{"id":4040,"date":"2026-04-08T00:01:56","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T00:01:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/?p=4040"},"modified":"2026-04-08T00:01:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T00:01:56","slug":"juventus-2-genoa-0-initial-reaction-and-random-observations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.matteocoachperformance.it\/?p=4040","title":{"rendered":"Juventus 2 – Genoa 0: Initial reaction and random observations"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Juventus knew they wouldn\u2019t be able to jump back into fourth place no matter what happened during Monday\u2019s lunchtime kickoff between Como and Udinese. But with what played out in Udine, Juventus\u2019 opportunity to cut the gap between themselves and fourth-place Como was there for the taking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There were two very different kind of halves from Juventus on Monday evening, but thanks to about as dominant of an opening 45 minutes as anybody could have asked for with Gleison Bremer and Weston McKennie scoring goals within the first 20 minutes, the Bianconeri were able to ride that two-goal lead to a 2-0 victory over Genoa at the Allianz Stadium. With that win and Como\u2019s scoreless draw against Udinese a few hours earler, the gap between fourth place and fifth place is now down to a single point. And with Como the next team up to face Inter Milan on the Serie A schedule, there is a legit chance that Juventus could be in fourth by the time next weekend is over (or even as they\u2019re heading back to Turin after the trip to Bergamo).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But we won\u2019t get too far ahead of ourselves because we know that is where things can get dicey.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Hell, after such a big-time first-half performance from Luciano Spalletti\u2019s squad, I don\u2019t know if we were thinking that we might have to sweat out the final 15 or 20 minutes against a Genoa side that barely did anything in the opening 45 minutes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Shoot, I don\u2019t think anybody foresaw one of the second-half heroes that prevented Genoa from actually getting on the scoreboard being a much-maligned former starting goalkeeper who wasn\u2019t in the starting lineup and hadn\u2019t played since Juventus\u2019 brutal loss to Como on Feb. 21 on this same field in Turin.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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On that day, Michele Di Gregorio was adding to his list of costly errors. This time around, about six weeks later, he was making about as Gigi Buffon-like double save as you\u2019ll see from a Juve keeper \u2014 let alone one who came on in a pinch because Mattia Perin picked up a calf injury late in the first half.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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If Di Gregorio doesn\u2019t make either of those two saves, then it\u2019s about as nervy as a final 15 minutes as we\u2019ll see. Heck, even with those saves it was still a nervy final 15 minutes from Juventus thanks to a second half that left a whole lot to be desired. It was the culmination of a second half in which Juve took their foot off the gas a little bit, were probably taxed from the high-tempo first-half performance they delivered on and the fact that Tommaso Baldanzi gave Genoa exactly the kind of spark that Daniele De Rossi was looking for.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Juventus could have been made to rue some of their missed chances \u2014 and especially so with somebody like McKennie who could very well have scored a hat trick with his two notable close-range shots that he didn\u2019t convert. They could have put Genoa away for good with plenty of time to spare and made the final 30 minutes (or more) a total cruise to the finish line like you\u2019re just driving with the top down on a beautiful Sunday with absolutely nothing else to do.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But, this is Juventus in 2026, and nothing comes easy or really follows the logic we\u2019ve always known with this sport. That is why, up 2-0, their best defender is going on a tackle right on the edge of the box that ends up being a penalty after a lengthy VAR review. That is why, after not playing for six weeks because his manager replaced him as the start in goal, Di Gregorio suddenly is thrust into the spotlight and becomes a hero with a massive double save that keeps the clean sheet intact.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This was a classic game that should have been a 3-0, 4-0 or even more kind of victory for Juventus. Instead, the actuality was a nervy second half where you probably thought \u201c2-0 is the most dangerous lead in football\u201d once or twice, if not more. Juventus, as is well-established, did a whole lot right in the first half only to, in a way, be their own worst enemy after the break that kept Genoa hanging away in some shape or form.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In the end, though, they got the three points.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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That is what matters the most \u2014 especially these days when they\u2019re trying to make up ground on a Como side that looked so dang good going into the international break.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We said it around the same point in the schedule last season when this exact same situation regarding Champions League qualification was playing out \u2014 we don\u2019t care how they win, as long as they win.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Considering the vast differences in both halves \u2014 and Spalletti essentially said after the game that it wouldn\u2019t have been possible for Juve to keep things up after what they did in the opening 45 minutes \u2014 it would have made total sense for this team to cough the lead up and leave us wondering if the chances for Champions League next season were basically gone. But, they won \u2014 and that is the thing they need to do as much as possible over these final eight weeks of the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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One down, seven more (hopefully) to go.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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