Napoli 0-1 Juventus: 5 Talking Points

#2 Defence comes first

The Juventus defence were particularly proud of this clean sheet at the San Paolo

Although Napoli’s playing style and goal scoring ability have been highly praised this year, Juventus should be commended for their defending yesterday night in their win against Napoli.

Since losing Leonardo Bonucci, the Juventus back line has not been the same. Benatia has now become a regular starter for the Italian champions but doesn’t quite have the same commanding defensive abilities that Bonucci had.

As well as that, losing the Italian meant they suffered in playing the ball out from the back, something that was likely to be emphasised against Napoli, with their high press.

There were moments where they nearly lost the ball as Napoli pressed them in dangerous areas, but the Juventus back four stood up to the task. They were resilient, along with the midfield three, and worked hard for every second of the 90 minutes to avoid affording the Gli Azzurri any chances.

Given Napoli’s devastating front line, it was incredible they managed to keep a clean sheet and beat the team in Naples. With this win, it meant that Juventus were the first side to beat Napoli at the San Paolo since Atlanta beat them in February and it’s the first clean sheet Juventus have kept at the San Paolo since 1997.

It was a day where defending, rather than attacking, was the winner, a rare sight in the modern game.