Serie A – What We Learned – Juventus 1 AS Roma 0

Serie A – What We Learned – Juventus 1 AS Roma 0

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Richard Hinman
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Juventus made it 11 Serie A wins in-a-row with a 1-0 home triumph over Roma on Sunday night.

Paulo Dybala was once again in superb form, with his solitary goal securing the reigning champions all three points against a disappointing Giallorossi side.

The results leaves Juve in second place on the ladder and just two points behind leaders Napoli, while Roma are in fifth place, now six points and two positions behind a Champions League spot.

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Magical Dybala is Juve’s star man

Dybala moved to Juventus in the summer from Palermo for €40 million and some fans were unsure about his potential role in the reigning Serie A champions’ side. The Argentinian had impressed at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, but moving to the Old Lady was seen as a big step for the young forward. They should not have worried.

After a slow start, Dybala is now the main man, surpassing Paul Pogba as the linchpin of the Bianconeri side. Juventus have recorded 38 goals in 21 Serie A games so far this season and Dybala has scored or assisted half of them. The 22-year-old was brought in to replace Carlos Tevez and he has certainly filled the void left by the former Manchester United man.

Modest in the aftermath of the Roma match, stating, “my goal remains the same to what I said on my first day here. I want to help the team win a fifth consecutive Scudetto,” if Dybala stays fit and keeps producing such excellent performances, then Juve will fancy their chances of once again regaining their top-flight crown.

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Defensive Roma lack cutting edge

As soon as the teams were announced for the game, it was clear what Roma’s intention was. New coach Luciano Spalletti went away from his favoured 4-2-3-1 and played three at the back to match Juve, with Daniele De Rossi moved into defence. It all went to plan. Roma looked much more solid than they have in recent weeks and Wojciech Szczesny between the posts was not overly stretched. A piece of Dybala magic eventually broke the visiting resistance, however, at the other end of the pitch it was a different story. Roma offered nothing going forward and realisticaly, Gianluigi Buffon could have taken the night off. Alessandro Florenzi had a poor game by his own high standards, while forward duo Edin Dzeko and Mohamed Salah barely had a kick between them. Spalletti needs to reignite the Giallorossi’s attacking flair if they are to have any chances of turning their season around.

Two teams with very different targets

When Roma beat Juventus in round two of the season it was expected that they would be fighting it out with the Bianconeri for the title. Going into the international break in November, Roma were at the Serie A summit, while Juve languished in mid-table. Yet since then both teams have gone down very different roads. Massimiliano Allegri’s men have re-found their title winning form, securing 11 Serie A wins in-a-row, while the Giallorossi have fallen away and are struggling to hold onto a Europa League place.

After making up so much ground on the other contenders in recent weeks, Juve will fancy their chances of making it five Scudetti straight. They face Napoli at home in a couple of weeks, which could be crucial in the title race. Roma , meanwhile, are looking over their shoulder. AC Milan and Sassuolo are just two point behind the Giallorossi, who sit in fifth place, the last Europa League position. Even Empoli and city rivals Lazio are not far behind. Failing to qualify for Europe after such a bright start and with such a talented squad would be a disaster for this side from the Italian capital.

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