Watched this one late (so I could sleep in) courtesy of the PVR.
All-in-all, this could have easily been a match where Juve let down its guard: after a big win against Napoli, a number of missing starters, distraction in the press about Calciopoli Secondo, etc. Pleasantly surprising, the team came out with their heads in the right place and did well to put on a very good performance.
Juve clearly wanted to win this match and had their heads in the game the whole time. They benefitted from Lecce's inability to convert the very last piece of some of their plays -- some taking advantage of Juve defensive lapses, particularly on blown offside trap coverage (one of which shouldn't have been called offside as a goal for Lecce). But the best team clearly won today. And Juve did get robbed a hand-ball call when Marchionni was pressing for his second goal of the match.
There were some risks DD took in his formation: Chiellini and Zebina (!) at CB, starting Venitucci, starting Zalayeta over Bojinov or Trez, etc. But overall, the plan worked.
Buffon - 6 - Came out of goal when needed. Made good distractions and stops when needed. But not tested a lot.
Birindelli - 6 - Good pass in to Camo through traffic that set up the last goal. Looked a little lazy at times in the second half on defensive coverage -- allowing some crosses from the wing as he held back to join an overcrowded central defense. But out vice captain made some decent stops too.
Chiellini - 6 - A mixed bag. Some very good stops, but a few reckless ones as well. Sometimes I thought I was watching Zebina the way he would high-kick someone in the head (he was lucky he didn't get ejected). But given our run of CB performances this year, not bad. Generally effective overall.
Zebina - 6.5 - Anyone who knows me knows I really don't count on much from Zebina. But he had a very good game today -- one of his best in Juve stripes, IMO. Some smart header clearances at the back line, he was mostly in good position, and offensively he made some smart headers on corners. He got burned once on the offside trap pretty badly, but it helped that we got an (incorrect) offsides call.
Balza - 6 - Not too great, but not bad either. Didn't add too much offensively this time... or even much in pace. But tied things up at the wing for the most part.
Venitucci - 6.5 -
Who was this guy?!
I thought he had a great game. For a 22-year-old brand new to the Juve pitch (pretty much), he played a solid game in a game where we really needed some bench players to step up. His passes were accurate, he even made some nice one-touch passes, he showed good pursuit on the ball, and he made a good few defensive stops and successful challenges. Just what we needed. I'd like to see him play more as the season wears on.
Nedved - 6 - Great pace as always. But his shots have been better, he made some reckless tackles, and he was just good for his own standards today. Which is saying quite a bit though.
Camoranesi - 7.5 - He rocked. And not just offensively. Though his nice reverse roll and nutmeg tap around two defenders who cornered him on the touch line (to spring our first goal) was sublime. Our best player with the ball -- excellent dribbling and foot motion. And great pursuit defensively. He was
in the game, and played a complete package.
Marchionni - 6 - Great goal -- it needed a soft, lobbing touch for the opener and he didn't overdo it. Could have had more if he works on his shot.
Better than some of his previous outings. But I think he was helped a lot by playing alongside Camo for some reason. It seemed like DD often overloaded one side with winger talent, and that seemed to take the pressure off Marchionni so he wouldn't get trapped and turn the ball over so much.
Palladino - 6.5 - One of the best 'quiet' players in the match. His passing/assists were a big part of two of our goals. Didn't do too much beyond ball control and passing well near the box today, but he did those well enough to make a real difference for the team.
Zalayeta - 6 - He hesitated too much on his goal, IMO, but I was glad to see that time pay off with a more accurate shot in the corner. Did OK with the ball on the pitch, though not great. And for Zala, it's a decent outing.
Subs:
Bianco, Trezeguet, Bojinov - NR - All not on the pitch very long.
DD - 6.5 - DD had to make some adjustments to the starting line up -- particularly at CB and also by inserting a shiny new toy in Venitucci. The CB results were generally iffy, but effective. Venitucci was a great choice and did very well under the circumstances -- all the more key given the heavy offensive emphasis put on midfield (Neddy, Marchionni, Camo). Venitucci couldn't pick up all the DM slack, but he did more than just enough. When DD came to town, I expected more of this: fielding the one new player among veterans to work in new talent in the rotation. It's about time we've seen more of that.
Zala was again an odd starting choice, but you can't question when the guy scores for you. The rest of the subs were late but, IMO, not that necessary with the game under control anyway (given the subs were generally offensive choices).
To his best credit, however, the team was prepared mentally and put together a solid win despite necessary changes, a possible let-down from Napoli, and external distractions.
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