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Juventus' league campaign went from bad to worse after a 1-0 loss at home to Atalanta in Serie A on Saturday. Duvan Zapata was the difference-maker for the visitors, who secured their first away win at Juventus in over three decades.
Massimiliano Allegri's side, thrashed 4-0 by Chelsea in midweek, were touted to bounce back in this game. Instead, they turned in another limp display. Their defence looked suspect, while both Paulo Dybala and Federico Chiesa guilty of spurning gilt-edged chances in the game' opening stanza.
It was their fifth league defeat of the season in 14 games as Juventus now trail leaders Napoli by 11 points. The Partenopei also have a game in hand over the Bianconeri. Meanwhile, Atalanta have strengthened their grip on fourth place.
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On that note, here are the five major talking points from the game:
#5 Is playing away at Juventus no longer intimidating?
Of their five losses in Serie A so far this season, three have come at home. It's their worst such record at this stage of the competition since the 1956-57 campaign.
Their first home defeat came against newly promoted Empoli on matchday two. The Bianconeri then went down 2-1 in stoppage-time to Sassuolo last month.
It begs the question - is playing away at Juventus no longer an intimidating proposition for Serie A teams?
Juventus had built the foundation of their Scudetto glories on a dominant home record. They went the entire season without dropping a single game in their backyard a few times.
However, those days now seem like distant memories following their poor record lately. Juventus have now failed to win 30% of their home league games this year.
#4 Atalanta win at Juventus for the first time in 32 years
Speaking of winning away at Juventus, Atalanta did so for the first time since October 1989, ending more than a three-decade-long wait. In retrospect, this was long coming, given their free-scoring nature of football in recent weeks and dominant exploits on their travels this season.
In fact, after last night's win, Gli Orobici now have the highest percentage of away league wins in the ongoing campaign in Europe's top-five leagues with 86.
Gian Piero Gasperini's side have won six of their seven away games in Serie A this season. They have dropped points only against defending champions Inter Milan in a 2-2 draw in September.
#3 Attacking woes continue to plague Juventus
Juventus' night was made worse by a toothless display in attack. They mustered just one shot on target despite making 15 attempts. Paulo Dybala and Federico Chiesa both wasted two excellent chances created by Weston McKennie. The American then came a cropper during a promising counter.
Adrien Rabiot saw a good effort parried away by Atalanta custodian Juan Musso. In the dying moments of the game, Dybala' curling free-kick grazed the crossbar and sailed over.
This marked only the second time the Bianconeri have failed to score in the league. However, their goalscoring record after 14 games stands at just 18, the lowest among the top ten teams in the division.
Cristiano Ronaldo's departure has clearly left a gaping void in the Juventus attack. But it also shows how the Portuguese ace papered over the cracks with his blistering exploits.
Still want to believe he was the problem?
#2 Duvan Zapata returns to haunt Juventus
What makes Duvan Zapata special is not just his blistering scoring exploits, but also his ability to deliver in the big games. He loves playing against Juventus, who're one of his favourite opposition teams.
With his goal last night, the Colombian hitman now has eight strikes against the Bianconeri in 16 games across competitions. For the record, he has only scored more against Sassuolo in his career (9).
Interestingly, all eight of Zapata's goals against Juventus have come since the start of 2017. No other player in the division has bagged more against the record Serie A winners during this period.
Zapata has beaten the Juventus defence in Udinese colours, and then with Sampdoria and Atalanta too. So, no matter what club he plays for, scoring against Juventus has become a habit for Zapata.
#1 Another season without the Scudetto for Juventus?
Juventus saw their near decade-long stranglehold of Serie A end last season by Antonio Conte's Inter Milan. Interestingly, Conte was the man who started the run back in the 2011-12 season.
Given how Juventus' current season is turning out, there's a distinct possibility the Turin giants could miss out on Scudetto glory for the second year running. With five defeats already - they lost six in the whole of last season under Andrea Pirlo - Juventus are trailing leaders Napoli by a whopping 11 points.
Massimiliano Allegri's return was supposed to boost the side, but they've instead become worse, with Cristiano Ronaldo's departure exacerbating their woes. The Portuguese was heavily criticised for stifling Juventus. But it's now amply clear that he was never the problem. He was instead the glue that bound the stuttering side together.
