Juventus: a narrow victory was never on the cards; a chance squandered due to two glaring errors. Vlahovic and Milik return and prove themselves better than David and Openda

Sandro Sabatini's analysis following Juventus's home draw against Sassuolo.

One might say that, on points, Juventus deserved to win. And that’s true. But there’s no such thing as a ‘victory on points’ in football…

Instead, there is regret – for Spalletti – at having thrown away the chance to clinch fourth place, now under threat from both Como and Roma. All down to a couple of glaring, crass errors, which overshadow any discussion of team play and overall performance. The famous details that make all the difference. The equaliser: Cambiaso beaten by Berardi and Bremer beaten to the ball by Pinamonti. The missed penalty: Locatelli’s shot was weak and straight down the middle.

And everything else matters relatively little. Because in football – precisely – there is no such thing as a ‘victory on points’.

PERIN SCORES THE OPENING GOAL
A few thoughts on the individual players, to fuel the discussion. Here they are. Perin deserves great credit for ‘creating’ the opening goal. Plus everything else: namely the composure the team shows with him in goal rather than Di Gregorio. In the back four, Kalulu and Bremer celebrated their returns to their respective national teams in their own distinct ways. A standard performance from the Frenchman. The Brazilian had a less comfortable evening, clearly caught out by Pinamonti’s run for the 1-1. Kelly was more convincing, continuing to improve and only losing concentration on a couple of occasions. Looking anxious in his duel with Berardi, Cambiaso didn’t have a good evening and was substituted midway through the second half.

THE MUTUAL RESPECT BETWEEN THURAM AND LOCATELLI IS CLEAR
In midfield, the mutual trust and respect between Thuram and Locatelli are clear to see and proving fruitful. The Italian’s performance was a mixed bag this time: decent in open play, but disastrous from the penalty spot. The Frenchman’s performance was lacklustre, and he was indeed replaced by Koopmeiners. Then, in the final confusion, the Dutchman was moved back to replace Kelly because Spalletti (restless as ever) tried everything. Like with McKennie, who was more thoughtful and less impetuous than usual in midfield this time, before eventually coming on for Cambiaso. Up and down the pitch, with pure generosity.
VLAHOVIC AND MILIK BETTER THAN OPENDA AND DAVID
Up front, Conceicao was impressive, Boga did a decent job, and Yildiz was lethal in the first half – he had initially stepped up to take the penalty, before Spalletti handed the responsibility to Locatelli. It was Vlahovic who had won the penalty, causing the ball to deflect off Idzes’s arm. Milik also came on for the final push, after two years of semi-inactivity. And it was the Pole who forced Muric into the most spectacular save, but by then it was too late. However, Vlahovic is back. And he’ll be useful, just like Milik. Both are better than David and Openda, but right now the problem for Spalletti’s Juve isn’t just the centre-forward. It’s mainly the league table.