Juventus recorded an impressive 2-1 win over Tottenham in front of 31,447 spectators at the MCG, with early goals to Paulo Dybala and Mehdi Benatia proving too much for the North Londoners.
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino rung the changes at the break, and substitute Erik Lamela gave his side hope with a well taken goal in the 67th minute but it was a mere consolation effort.
The crowd figure was improved from Saturday night’s clash between Juventus and Melbourne Victory, however, the atmosphere suffered with almost 70,000 empty seats around the iconic stadium.
Pjanic turns it on at the ‘G, again
After a scintillating showing in the 2015 ICC for former club, AS Roma, Miralem Pjanic put in a similarly assured performance in the centre of midfield for Juventus.
The 26-year-old provided a sumptuous delivery to find Benatia unmarked for Juve’s second, and enjoyed a relatively even midfield battle with new Spurs signing, Victor Wanyama.
Pjanic task to fit into Maximiliano Allegri’s midfield has been made that much harder with reports suggesting midfield general Claudio Marchisio’s may not return to the squad until as late as December.
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How Twitter reacted to Juventus’ 2-1 win against Tottenham
Top Three Performers: Juventus 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Bottom Three Performers: Juventus 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Player Ratings: Juventus 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
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New boy Vincent Janssen settling quickly at Tottenham
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Pochettino finds use out of Lamela in the centre
Tottenham’s unlikely charge towards the Premier League title may have ground to a halt with the finish line in sight last season, but Pochettino found great use out of Lamela as a terrier-like no.10.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy brokered a deal to bring the Argentine to North London for £30m as a goalscoring winger, but after struggling with the pace of English football, the 24-year-old’s conversion to bustling playmaker has proved an inspired decision to date.
After being introduced to breathe life into what was previously a lifeless Tottenham performance, Lamela’s guile and ability to find space between the lines of midfield and attack gave confidence to the entire forward line.
Daniele Rugani bolsters his case for game time
A starting spot in the heart of Juventus’ defence is an enviable position, and one of the most sought after in world football. With the likes of Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci among the first names on the team-sheet, Daniele Rugani will have to bide his time for an opportunity.
His performance against Tottenham, albeit in a meaningless friendly, was impressive, and will be called upon as Allegri looks to rest his defensive stars as they battle for supremacy in Italy and in continental competition.
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