Usually, when you say a game was a story of two halves, one team or the other is on top of things before their opponents turn the tables in the second half.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Saturday\u2019s match between Juventus and Pisa was a slight modification of the usual trope. Juventus remained in control of the game for the majority of the 90 minutes. The difference came in front of goal. In the first half, Juve couldn\u2019t get the ball into Pisa\u2019s net despite creating some decent chances. Some heroic blocks by Pisa defenders did have something to do with that (they blocked nine shots altogether) but there were some flat misses in there too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A change in tack by Luciano Spalletti in the second half led to a much more free-flowing attack, and in the final 35 minutes of the game the Bianconeri scored four unanswered goals, crushing Serie A\u2019s bottom side 4-0 and getting into position to make up ground in the table. Roma and Como are playing each other, and so one or both are bound to drop points, so a victory over Udinese will see Juve cut their deficit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
How did the players do in this match against the relegation strugglers? Let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
MATTIA PERIN – 6.5.<\/strong> Much<\/em> better than last week\u2019s downright bad performance against Roma. Made two saves\u2014the first a vital one\u2014in the first six minutes, but wasn\u2019t called on to stop anything after that. What made this game so much different was his willingness to come out and play crosses, which he refused to do last week. He was in much better control of his box today.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n PIERRE KALULU – 7.<\/strong> Did very well defensively to limit any threat on his side, and added in two key passes and a 93.3 percent completion rate overall. Typically excellent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n BREMER – 6.<\/strong> Defended well, but had some problems passing the ball that produced dangerous situations that could\u2019ve easily been avoided, even if he did come up with a key pass in the second half.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n FEDERICO GATTI – 6.<\/strong> Came close to a third straight game with a goal, but his first-half header was right at Pisa goalkeeper N\u00edcolas. Otherwise did very well and I was surprised he was pulled at halftime. It could\u2019ve been that Lloyd Kelly was a better fit for Spalletti\u2019s tactical plotting, or he may have turned up with some kind of knock. We\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n WESTON McKENNIE – 6.5.<\/strong> Everywhere as usual, making three key passes and playing off of Yildiz in the box for a lot of the second half, which I thing helped the false nine setup more than usual.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n MANUEL LOCATELLI – 7.<\/strong> Sent an utterly fantastic ball to assist J\u00e9r\u00e9mie Boga\u2019s late goal, and narrowly missed one himself when he bonked his shot off the post before Thuram put in the rebound. Led the team in all three major defensive categories (three tackles, three interceptions, five clearances).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n KH\u00c9PHREN THURAM – 6.5.<\/strong> Solid in midfield, and was quick to jump on the rebound when Locatelli hit the post (just like you draw it up, right fellas?).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n ANDREA CAMBIASO – 6.5.<\/strong> His best game in a long<\/em> time. Made a really clever run to evade the backside defenders on his goal, and his defense was surprisingly sharp, including one moment in the 35th minute where he was suddenly confronted with a one-on-two situation and managed to play it perfectly, being credited with a last-man tackle to stop one of Pisa\u2019s more dangerous attacks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n FRANCISCO CONCEI\u00c7\u00c3O – 7.5.<\/strong> Another man who put together his best performance in a good long while, Concei\u00e7\u00e3o had a whopping nine<\/em> dribbles, and assisted Kenan Yildiz\u2019s goal. A really lively game for the compact winger.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n KENAN YILDIZ – 8.<\/strong> Looked a little isolated on the sideline in the first half but flourished in the second when he was moved closer to the goal. He just missed a share of the dribble lead with eight\u2014which is still insane\u2014and both his assist and his goal were special to look at.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n JONATHAN DAVID – 4.5.<\/strong> Only completed 52.7 percent of his passes in the first half, and looked devoid of confidence, especially after Andrea Caracciolo made a last-ditch block on a shot that very well could\u2019ve gone in. With Dusan Vlahovic returning soon, he\u2019s gonna have to show something quick if he doesn\u2019t want to suffer the fate of Lo\u00efs Openda.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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