After a goalless draw with Roma before the international break in what was probably the first big test for the Bianconeri this season, Tuttojuve’a Massimo Pavan He described the stalemate as a sign that winning the Scudetto isn’t easy and that not all matches will be as easy as the first two in his analysis.

After victories over Como and Verona, in which they did not concede a single goal while scoring six in two matches, and the addition of stars such as Teun Koopmeiners, Nico Gonzalez and Francisco Conceicao, many were probably overconfident in Thiago Motta’s charges and underestimated Roma.

The Giallorossi showed they can play solidly in defence, limiting risk by giving the Old Lady very little space to attack and doing an exceptional job of neutralising Serbian striker Dušan Vlahović.

Despite Motta coming off the bench to make a few tactical changes, the Bianconeri still struggled to create any chances, lacking precision in their build-up play and ruthlessness in the final third, making it difficult for Juventus to really threaten De Rossi’s defence.

While Motta has done a great job of instilling his philosophy in the short time since his appointment from Bologna, the budding manager will need to learn how to find quick and effective solutions when facing opponents who are good at transitioning and closing down spaces immediately by applying a lot of pressure.

Juventus have now dropped points and are tied with Inter and Torino at the top. However, the Bianconeri are five points ahead of Milan and Roma, three points ahead of Atalanta, two points ahead of Lazio and one point separating them from Napoli.

Even though this is only the third round of Serie A, Thiago Motta’s team still have plenty of time to develop and become more effective in creating scoring opportunities and scoring decisive goals in these extremely important matches.

Julian Faustini and GIFN