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Juventus vs Manchester United was always going to be a tough clash to predict and while the Old Lady dominated Jose Mourinho’s side on matchday 3 of the Champions League, despite what the critics said, the Red Devils were going to return with a vengeance especially with the second leg happening barely just over two weeks later, with Jose Mourinho and company visiting the group leaders at the Turin Stadium with wounds still fresh.
After pulling off the incredible signing of the 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid, many considered Juventus to be one of the top runners for the Champions League trophy this season. While the Serie A giants do have enough talent and skill in their side to get to the final, it’s that last hurdle that they struggled with and they brought in the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to change that.
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That is why a win tonight was crucial as it would have clinched the top spot in the group for Juventus, with Massimiliano Allegri choosing to put out a comparatively defensive side. However, despite that, even the Portuguese great has struggled to open his ledger so far in the Champions League, but after a rather sumptuous pass from Leonardo Bonucci, Ronaldo changed that and left Manchester United with a mountain to climb.
But climb it they did, in a-typical Jose Mourinho fashion with the Red Devil’s boss making not one but potentially two game-changing substitutions, calling on Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford. In the end, it was the Spaniard who played a key part but for Mourinho, bringing them within two points of Juventus, with two games to go.
Here are three reasons why Juventus lost to Manchester United:
#3 Rules don’t apply to Cristiano Ronaldo
He may be 33 years old, way past any normal football star’s prime years let alone the age where retirement starts becoming a part of their thoughts when it comes to football. Let that sink in, 33 years old and Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t even closed to being finished with his career as a player. And while the Portuguese star started out as a winger, with time Ronaldo has become one of the most potent box poachers, scoring 135 in just over 136 appearances as a centre-forward.
This season has seen him take some time to adjust to the Serie A and yet he has eight goals and a further six assists in 14 appearances. It looks like Ronaldo simply isn’t slowing down and like the best in the world, he has adjusted to make Father Time his best friend and not his worst enemy, using the fact that his speed has gone, to make him lethal in short burst. Tonight, if nothing else showed exactly that, how good Ronaldo is in front of goal and in short spaces.
With Leonardo Bonucci’s laser-guided pass to his feet, all the 33-year-old had to do was apply a first-time finish at a very tight angel against arguably one of the world’s best goalkeepers. Not only that, he had to judge the flight of the pass and make his move at the right time as the ball came over his shoulder. But in the end, none of that mattered, because rules don’t apply to Cristiano Ronaldo as he opened his account for Juventus in the Champions League, exactly what Massimiliano Allegri said would happen.
#2 Juventus miss a Paul Pogba-esque player
When Paul Pogba left for a then world record sum, Juventus did bring in Miralem Pjanic to help out, but the Bosnian wasn’t and isn't the same type of midfielder as the Frenchman was during his time in Turin. Instead, Pjanic is the deep-lying playmaker, something Andrea Pirlo excelled at during his career for both Juventus and even Italy over the years. However, like Pirlo, Pjanic was also a dead-ball specialist with befuddling goal-keepers with incredible set-pieces. However, despite all that, Juventus never brought in an out and out Pogba replacement.
The Frenchman for all the stick he gets playing for Manchester United is easily one of their best players on his day, as he proved both at Juventus and for France. Time after time, Pogba has shown and proved exactly why Jose Mourinho and Manchester United broke the bank to bring him back, and despite being inconsistent, his quality shines through.
Juventus miss that and today, had to use Juan Cuadrado in a similar position, with the Colombian doing surprisingly well. However, he cannot play there forever and unless Massimiliano Allegri plans to make the 30-year-old change his position, he needs to think for the future. If nothing else, Juventus need to find their next Pogba, a creative and flamboyant midfielder who also happens to be world class star. But then again, those don’t come around too often.
#1 Wojciech Szczęsny isn’t Gianluigi Buffon’s heir
Arsenal fans were shocked as they watched former goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny play understudy and learn from one of the best goalkeepers in the world. The Polish star has just joined Juventus on loan before making the move permanent and was playing second fiddle to Gianluigi Buffon, learning from the highly experienced veteran shot-stopper. And while the 28-year old’s performances improved in the Serie A when Buffon left over the summer, Szczęsny took over as the number one but new signing Mattia Perin has also played a part.
But as critics said years ago, Juventus need to find a proper replacement for the Italian legend and despite all his improvements over the last few years, Wojciech Szczęsny certainly isn’t their man. The Pole still makes errors, far more than he should be making and was at fault for the second goal going in tonight. Ashley Young’s free-kick should have been dealt with despite having a certain degree of toughness for any goalkeeper in the world.
But for some reason, Szczęsny struggled to get his hands on the ball and pushed it at Alex Sandro with the Brazilian completely unaware of what was happening for the own goal. The Polish international has been prone to mistakes over the course of his career, but Juventus need someone who they can rely on, another Gianluigi Buffon and while Szczęsny can match the Italian save for save, it’s his decision making that lets him down.
