Le Pagelle: Juventus vs. Parma

Juve’s Sunday contest against Parma had all the hallmarks of a trap game. They were coming off a huge league win against Napoli, and they were about to face a hellacious month that would see them face three fellow top six teams (Inter, Como, and Roma), the Coppa Italia quarterfinal against Atalanta, and the Champions League playoff round against Galatasaray. It would’ve been so easy to overlook this match, especially after their listless affair in midweek against Monaco, where they seemed to be under instructions to expend minimal energy, and in a building where they hadn’t won the game since 2020.

But they certainly didn’t look past the Crusaders. Instead, they bulldozed them.

Juve’s 4-1 victory carried many of the hallmarks of the team’s continuing evolution under Luciano Spalletti. They were more composed in possession, far more active off the ball, and always looking to push for more goals, even when they were up big. When a colossal mistake gave Parma a route back into the game early in the second half, they didn’t crumble, as many Juve teams of recent times had done in the past, but immediately slammed the door shut again.

This was the kind of game that gives you confidence that Juve can hold their own when the competition ramps up later on this month.

How did everyone do? Let’s take a closer look.

MICHELE DI GREGORIO – 7. Made a couple of great saves, keeping his focus despite long periods of having nothing to do.

PIERRE KALULU – 8. Another fantastic performance. He had four key passes and several others that would’ve been but for defending well. His assist to Weston McKennie was fantastic. He also had three tackles and completed 92.2 percent of his passes. All-around fantastic.

BREMER – 8. A brace and a fantastic performance defensively. His counting numbers weren’t eye-popping, but he kept Mateo Pellegrino out of the game for extended periods of time, allowing him only 24 touches in total. His jump in the first goal was picturesque. Excellent job.

LLOYD KELLY – 7. Made four clearances, blocked two shots, and won twice as many aerial duels as anyone else on the field. Just about a year from his acquisition, he’s gone from potentially one of Juve’s biggest ever transfer busts to completely indispensible.

ANDREA CAMBIASO – 5. Why? WHY? WHY? What on earth was he thinking trying some heel flick four yards in front of his own goal? He’s incredibly lucky that that mistake didn’t lose Juve points.

MANUEL LOCATELLI – 6.5. Had an insane 132 touches—the next highest was Kelly with 80—and attempted 117 passes. He initiated the sequences that led to two goals, and was essential in keeping the ball in Parma’s half, notching a team-high four tackles to go along with four clearances.

KHÉPHREN THURAM – 6. Recorded a pair of dribbles as well as a tackle and two interceptions, but wasn’t quite the force we know he can be in midfield. Didn’t really need to be, frankly, given the way the team played as a whole.

FRANCISCO CONCEIÇÃO – 6.5. Could’ve had a brace within six minutes. The first of those shots was smartly saved by Edoardo Corvi, but the second with the net almost empty was a bit of a scuff. He did take the corner that Bremer hammered home to open the score, and it was his rebound that David tapped home for the final goal of the night. It was a pretty good performance, but it also felt like there was more under there.

WESTON McKENNIE – 7.5. Absolutely everywhere on the field. His goal was a wonderfully taken volley with his weight going the other way—a very easy shot to get completely wrong but that he managed to get so right. He added a pair of key passes as well as three tackles and three clearances defensively. He’s beginning to dovetail really well with Jonathan David.

KENAN YILDIZ – 6. Looked a little subdued, which was quickly explained by the revelation that he’s nursing some sort of muscle injury. With such a difficult month coming up, Juve will need their best player. But talk about how good this kid really is? He had three dribbles in 45 minutes while he was dealing with that knock.

JONATHAN DAVID – 7.5. Could’ve been the one with the brace, as his header on that second-half free kick was probably going to go in, but Bremer likely acted on instinct as it came close—plus, there were defenders near enough that a clearance off the line wasn’t a total impossibility. They credited him with an assist for it, though, and he did get his goal with one of the easiest finishes of his life after finding a good position to latch on to it while Conceição was shooting. His movement and passing were excellent, making two key passes and even more often being the one with the hockey assist, leading his teammates into the places from which they could deliver the final ball.

SUBS

FABIO MIRETTI – 6. Made a couple of good passes and generally carried himself well through the second half.

FEDERICO GATTI – 6. Great to see him back out on the field. He had a key pass and completed every single attempt, along with a tackle and two interceptions in only 27 minutes of work.

FILIP KOSTIC – 6. Still looks like he’s getting used to being used on the right, but took a couple of shots and defended well.

JUAN CABAL – 6. Saw out the game at left-back solidly and with no mistakes.

LOÏS OPENDA – NR. Missed an open goal off a great Kalulu cross, but was also desperately unlucky to be IFAB’d out of a goal in stoppage time when his heel was offside by a sliver.

MANAGER ANALYSIS

It’s hard to describe just how much better Luciano Spalletti has made Juventus. I’m frankly surprised. After his spectacular failure with the Italian national team, I assumed we were getting a washed coach on his last hurrah when he replaced Igor Tudor. I was completely wrong.

What we got instead is a man who has done something that most of his predecessors since the end of the Streak have failed to manage. He’s made this team fun again. They’re fun to watch, and that’s because the players themselves are having tons of fun out on the pitch playing. And it’s not as if that’s just because he’s letting them play sandlot ball out there. He has absolutely implemented his system, but it’s been easy to pick up and it’s been enjoyable to execute. This squad hasn’t been this free and easy since the early days of the 2023-24 season, when Francesco Magnanelli’s more expansive attacking ideas led to some impressive offensive performances before a bad game saw Max Allegri panic and revert to his default of coaching not to lose instead of to win. Before that, it was at the end stages of Andrea Pirlo’s tenure, when the team really looked like they were coming together in the season’s final month.

That change in mentality was on full display right after halftime, when Cambiaso’s mistake could have been the catalyst for a mental collapse that allowed Parma to come all the way back. Instead, the team carried on and responded with a goal of their own in three minutes. That’s a serious change, and it’s indicative of how much the players have bought into their new coach.

Now everything Spalletti has managed to achieve so far will be tested. The gauntlet the Old Lady will have to run in February is daunting, and everything we’ve seen from the team over the last six to eight weeks will need to be executed to a T if they’re going to get out of it where they want to be.

LOOKING AHEAD

I’m just going to list the rest of February’s matches in chronological order:

At Atalanta (Coppa Italia quarterfinal), vs Lazio, at Inter, at Galatasaray, vs Como, vs Galatasaray.

Oh, and then a road game against Roma right after for good measure.

Once more into the breach, dear friends!