Matthijs De Ligt and Danilo are vital for Juventus
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Ever since Juventus signed Dusan Vlahovic, Max Allegri has been repeatedly asked if the Serbia international can play alongside fellow strikers Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala in attack. The Coach has chosen to let him do just that in both league games so far, the side earning a win over Hellas Verona and a draw with Atalanta with the trio starting together.
“We can play with three in attack, but if we play with three forwards, they have to run,” Allegri told reporters at a press conference earlier this month. “We have been improving in training and we need to continue this improvement. The advantage is we have much more quality up front, but the team must keep its balance. The strength of a great team is to maintain a sense of balance.”
With star winger Federico Chiesa out with a long-term injury, that balance is certainly vital, but while the attacking trident are taking all the spotlight, there are two players further back that are helping the Bianconeri in equal measure.
The first is Matthijs de Ligt who delivered an absolute masterclass of defensive prowess against Atalanta on Sunday. The Bergamaschi, as they so often do, tore forward in numbers in an attempt to overwhelm Juve, but time after time their waves of attack found themselves repelled by the 22-year-old.
According to WhoScored.com, De Ligt recorded three tackles, two interceptions and six clearances over the 90+ minutes of action, but it was his four blocked shots that most caught the eye.
The first two were on Jeremie Boga, the 25-year-old winger who spent disappointing spells with Chelsea and Birmingham City before joining Sassuolo for just €3.5 million ($3.97m) back in 2018. Impressing with the Neroverdi secured him a move to Atalanta last month, and he terrorised Juve on Sunday, routinely skipping past either full-back only to find his path to goal occupied by the towering presence of De Ligt.
Teun Koopmeiners and Ruslan Malinovskyi were also denied by perfectly timed interventions, the latter coming shortly after the same player had opened the scoring with an absolute rocket of a free kick that even De Ligt could not believe.
“I assumed it was impossible for him to score from there!” the Juve man exclaimed to DAZN (h/t Football Italia) after the final whistle. “I even asked Malinovskyi after the match, how did you hit that from about 30 metres out and score?! I never thought he’d be able to score from there!”
But he did, and that left the Bianconeri scrambling for answers as they fought to keep pace with their direct rivals for fourth place. Then, deep in stoppage time, a corner provided a final opportunity to equalise, and Danilo rose perfectly to meet Dybala’s cross and head home to grab a point for the Old Lady.
It was the Brazilian’s first goal in over a year, but it was also the latest example of just how important he has become to this team. Able to play as a full-back on either flank, he has also been deployed in central defence and even in midfield since arriving from Manchester City back in 2019.
Juve supporters regularly bemoan that deal, frustrated at the fact the club’s dire financial position at the time meant they had to sacrifice Joao Cancelo. The Portugal star has been sensational since moving to England, but the swap for Danilo essentially saw the Bianconeri generate a positive economic effect of €28.6million ($30.42m).
It is a move that in retrospect must be seen as a win-win, with performances like the one Danilo delivered against Atalanta being standard for the Brazil native. He might not produce the Instagrammable highlights that made Cancelo a social media favourite, but he is a reliable defender who has found himself at home in Turin after a nomadic career.
“I have been around in various countries trying to find a club where I could do my work, be happy, play football, which at the end of the day is what I wanted,” Danilo told DAZN per Football Italia. “I found this opportunity at Juve, so this goal means a lot to me.”
His attitude, professionalism and work rate have seen him become a beloved figure on the Curva Sud, and rightly so as the 30 year old simply does his job every time he is available for selection.
So while the Dybala-Morata-Vlahovic attack continues to write the headlines, behind them are two defenders who deserve attention and admiration in equal measure. Danilo and Matthijs de Ligt proved that against Atalanta, and they will do so again and again as Juventus continue to chase the teams above them in the Serie A table.