A fairly dogged performance against a very well organised Zenith side, saw Juve emerge with another clean sheet and 3 more vital points.
Not much worked well going forward, barely any quality passages of play as the home side maintained a very solid, very compact defensive shape and aimed to hit on the break. Given the context, I am pleased with the result. With Kulu’s deft header potentially proving very useful indeed.
Any team which seeks to succeed has to develop that knack of winning through playing ugly, and of late we have seen steady progress on this score. We are defending much better as a team than I have seen in successive matches for what feels like a few years.
No real stand out performers, though De Sciglio continues to impress beyond assumptions and Tek continues to maintain the concentration we desperately need of any man between the sticks.
7 wins from our last 8 is very promising, yet more so are the four clean sheets on the trot. It is as if Max is focusing on the defensive side of the game, which was a shambles, and making do on the offensive front. Only when we have Dybala, Arthur and Morata fully fit and sharp can we begin to try to find the chemistry in the final third we hope can be achieved.
Next up is a massive test against Inter…After a tumultuous start, it is now edgy, but positive.