AS Roma took an early advantage over Juventus in the pursuit for the Serie A title with a 2-1 victory at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.
A stunning free kick from Miralem Pjanic in the 61st minute gave Roma a deserved lead. The Bosnian hit the post earlier in the game with a curling effort but this time kept Gigi Buffon rooted to the spot.
Roma had dominated the game up until this point with Juventus hardly looking likely to score. Patrice Evra saw red after picking up his second yellow card and not long after it was Edin Dzeko who struck with a headed goal on 79 minutes, rising above Giorgio Chiellini from close-range to net his first for the Giallorossi.
The Italian champions did most of the attacking late with a Leonardo Bonucci header going extremely close to snatching a point if not for Wojciech Szczeney’s miraculous fingertip save.
Juventus will count on Claudio Marchisio this season
Juve were no match for Roma in the middle of the park. The midfield three of Simone Padoin, Paul Pogba and Stefano Sturaro struggled badly against the likes of Seydou Keita, Radja Nainggolan and Miralem Pjanic. Claudio Marchisio showed last season how pivotal he can be dictating play, often outshining Andrea Pirlo. Sami Khedira has been brought in to help cope with the loss of Pirlo and Vidal, but the German could be out with injury until at least the Christmas break. With Marchisio in the team, Juventus will look like a much better side.
Edin Dzeko will score goals at Roma
Two games into his career at Roma and Dzeko looks like a player full of confidence, learning the Italian game with every passing minute. The Bosnian showed plenty of instinct and capitalised brilliantly on Iago Falque’s cross to outmuscle Giorgio Chiellini and hold front position, nodding home past Buffon. Roma have some handy players out on the wings with Gervinho, Iago Falque, Mohamed Salah and even Francesco Totti. Dzeko could be just the player to finish off attacks and propel the Romans to a new level, given they have been void of a top class striker for some time now.
Juventus need to shelve the 3-5-2
This point could probably be mentioned after almost every game in which Juve adopt the 3-5-2. It is a formation Juventus like using given the fact they have three top class central defenders. However, they are much better off without it. With the 3-5-2, Juve often lack ideas and struggle to provide quality service to their attackers. It has been tried enough and it is clear Juve need to shelve the 3-5-2 and move into a four-man defence, establishing a 4-3-1-2 or 4-3-3. Yes, Juventus have three top class central defenders and like to stretch play wide but they now have the players to do well within any of the formations mentioned. Stephan Lichtsteiner and Patrice Evra are also better players in a four-man defence.
Pjanic is vital to Roma’s Scudetto chances
A man of the match performance from Pjanic, first hitting the post with a beautiful curling effort, then giving Roma the lead with a stunning free kick. The 25-year-old is already one of the best players in the league and looks set to have his biggest season yet. He was everywhere for Roma and provides a great link with the front three.
.@Miralem_Pjanic curls home a beautiful free-kick for @OfficialASRoma against @juventusfcen. #RomaJuve http://t.co/bMN5wB3BN4
— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) August 30, 2015
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