Juventus 2:0 Genoa - Bianconeri Back On Track With A Win

It should've been 10-0 by the end of the game. Heck, it should've been 5-0 after 20 minutes. Antonio Conte loves saying that Juventus dominate games even when they don't go exactly our way. There will be no such doubts this time around, as the closest Genoa got to a soccer ball for longer than 10 seconds was during warmups.

Coming off two defeats in a row to Fiorentina and Real Madrid away from home, our Bianconeri were visibly elated to be back on home turf. Juventus Stadium was given a 90-minute show that was incredibly entertaining and could've only been better if Juventus took more of the chances they created.

Pogba could've had 2 goals in the first 10 minutes. Llorente had several point blank opportunities to get on the scoresheet but didn't. Tevez was a constant threat, while Vidal hit the woodwork. In the end, it came down to a penalty (that could've easily been called on the line of the 16-meter box) and a lovely Tevez goal, both in the first half.

Thankfully, there was no 15-minute meltdown in the second half a la vs Fiorentina, though even if there was I'm not sure Genoa had the quality to convert it into a win. When all said and done, Juventus got their fix of familiarity with their old 3-5-2 formation, excellent defending, clean sheet, and a dominant win. Onwards and upwards, boys.

LE PAGELLE

Buffon: 6.5 - Bored out of his mind, really.

Barzagli: 7.5 - He was one angry mofo! Nothing was going past him and his pressing was excellent. After a few shaky performances, this should be a good reminder for himself and all of us of what he can do.

Bonucci: 6 - He made mistake after mistake and never snapped out of it. Handled a lot of long balls poorly and his crappy clearances could've easily cost us a goal similarly to how we've been conceding lately. Wasn't able to provide any good passes forward either, though that mostly had to do with Pirlo being the maestro he is.

Chiellini: 7.5 - Similarly to Barzagli, he was always on point defensively. He was also a lot more active in attack, playing further up the pitch and helping in organizing the play.

Isla: 7 - Had a pretty good game. Worked really hard on both ends and put in some good balls/crosses in the area. That said, this game proved my point even further - Isla would be a very useful player...at a lower rate team in Italy. Against teams like Genoa, he can maybe be useful. He used to be at Udinese. He's not cut out for the big stage though, and other than a fringe backup at Juve he can not and should not be anything else.

Pirlo: 7.5 - Andrea Pirlo did what he's been doing in Serie A for years when given space - dominate. Orchestrated many beautiful runs with his passing, was very confident and comfortable on the ball, and ran the show pretty much. As Danny mentioned, 129 passes, 94% completion ratio. Boom.

Pogba: 6 - Rarely do I find many reasons to criticize this young'n, but I thought he had a bad game against Genoa. Seemed lazy and didn't work nearly hard enough in defense. Wasn't particularly effective in attack either. Missed some sitters and could've done a lot more.

Vidal: 7.5 - When Marchisio is out (and lately even when he's in), Vidal is the glue that holds Juventus together in the background. Gave his all as usual, converted a penalty expertly, and stopped so many potential Genoa attacks with his superb tackling.

Tevez: 7.5 - Had another great game, and takes my cake for man of match. When we were struggling to find the net even after all the chances we created, he took it upon himself to put us ahead 2-0, and for good.

Llorente: 7 - I really thought he should've scored, after all it is what we are paying him to do. We were playing a much weaker side and he had two golden opportunities. These are the games where he needs to find his consistent scoring touch. Despite the lack of goals though, he played a very composed game. His touch is still off at times and it will only come back fully with more minutes under his belt.

Subs:

De Ceglie: sv

Giovinco: sv

Padoin: sv

Coach:

Conte: 7 - Has handled the motivation and preparation of our team incredibly well amidst frustrating performances. Wish he would've given Tevez some rest at the end, but oh well. Was smart to go back to the 3-5-2 and bring familiarity to the squad.