05 March 2019
Juventus have scored on nine occasions in this edition of the Champions League. Five of them have from at home at Allianz Stadium. Paulo Dybala is the leading goalscorer with five goals, followed by Miralem Pjanic with two, while Mario Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo have one each.
To understand how the Bianconeri find the back of the net, here are four key episodes so far.
DYBALA VS YOUNG BOYS - 1' GOAL
The first goal in the match on October 3 was born from a fantastic long ball by Leonardo Bonucci, who found Dybala on the edge of Young Boys’ defensive line. In the action, there were to important elements. The first was with Bonucci, who acted as a double playmaker – a defensive director who can often be found playing on the same line is that of Pjanic, especially when Allegri deploys a three-man defence. The second element is how Mandzukic operates on the field.
Even when he doesn’t touch the ball, through his physicality and experience, he often attracts two players to himself. Dybala profits off the hole created in the middle of the opposing backline, as he starts off from a more secluded position. Without giving any reference points, he managed to get onto the ball first and the net with extraordinary ability.
PAULO VS YOUNG BOYS: THE SECOND STRIKE
The second goal scored by Paulo against the Swiss is an authentic manifestation of alchemy. It starts from Young Boys half: Juventus move but find little space. In fact, 10 of Young Boys’ 11 players are in their final third. The Bianconeri decide to lengthen their opponents in order to create space. They pass the ball between them, including the defenders, and Juventus “invites” their opponents to follow the ball and force them to stretch open and create space.
The first five players for Young Boys, along with the sixth, chase after the ball and fall into the trap. Dybala is positioned on the lines, Pjanic plays a vertical ball with pace and this is where the host’s four defenders find trouble and are foced to back out of the open ball. Juventus pours into the opposition's final third and there are open spaces: Matuidi's shot is saved but it allows for Dybala to tap-in the follow up.
LA JOYA AGAIN AT OLD TRAFFORD
The goal at Old Trafford on October 23, still bears the label of Dybala, and it is an example of great mobility from all the players, above all the attackers. Even more, given the absence of Mario Mandzukic, the three Bianconeri strikers, Cuadrado, Dybala and Ronaldo moved around a lot but never gave reference points to the English defence.
Like always, it’s started with the circulation of the ball by Juventus: Cuadrado starts the action from the middle of the field. After a few seconds and a series of passes between Dybala and Ronaldo, the Portuguese triggers play by capitalising on the transitional play of Cancelo. The moment that CR7 receives the cross, the position of strikers is as such: Ronaldo on the right, with Cuadrado in the middle to chase down the first ball and Dybala, who arrives ready to hit the net with a tap-in.
THE FLYING BALL OF RONALDO
8 November 2018: Juventus suffer an influential defeat at home to Manchester United. The Bianconeri were ahead courtesy of a splendid goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, after an hour of play. Manchester is holed up in their own half, but with a defence to keep all the departments close together.
Dybala moves down the attacking line and forms part of the play through an exchange with Bonucci. In the moment, the central defender immediately sees the run of Ronaldo. CR7 does well not to be in an offside position, and Bonucci launches a perfect ball into the box, and it ends with a flying volley from Cristiano – a cinematic finish.
MARIO AGAINST VALENCIA
28 November. Juventus beat Valencia at Allianz Stadium, with Mandzukic scoring after the break.
The action began on the right and close to the half-way line. The ball circulates around and it gets to the opposite end where Cancelo (who moved to the left side of the field in the second half), received the ball undisturbed. Cancelo manages to pass the ball between two Spanish defenders, and pass it to Ronaldo on the edge of the box.
He works his way into the areas, finds space after rounding a defender and lays a ball across the face of goal. Mandzukic, who immediately understood his partner’s intentions, is there to mark the misery of the opponents with a simple tap-in.
