Juventus 1-1 Atalanta: 5 talking points as Cristiano Ronaldo's missed penalty proves costly for the Old Lady | Serie A 2020-21

#3 Pierluigi Gollini and Wojciech Szczesny kept their sides in the game with incredible saves

Wojciech Szczęsny was a busy man in the second half. Szczęsny Szczęsny Szczęsny

In the low scoring fixture, the two goalkeepers were the true heroes for their teams. Gollini did amazingly well to read Ronaldo's effort from the penalty spot. He almost single-handedly ensured a point for the visitors, but his best save to deny Juventus came a minute later.

After Juventus carved their way through the defence and Morata looked destined to score, he reacted quickly to pressure him and divert his effort behind for a corner. Earlier in the game, he had taken the striker's shot right in the face which had forced the game to be paused for a couple of minutes.

🔎 | FOCUSOn the other side of the pitch, Wojciech Szczęsny also put in a strong performance in the Juventus' goal:⏱️ 90' played👌 42 touches🧤 5 saves📥 2 saves from inside the box👟 29/33 acc. passes📈 7.8 SofaScore rating#JuveAtalanta pic.twitter.com/YAKOK9KT2u

— SofaScore (@SofaScoreINT) December 16, 2020

Szczesny was not that busy in the first half and only had a couple of saves to make. However, after the break, the Atalanta players were relentless in their attacks and forced the Polish 'keeper into making one save after another. If not for his heroics, the scoreline would've been very different.

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#2 Ronaldo fails to score from open play for the fourth game running

Ronaldo hasn't scored from open play in his last four games.

Cristiano Ronaldo had a strong start to the 2020-21 campaign. He has scored 14 goals across all competitions, but has recently struggled to make things happen from open play.

His last four goals across all competitions have all come from the penalty spot and tonight he could've added one more to that list. However, his effort from the spot was saved by Gollini.

He was rarely involved in the buildup tonight. Almost every ball from the back was directed towards his strike partner Alvaro Morata, who impressed with his work-rate.

Ronaldo's movement and ability to run up and down the flanks has taken a hit with age. It seems he will have to work hard to get involved in the thick of things from now on, as he can't just wait for penalties to add to his tally.

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#1 Juventus draw six of their first 12 game for the first time in 36 years

FC Barcelona v Juventus: Group G - UEFA Champions League

Juventus dropped points for the sixth time this season tonight. As things stand, Juventus have drawn 50% of their league fixtures so far. The game was the fifth time they had to be content with a 1-1 scoreline this season.

This campaign is the first time since the 1984-85 season that Juventus have dropped points six times in the opening 12 fixtures. If they are not attentive now, things could go downhill very quickly from here.

6 - Juventus have drawn at least six of their first 12 league games of the season for the first time since 1984/85, when they closed in sixth place. Stop.#JuveAtalanta

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) December 16, 2020

There are a couple of apparent reasons for Juventus' tendency to draw so many of their games. First, they have made a habit of conceding soon after scoring. They let their guard down and end up losing their lead, which was observed in their previous outing as well.

Secondly, Juventus have been overly reliant on a few players for the threat in the final third. Ronaldo, Morata, and Cuadrado have been their go-to players for creating and finishing the goals. So, when they have an off day, their gameplan is distorted.

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