Nico Gonzalez made his Juventus debut v AS Roma (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto … [+] Studio/Getty Images)
Starting the season by winning each of their first two games, it was easy to see the impact of Juventus’ summer coaching change. After they had looked negative, slow and ponderous under the previous regime, it seemed the arrival of Thiago Motta had instantly transformed the Bianconeri.
Yet on Sunday evening, AS Roma’s visit to Turin served as a reminder of just how much work still lies ahead of the former Bologna boss, who saw his side drop points for the first time.
A 0-0 draw with the Giallorossi is far from a poor result and, while the 90+ minutes of this clash highlighted a number of issues, there were also a few positive signs for the future.
Juventus Backline Held Strong
Perhaps the first noteworthy point is that Michele Di Gregorio added another clean sheet to his collection. As discussed in this previous column, that is quite the habit for the 27-year-old, who was named Serie A’s Best Goalkeeper last season.
Indeed, after registering 14 shutouts for Monza last term, Di Gregorio has yet to concede since joining Juventus, notching his third consecutive clean sheet as he and his team-mates repeatedly denied Roma here.
Indeed, FBRef.com shows that Gleison Bremer made two tackles, one interception and five clearances, while his partner in central defence Federico Gatti matched him in the first two categories and made just one fewer clearance to nullify Roma’s attack.
Work To Do In Possession
Sadly Juve were unable to impress as much at the other end of the field, failing to reproduce the attacking intent that had led them to two comfortable wins in their previous outings.
Some of the credit for that must go to a well-drilled and resolute Roma, while the integration of Juve’s more recent signings will also help. But even without Teun Koopmeiners, Khepren Thuram, Douglas Luiz, Francisco Conceicao and Nico Gonzalez in the starting XI, Motta made no excuses.
Teun Koopmeiners came off the bench against Roma (Photo by Loris Roselli/NurPhoto via Getty Images).
“There are many things we can improve to raise the level against good opponents,” he told Sky Italia. “We have many quality players, including those who started the game, but we only did it in short spells today.
“It’s normal for there to be some drops in physical intensity in this part of the season, which is why everyone is ready to contribute. The whole team can improve in terms of precision, because we have the quality to do it.”
The new additions will help move the ball more quickly in transition, while it is to be hoped that they also prevent Weston McKennie – who had a dire 24 minutes off the bench here – from being called upon again.
Nico Gonzalez A Potential Solution
While the failure to break through Roma’s defence was frustrating, Juve’s struggles saw Motta make an intriguing attacking change that had been suggested in this previous column, using Nico Gonzalez in the same role he deployed Joshua Zirkzee in at Bologna.
Duvan Vlahovic clearly struggled to provide the outlet the side needed against Roma, receiving the ball just 17 times according to FBRef.com statistics. He took three shots – managing just one on target – and completed four of the meagre seven passes he attempted.
The same website shows that the Serbia international lost possession both times he tried to take on an opponent, while his other five touches also ended up with Juve losing the ball.
Having played well against Como and scoring twice at Hellas Verona, this game perhaps showed that against better opponents, Vlahovic might not be the answer. With that in mind, it was notable that when Motta chose to withdraw him from the attack, he turned to Nico Gonzalez as his replacement.
Having arrived from Fiorentina, Gonzalez possesses all the traits of a traditional winger, last term averaging 4.7 progressive passes, 2.49 progressive carries and 1.6 successful take-ons per 90 minutes per FBRef.com.Read More
Yet he also showcases an ability to play as a no.9, making 7.67 touches per 90 minutes in the opposition penalty area in 2023/24 and making the most of them as he averaged 3.67 shots per 90 too.
Getting 37% of those efforts on target and converting 13% of them into goals saw Gonzalez rank in the 97th percentile of players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues for non-penalty goals, averaging 0.6 per 90 minutes.
Add in an impressive ability to head the ball – Gonzalez won 3.01 aerial duels per 90 last season to rank in the 99th percentile of players in his position – and Juve’s best central striker in tough games might actually be their new no.11.
So while they were unable to find a way to win against Roma, perhaps learning that Nico Gonzalez can be deployed as an orthodox striker might be just as valuable as the point Juventus won on Sunday night.
