|
|
Fernando Llorente, Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata scored a brace apiece as a rejigged Juventus crushed sorry Parma 7-0 on Sunday to stretch their Serie A lead over Roma to six points.
It was the Old Lady of Turin’s biggest win in 31 years since a 7-0 success over Ascoli.
Injuries to Patrice Evra, Kwadwo Asamoah and Angelo Ogbonna in recent weeks have forced Bianconeri coach Massimiliano Allegri to ditch his tried and trusted 3-5-2 formation.
And days after his makeshift side potentially saved their Champions League campaign with a crucial 3-2 win over Olympiakos, Allegri again had reason to be rethinking his tactical strategy for the rest of the season.
The Juve coach, however, told Sky Sport: “That system won three consecutive Scudetti (league titles), and we used it well at the start of the season as well.
“It’s all down to how you interpret systems, not just the line-up.”
Juve lined up in a 4-3-1-2 formation with Roberto Pereyra playing just behind Llorente and Tevez, with Swiss wingback Stephan Lichsteiner dropping to right back on the opposite flank from Simone Padoin.
Allegri rested midfield linchpin Andrea Pirlo, with Claudio Marchisio stepping into the midfield role flanked by Paul Pogba and Romulo.
Parma claimed only their second win of the season two weeks ago but hopes of putting up any kind of resistance quickly faded.
By the end, they dropped to rock bottom leaving coach Roberto Donadoni stunned.
“The game is easy to explain: we faced a great Juve side and we simply didn’t show up,” Donadoni told Radio Rai.
“All you’re left with is a feeling of impotence and embarrassment after a game like that.”Juve’s rout began in the 23rd minute when a poor headed clearance fell to Pogba, whose shot from outside the area was parried by Mirante into the path of Llorente, who chipped over the keeper and inside the far post.
Parma midfielder Jose Mauri forced Gianluigi Buffon to get down low at full stretch with a drive from 18 yards but it was a rare occasion and Parma were soon back playing on the defensive.
Another blunder gave Tevez the chance to cross for Lichsteiner to fire a shot with the outside of his right boot that spun just inside the right post with Mirante at full stretch.
Llorente scored his second seven minutes later when Lichsteiner, who had time and space to shoot, unselfishly squared the ball for the Spaniard to beat Mirante with a low volley at the back post.
Tevez scored his brace inside eight second-half minutes before making way for rarely-used French forward Kingsley Coman on the hour.
The Argentinian lay claim to arguably the goal of the game when he slalomed through the entire Parma defence—Andrea Costa, Alessandro Lucarelli and Felipe—on his way to slotting the ball easily past Mirante.
Allegri later commented it was an “extraordinary goal. It’s the best way to celebrate his deserved call-up for Argentina.”
Eight minutes later another Pogba missile was spilled by Mirante and Tevez stepped in to slot the ball home. It was his eighth goal of the campaign and he is now level with top-scorer Jose Callejon of Napoli.
It was already Juve’s biggest league winning margin since a 6-1 drubbing of Pescara in December 2012, but more was to come.Llorente made way for Morata on 71 minutes and the Spaniard was soon on the scoresheet.
Coman sighted Morata in space and sent a delightful chip into his path to beat Mirante with a low angled strike at the keeper’s far post.
Morata notched his double two minutes from time when he was left in space in front of goal to bundle a volley past Mirante from Lichsteiner’s cross on the right.
Elsewhere, Lazio’s six-game unbeaten run ended in a shock 2-1 reverse at Empoli, Palermo were held 1-1 by visitors Udinese and Chievo grabbed a precious 2-1 home win over Cesena thanks to Sergio Pellissier’s brace, including a late winner.