Juve in seventh heaven after surviving bumpy road to glory
MILAN — Juventus’ seventh successive Serie A title was not as emphatic as some of their previous campaigns and it took a mixture of luck, cunning and sheer bloodymindedness to see it through as the Turin giant was pushed all the way by a gallant Napoli.
There was plenty of suffering along the way but Juve always seemed to muddle through — whether it was with a contentious penalty at bottom club Benevento, a stoppage-time winner at Lazio or two goals in the last five minutes to beat Inter Milan.
“We know how to suffer. We made life more complicated for ourselves and then we managed to turn it around,” said defender Andrea Barzagli after Juve’s 3-1 win at home to Bologna last week.
The first key moment in Juve’s season came after a 3-2 defeat at Sampdoria in November when coach Massimiliano Allegri switched from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3 formation to strengthen his side defensively.
Blaise Matuidi, signed during the offseason from Paris Saint-Germain and used irregularly up to that point, was given a key role in plugging the holes that left the team looking unusually vulnerable.
The Frenchman’s combination of tough tackling, commitment, boundless energy and tactical awareness transformed the team as it won 14 and drew two of the next 16 league games, conceding just one goal in the process.
That run included a defensive masterclass in a 1-0 win at Napoli and the smash-andgrab-raid at Lazio where Paulo Dybala sniped a stoppagetime winner.
Hours later, Napoli, which had won its previous 10 games, lost 4-2 at Roma and Juventus went on top — where it remained for the rest of the season.
But Juve also enjoyed plenty of lucky breaks, such as a Fiorentina penalty controversially revoked by VAR with Jordan Veretout waiting to take the kick, or the even more contentious spot-kick at Benevento
With the score tied 2-2, Gonzalo Higuain’s legs crumpled without any clear contact being made, yet the referee awarded a penalty that was converted by Dybala. Juve went on to win 4-2.
All this time, Napoli — widely regarded as the league’s most eye-catching team — managed to keep pace and, three weeks ago, reignited the title race with a last-gasp 1-0 win at Juve.
But in the end, it was Napoli that cracked as Juve pulled through with that familiar combination of determination and good fortune.
Trailing 2-1 to an Inter side reduced to 10 men after 15 minutes, the soccer gods smiled on Juve when midfielder Miralem Pjanic, already booked, escaped a second caution for a flying bodycheck.
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