The Preview

Juventus looked to continue their title charge in their trip to over-performers Monza, who have kicked on from their promising debut campaign in the league. Juve made one change to the side that drew with league leaders Inter, with Brazilian Alex Sandro coming in for Daniele Rugani in defence. The hosts meanwhile made three changes after their draw with struggling Cagliari. Equatorial Guinea international Jose Machin and Patrick Ciurria came in to attack with ex-Arsenal defender Pablo Mari starting as part of a back three. The players to watch on this rainy night were both quite clear and both among the most exciting Italian internationals. Monza’s Andrea Colpani boasted an impressive 6 goals and 1 assist in 13 matches going into this game as a second striker, earning him a call up to the national team, while the more familiar name of Federico Chiesa at Juventus was always going to have eyes on him thanks to his dynamic change of pace and game-changing ability. Monza’s set up was certainly a more defensive one, playing without a recognised number 9, which is perhaps understandable coming up against Chiesa and Juve number 9 Dusan Vlahovic.

The Match

Monza started with intent, pressing on any heavy Bianconeri touch whilst also boasting a solid defensive unit in their 3-5-2 formation. There was a distinct lack of rhythm in the opening exchanges, with Monza being able to have more time on the ball. That said, just 9 minutes into the game, after a quite aimless long ball from Filip Kostic, Monza’s Giorgos Kyriakopoulos hauled Andrea Cambiaso to the ground quite a distance from the ball, in what would’ve been a frustrating moment for head coach Raffaele Palladino after his side had started so promisingly. Dusan Vlahovic stepped up to take the spot kick, but Michele Di Gregorio got down nicely to make the save before getting back up to claw away the rebound in what was quite a remarkable save. Vlahovic’s frustration was clear, especially given his lack of consistent goalscoring form. But from the resulting corner, the home crowd’s enthusiasm was silenced as Frenchman Adrien Rabiot hurled himself at Nicolussi Caviglia’s corner to open the scoring with his head, heartbreak for Monza and Di Gregorio in particular after such a brilliant double save.

Once Juventus take the lead, they very rarely lose it, with 8 clean sheets in their 14 league games this season. Even after the goal though, Monza looked the more lively of the two teams, with far more movement off the ball. Whenever Juve tried to build attacks it was slowed down rather quickly, almost sitting on the 1-0 lead from the outset. But, as expected, their defensive rigidity limited Monza to half chances and snapshots for the most part in the first half, with the home side not even registering their first shot until the 25th minute despite all their good play. Whilst having the lion’s share of the possession, the hosts were stagnated in large part thanks to the combative Juve midfield, with Caviglia looking particularly impressive in those duels. The outside central midfielders and wing backs looked to rotate to find spaces, with Weston McKennie often found on the right wing and Andrea Cambiaso moving centrally. It was Juventus again who had the next big chance just past the half hour mark, with defender Federico Gatti somehow missing from four yards out from another corner, with both Juve’s physical presence and Monza’s lack of organisation on full show. As the half went on, Juve’s control of the game only increased, pressing high from the front in their opponents’ half and setting up a strict 5-3-2 in defence, but the hosts best move of the half came in stoppage time, with a lovely move almost falling to the feet of Danilo D’Ambrosio but for some solid Juventus defending.

Going into the second half, it was clear Monza were lacking a cutting edge in attack, and a change in approach was needed, and that is exactly what came. At the start of the second half, Palladino brought on two forwards in AC Milan loanee Lorenzo Colombo and Dany Mota, with the hope of allowing star man Andrea Colpani to operate from a deeper position and pull the strings in attack. But it was Juve who started the half with the most attacking intent, moving the ball much quicker than at any point in the first half. Juve’s increased intent did mean that Monza were allowed more space on the counter, giving the game a more open feeling in the early exchanges of the second half. Monza continued to probe and move the ball around to create spaces but the Bianconeri’s sheer numbers in defence coupled with their organisation made that a difficult task. Juve’s spark at the beginning of the half gradually dissipated, with slack passes becoming more and more frequent. Luckily for the visitors, Monza continued to struggle to find spaces and a lot of frustrated exchanges were had between teammates.

18 year old substitute Valentin Carboni was the player who looked the most likely for Monza in the second half, and for all their effort, they really failed to create many chances in the latter stages, but the youngster was able to provide one of the moments of the match as he used his confidence on the ball to cut onto his left foot and cross-shoot into the far corner, Dany Mota’s dummy proving crucial in the goal, but almost while the Monza players were still celebrating, Juventus went right up the other end with a real sucker punch, with a marauding run from Rabiot setting up defender Federico Gatti, who swiped at thin air at the first attempt, to fire home on the second. Then Monza went straight down the other end themselves, with Carboni taking on an audacious volley from 30 yards out which landed just a whisker wide. It was a truly frantic finish to what was largely an uneventful game.

Monza 1-2 Juventus

Rabiot 12′ (JUV)

V. Carboni 90’+1′ (MON)

Gatti 90’+4′ (JUV)

The Man of the Match: Adrien Rabiot (Juventus)

Nicolussi Caviglia was very close to getting my vote here with the youngster’s hugely impressive shift in midfield, but Rabiot’s contributions were simply undeniable, scoring the first and creating the second out of nothing. He also made some telling contributions defensively and showed his leadership skills, captaining the side to a tense victory.

The Takeaways

Juventus once again showed their mettle in the end after what had threatened to be a smash and grab from Monza, and continue their impressive form this calendar year. There are few sides in Europe quite as capable at closing out a lead, so for that to be under threat in this game and for them to fight back to win shows the strength of character of this side. Inter will have celebrated that Monza goal but will now have to go and match Juve’s result if they want to retain their place at the top of the table in what seems on paper a much trickier away trip to Napoli. As for the hosts, they continue to play valiantly but drop to 10th in the table, continuing to exceed expectations. That said, their lack of attacking firepower will need to be worked on, but perhaps Valentin Carboni will have played himself into the plans of Palladino. Juventus will host Napoli in their next match which promises to be a good one whilst Monza host Genoa.