Yet another draw for Juventus, who were caught at the 90th minute by former player Renato Veiga of Villarreal in the Champions League, highlighting several issues with management and character.
This is the fourth consecutive draw for the Bianconeri: between the 4-4 against Borussia Dortmund and last night's 2-2 with Villarreal, there were also two "X"s against Hellas Verona and Atalanta in Serie A.
What is at the root of this "draw-itis"?
And in history?
It's not unprecedented for Juventus to draw 4 matches in a row: it already happened, still under Thiago Motta, between November and December 2024, with matches against Milan, Aston Villa, Lecce, and Bologna all ending in a draw.
Previously, the last case of 4 consecutive draws came in March 2012 (Milan, Chievo, Bologna, and Genoa) and before that in April 2009 (Reggina, Lecce, Milan, and Atalanta, also coming off two other winless matches, a draw with Inter and a loss to Lazio).
If Juventus were to draw the next match against Milan, it would be the longest streak of draws since Calciopoli, while if they fail to win even against Como, they would equal the streak of six matches without a win from May 2024 (draws with Torino, Cagliari, Milan, Roma, Salernitana, and a loss to Lazio).
Shaky defense
Surely what Juventus has shown in these games is some defensive issues that need to be addressed: the four goals conceded against Dortmund (just days after conceding three against Inter) prove it, and last night's performance confirms it.
Partly due to Cabal's clearly not yet optimal condition, Juventus immediately showed great vulnerabilities in defense, proving permeable to the speed of Villarreal's attacks.
Before Mikautadze struck, Pépé had already sown panic on a couple of occasions in the Bianconeri's backline, and even after the goal, throughout the first half, the goal defended by Perin looked anything but unbreachable.
Poor management
There is also an issue regarding game management: Juventus were caught at the 90th minute by a header from Renato Veiga that caught Perin unprepared.
And to think that just a great opening fifteen minutes of the second half, with the contribution of Francisco Conceicao, who had just come on and was immediately decisive, was enough to turn the game around.
Sure, in the final minutes Villarreal were relentless in search of a draw, but they seemed to attack in a more frantic and desperate than organized manner: yet it was enough to snatch the result from the Bianconeri.
This issue was also highlighted by Manuel Locatelli in the immediate post-match interview against Villarreal: "Managing the moments is something we lack and need to learn. We need more balance, because if you don't have it, sooner or later you concede a goal. Balance is also needed to manage the moments, and these matches are decided precisely on those details," said the Bianconeri captain.
Koop and David, open cases?
There are also several question marks over some players: the main suspect is obviously Teun Koopmeiners, who has experienced an incredible decline since joining the Bianconeri from Atalanta.
He was ineffective again last night, and the absence of his contribution was particularly highlighted by Conceicao's entrance onto the pitch in his place at halftime.
Jonathan David is also still missing; apart from the goal against Parma, he has not managed to score for the Bianconeri, so much so that on more than one occasion his starting spot has been questioned in favor of the more decisive Vlahovic.
Against Villarreal, the Canadian missed a 0.72 xG chance, and later saw his goal denied by the crossbar.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
📸 JOSE JORDAN – AFP or licensors
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