t mean much of anything, if ever.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But at the very least, ending the preseason with wins over Dortmund and now Atalanta can give this team a little extra pep in their step as they head into a new season in which the roster still looks a lot like the one that struggled to barely finish in fourth place and qualify for the Champions League.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Oh, and in case you\u2019re wondering, the first time David has scored in a Juventus jersey \u2014 yeah, yeah, it\u2019s a friendly and it won\u2019t count on his official tally, but whatever \u2014 looked a little something like this:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That\u2019s pretty good! I am wholeheartedly in favor of David doing that as much as he wants. They don\u2019t all have to be of the bicycle variety, but a little extra style points have never hurt anybody if you\u2019re scoring on a regular basis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But hey, whatever you want to do is fine with me, JD.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Just as was said after the win over Dortmund, there were good things besides the goals to take out of this one. It was nice to see David make an impact with that kind of goal after a somewhat quiet kind of game in the Atalanta penalty area. It was very refreshing to see Cambiaso have another strong showing after such an injury-hampered second half of last season. Teun Koopmeiners was solid if not unspectacular. Some of the dribbling from Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Concei\u00e7\u00e3o was just absolutely dizzying. And, for all of his faults, Jo\u00e3o M\u00e1rio has shown us in the small sample size with Juve thus far that he is very much a threat going forward, with his assist on Vlahovic\u2019s goal being quite the impressive run.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Plus, Juventus taking the final friendly of the summer seriously and playing \u2014 the first half especially \u2014 with some serious zip will never not be a positive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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All in all, for all of the faults this team has and maybe hasn\u2019t totally been able to address yet on the transfer market for very obvious reasons I won\u2019t rehash here, it does feel like it\u2019s been more positive than negative summer on the field for Juventus. The developments when it comes to the summer mercato are another matter, but when it comes to how Juve have played in their to friendlies against top-flight opposition, I definitely come away with the sense that it\u2019s been more positive than something we can just blow off and scoff at.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We obviously have absolutely no clue what will happen eight days from now when Juventus open their 2025-26 season at the Allianz against a Parma squad who just sold arguably their most valuable asset. That is always the catch with summer friendlies \u2014 you could look great and then the season starts and things just go to hell. So, for all we know, Juventus could struggle against Parma and it\u2019s a season-opening draw. Or, David could very well score another overhead kick and we\u2019re off and running this season. Only time will tell, my friends.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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RANDOM THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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