Three Juventus talking points after 0-0 draw vs. Torino

Juventus were held to a 0-0 home draw by city rivals Torino on Saturday; our editor, Lorenzo Bettoni, brings you the three key takeaways from the Allianz Stadium.

Juventus remain unbeaten in three games under new coach Luciano Spalletti, but their goalless stalemate against Torino on Saturday was their second consecutive draw.

Football Italia was among the accredited media at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday: here are three things we learned.

As Spalletti also admitted during his post-match press conference, Juventus were too slow on the ball. The Bianconeri dominated possession (71% to 29%), but the way they moved the ball was just not quick enough. Spalletti argued that his players should have made more cross-field passes without going through a central midfielder all the time, giving Torino the time to reposition themselves defensively. The question here is: do Juventus have players capable of doing what Spalletti requires? The slow movement of the ball is a problem that has already emerged in the past – under either Motta and Tudor – and, perhaps, the only way to fix it is through the transfer market.

Is it time for Juventus to switch to a new system? Probably yes. Spalletti confirmed a three-man defence in his first three games in charge, but during the break, he might have time to experiment with a different formation, although many Bianconeri will be on international duty over the next two weeks. Spalletti himself has confirmed the possibility of using a new system in the next matches, and the first switch that comes to mind surely concerns a four-man defence. It is no secret that Spalletti prefers a set-up with two centre-backs and two full-backs, and even if Juventus have already implemented some principles and ideas from the Italian coach, the time has probably come to put compromises aside and fully embrace the Spalletti philosophy. Don’t forget that the new Bianconeri boss doesn’t have too much time, with a contract expiring in June, and that the January transfer window is approaching fast, so if Spalletti wants to truly fix this team, he’ll need to do it using the system he knows best.

Spalletti said it clearly at full time: Juventus “lack creativity in these kinds of games.” One of Igor Tudor’s problems was the incapacity to fulfil the potential of the Bianconeri‘s attack. Many options available, yet very few goals – and even goal-scoring opportunities – were produced. There has been a slight improvement under Spalletti, but surely Juventus strikers are still falling short of expectations. The club brought three new attacking players over the summer and signed Francisco Conceiçao on a permanent deal, so it’s up to Spalletti to guide his forwards toward new attacking patterns and movements that can finally unlock the Bianconeri’s full potential in the final third. At the very least, Spalletti seems to have picked a starting centre-forward, Dusan Vlahovic, but Kenan Yildiz will also play a vital role in the months ahead. Although Spalletti has acknowledged that the Turkish talent may be feeling some fatigue, he remains a guaranteed starter in his plans.