· 2 min readIn this Cagliari vs Juventus match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
Juventus went into the game knowing they had to win, but left Cagliari with a draw that feels like too little. They have more quality, a bigger name and more options, but one problem is becoming increasingly obvious: scoring goals. By the sixth matchday, centre-back Bremer and Zhegrova, who isn’t even a regular starter, were the team’s top scorers with just two goals each. You can’t rely on that over an entire season.
Cagliari, meanwhile, are one of those teams that don’t need to dominate to make life difficult for any opponent. They came in with a clear game plan, closed down the spaces and waited for the chance to break on the counter-attack. And Juventus, despite having plenty of the ball, started to struggle to find solutions. Long-range shots, crosses without much purpose and very little ability to create danger.
Having 72% possession at half-time looks good in the stats, but with just one shot on target and 0.30 expected goals, it doesn’t count for much.
In the 20th minute, Cagliari took advantage of exactly what Juventus had failed to do: build a quality attacking move. Daniel Maldini combined with Mendy, took a shot and saw it blocked. Mendy did a great job holding the ball up with his back to goal, played it back to Maldini, and the Italian, son of the legendary Paolo Maldini, struck a low shot. Vicario let the ball slip underneath his body, or at least that’s what it looked like, and Cagliari took the lead. It wasn’t a perfect shot, but it was enough.
The Turin side made changes at half-time, and Zhegrova brought a different energy, although that still wasn’t quite enough. He started causing problems down the right, taking players on and forcing Caprile into action. Kolo Muani even let a low cross from Zhegrova run past him when he was in a position to shoot. A striker has to take a chance in situations like that. He doesn’t have to score every time, but he can’t let opportunities like these slip away.
The game dragged on, with Juventus keeping the ball and Cagliari becoming increasingly focused on defending. There was a lack of pace, creativity and ideas. Then, in the 81st minute, the equaliser finally came. Alajbegović crossed from the left and Kolo Muani, well positioned in front of his marker, headed the ball into the corner. It was a goal that had been coming, as Juventus were increasingly looking to exploit the aerial route.
And Juventus still had everything they needed to take all three points. In the 85th minute, Kolo Muani found himself unmarked in the six-yard box, headed against the crossbar and wasted a chance worth 0.70 expected goals. The ball fell to Woltermade, who sent a weak header straight at Caprile. It’s one of those chances a striker really has to do better with. Shortly afterwards, Kolo Muani tried again, this time with an acrobatic effort, but Caprile responded with a brilliant save.
Post-match
Juventus had more possession, more shots and finished on top, but spent far too long playing without ideas. Against a team sitting that deep, you need more than just crossing the ball and hoping someone comes up with the answer.
