Ambitious Juve seek top form to keep dreams alive

‘Winning is the most important thing because it shields you from criticism and
allows you to work constructively without any added pressure’

Top spot in domestic action and the knock-out stage of the Champions League almost being clinched are enough to make Juventus fans happy, but some of them still feel they are rooting for a Ferrari riding in low gear.
The 11th round of Serie A saw the reigning champions beat Napoli 2-1 Saturday to leave them seven points behind as second-place Roma slid four points adrift after a dull 0-0 to lowly Empoli.
Prospects are good also in Europe, where a win against Lyon Wednesday could put the Bianconeri in the last-16 of the elite continental tournament.
Juventus top Group H on goal difference from Sevilla and have already defeated Lyon 1-0 in France.
A repeat would guarantee their progression with two games to spare.
For goalkeeper captain Gianluigi Buffon, however, much work lies ahead in the chase of a record sixth straight home title and a Champions Cup trophy, after the last lifted in 1996.
“If we want to go far in Europe and compete with the continent’s best teams we need to raise our game higher still,” the 38-year-old Buffon said. “We can’t rest on our laurels just because we’ve won this match (over Napoli).
“Winning is the most important thing because it shields you from criticism and allows you to work constructively without any added pressure.
“(Saturday)’s victory is a fillip for us on a long journey. We’re showing who we are through our results but if I think of the latter stages of the Champions League we need to grow a bit more.”
Buffon’s view agreed with the criticism that has lingered around the Turin side in the first two months of the season as they proved unable to fully profit from high-profile signings like Gonzalo Higuain and Miralem Pjanic.
Juve’s strong point so far has been their ruthlessness, while game tactics often stuttered, leaving tactician Massimiliano Allegri to comment that “winning is all that matters” after narrow wins against humble sides like Palermo and Udinese - 1-0 and 2-1 respectively.
“Great teams win also when they play poorly,” is the adage of several football pundits, which failed to convince fans keen on the game’s aesthetics.
Uncertainty also led to defeats in two classic Serie A games, with a 2-1 crash to Inter Milan followed by a 1-0 defeat to AC Milan. The loss at the Rossoneri seemed to stem from a recurring lack of precision as Juve produced 17 fruitless attempts on goal, while Milan got the winner from just three shots.
Few complaints have been aimed at Higuain, who enjoyed a new contract worth 7.5 million euros (8.25 million dollars) per season, but many are not happy with the number of scoring chances he has been given since transferring from Napoli, at an Italian record fee of 90 million euros.
With seven goals scored, the Argentine is not only not on pace with his record of 36 last season in Naples but is behind league top scorer Edin Dzeko on 10.
As happened early last season after the departure of Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba, Juve’s current issues seem to lie in a midfield that still lacks the speed and coordination needed to switch from assisting the defence to feeding Higuain and his compatriot Paulo Dybala.
Coach Allegri is happy with his skilled defence, about new expert full-back Dani Alves and his left-wing counterpart Alex Sandro, but has not yet fully exploited the talent of former Roma playmaker Pjanic.
Good signals, however, come from the return in the past two games of Claudio Marchisio, an Italy international who tore knee ligaments in April.
Marchisio can provide a dynamism that Allegri cannot get from Hernanes and Sami Khedira.