Juventus managed to secure a valuable point in their Champions League match against Aston Villa in Birmingham, despite facing numerous challenges and player absences. The Italian side demonstrated resilience in defense and created a couple of dangerous scoring opportunities, with Conceicao coming closest to breaking the deadlock, only to be denied by an exceptional save from Martinez.
Former England and Real Madrid manager Fabio Capello offered his insights on Juventus’ performance, drawing parallels to their recent display at San Siro. He noted, “I saw a compact Juventus, similar to their performance at San Siro. They took a few more risks but remained cautious defensively. However, they never sought to exploit depth in their attacks and failed to switch play effectively.”
Capello highlighted the team’s reliance on Conceicao in attack, while pointing out the lack of involvement from players like Yildiz on the left flank. He also commented on the team’s lack of speed and determination when in possession, as well as the absence of players in the box during the few chances created.
The match saw another injury setback for Juventus, with Savona forced to leave the field. Capello made an interesting observation regarding the team’s injury woes, stating, “All the new players at Juventus are getting injured. Last year, people on social media blamed Allegri, saying they didn’t work hard enough. It’s a shame that all the players getting injured weren’t even at Juventus last year.”
Sky Sport pundit Paolo Condò analyzed Juventus’ upcoming fixtures, noting that their schedule appears to be the most challenging among Italian teams in the Champions League. He also pointed out the absence of Douglas Luiz, who was expected to bring more technical ability to the midfield.
Former West Ham player and pundit Paolo Di Canio drew comparisons between Thiago Motta’s current Juventus side and Max Allegri’s team from the previous season. Di Canio remarked, “Motta’s Juventus is as conservative as last year’s team. We thought we might see something different in their play style, even though some philosophically tell us they press 10-12 meters higher up the pitch.”
He continued, “The mentality of working without the ball was already present under Allegri. Motta’s team is one that conserves energy, creates little, and concedes very few goals. We can be refined and say they play with their defensive line 5-10 meters higher, but it doesn’t change much.”
