Juventus 2-0 SPAL: 5 talking points

The Turin giants Juventus hosted Societa Polisportiva Ars et Labor (SPAL) in an encounter that saw the hosts continue their unbeaten Serie A run by a margin of 2-0 that keeps them in a strong second position behind Internazionale.

While Inter have won all six games, garnering 18 points with 11 goals conceding only one goal, Juventus, taking away one point from a goaless draw against Fiorentina, are sitting two points behind Inter. SPAL, on the other hand, have only won a match this season, and are currently sitting in the relegation zone.

Maurizio Sarri made the decision to strongly alter his standard 4-3-3 formation and field a narrow 4-1-2-1-2 with Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala leading the charge upfront. Aaron Ramsey played as the lone attacking midfielder with Adrien Rabiot, Marko Pjanic, and Sami Khedira playing behind him. In defense, Leonardo Bonucci and Matthjis de Ligt took center positions, with Juan Cuadrado at the right and Blaise Matuidi in left-back. Sarri also picked experienced goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon as the man between the posts.

SPAL's manager Leonardo Semplici fielded his team in his standard 3-5-2 formation. Andrea Petagna and Gabriele Moncini were fielded in striking positions. Behind them, a five-man midfield consisting of Jacopo Sala on the right, Alessandro Murgia, Simeone Missiroli, and Mirkp Valdiflori in the middle, and Arkadiusz Reca on the left wing. In defense, Nenad Tomovic, Francesco Vicari, and Igor Julio were fielded. Etrit Berisha was the man in goal for SPAL.

Two goals from Khedira and Ronaldo were enough to give Juventus three points and maintain their unbeaten streak, while SPAL were unable to score or really threaten the Bianconeri defense.

We take a look at five talking points from the game:

#5 Juventus will easily overpower smaller teams

Teams like Napoli, Inter, AC Milan, and AS Roma will surely give the Bianconeri a tough 90 minutes, but other teams in the Serie A are more likely to get overrun by the powerful Turin giants. This game against SPAL is a perfect example.

Juventus held the ball throughout the entire game - with 68% possession - and had 21 shots at goal with 10 on target. SPAL, on the other hand, managed five shots with only one on target, hardly disturbing an immovable Juventini defense. The Bianconeri also made twice as many passes, with more accuracy, had more corners, and won more aerial duels.

SPAL beat Juventus in only one statistic - tackles. The Turin giants won 14 tackles compared to SPAL's 20. While this helps to portray just how composed and effective the Biancazzuri defense remained throughout the game, they simply were no match for the Juventini.

Maurizio Sarri will be a content man tonight.

#4 Will Juventus overtake Internazionale?

UC Sampdoria v FC Internazionale - Serie A

The vibrant Nerazzuri have successfully picked up yet another win away against Sampdoria. They sit two strong points above Juventus who played a goaless draw against Fiorentina two weeks ago.

In the next match, Inter will host the Bianconeri in what promises to be a thrilling encounter at the San Siro stadium. Juventus have taken on a strong Napoli and beaten them, while Inter were totally in control during the Milan derby against AC Milan.

If the Juventini beat Internazionale in the next clash, positions will swap at the top of the table, and Juventus will be on top with just a point's difference. If, however, the Nerazzuri win, Juventus will remain in second place with a difference of five points.

The next match has the capacity to set off a chain of events that could lead to Internazionale's first title win in ten years, and put an end to the Bianconeri's Scudetti stranglehold.

#3 Juventus need to work on their discipline

Juventus commited 13 fouls, compared to SPAL's nine. They picked up two yellow cards during the game, which adds to their total of 14 yellow cards in just six Serie A matches. They've also averaged a high 14 fouls per game since the season started, and that average needs to go down sooner rather than later.

Nearly every starting Juventini player committed a foul during this game except Buffon, de Ligt, Matuidi, and Ronaldo. Even Emre Can who came on board an hour into the game managed to commit two fouls and pick up a yellow card in a short time.

Matthijs de Ligt was a rare Juve defender who did not commit a foul.

#2 The Juventus attack remained clinical and creative throughout the game

With 21 shots at goal, the Juventini attack hounded and harried SPAL throughout the game. Cristiano Ronaldo took six goals with five on target, and was finally rewarded for his efforts when he scored 12 minutes to the end of the game.

Apart from this, Juventus made 17 key passes during the game, with most of them from open play. Juan Cuadrado made five key passes, with Ronaldo making three, and Dybala helping out with two.

With the Juventini's creativity, they have a strong possibility of winning the Serie A yet again.

#1 SPAL are looking at a difficult season ahead

The Biancazzuri have not had a great start to the season. While they took a win in the second matchday against Lazio, it has been difficulties ever since. They have lost to Juventus, Leece, and Sassuolo, and are currently sitting in 19th position.

SPAL will have to play against Parma, Cagliari, Napoli, and Milan in the coming weeks. It is difficult to see how they will come out of relegation zone if their fortunes don't change soon.

With much of the season still remaining, the Biancazzuri know they still have a fighting chance, but the fans will hope to see results sooner rather than later.