Between the losses to PSV Eindhoven and Empoli in the Champions League and Coppa Italia, respectively, one may forget that [Juventus](https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com) has not lost in Serie A since their match against title contender Napoli on Jan. 25 — a streak that was stretched to five straight with Monday’s 2-0 win over Hellas Verona.
But there is a streak within a streak when it comes to these matches, and that was broken against Hellas Verona. In the wins over Como, Inter Milan, and Cagliari, every victory was secured by a single goal. The second half against Verona provided a level of security that the team has not seen recently; in fact, if history is an indicator, a late-game equalizer by lower-table side like Verona was imminent.
But it looks like amid fan protests, calls for Thiago Motta’s job, and the loss of three potential trophies since the start of the new year, the Bianconieri finally have been able to turn it around in Serie A.
### **A Contender?**
If you were to ask the Paramount+ crew, specifically Matteo Bonetti, if Juventus is still in the title race, the response would be a quick “yes.” Now, this idea that Juventus could still come back and win the Scudetto this season is unfortunately a long shot, but they are only six points off league leaders Inter. Compounding this, the road to the end of the season is long and difficult for the Bianconeri — they will face third-place Atalanta this weekend, a Roma who is in some of their best form in years thanks to Claudio Ranieri stabilizing things, and a Fiorentina side who’s hate for Juventus burns as brightly as their purple shirts.
But ... it’s possible.
Inter will also face Roma and Atalanta in the coming weeks, as well as Lazio in their second to last match. In that time, they will also have to compete in the Champions League and Coppa Italia, and that could cause any player some feelings of fatigue. Napoli’s road to the finish line is a bit more provincial, but they will still face an AC Milan side that is all over the place and a Fiorentina with a bone to pick. Finally, Atalanta must face all of the Seven Sisters of Italian football, with the exception of Napoli, before they rest for the summer.
All this to say, there is no better time for a late push by the Bianconeri to take home a piece of silverware that they have not held since the pandemic.
The Teun Koopmeiners tenure at Juventus has not been one filled with joy or amazing moments. Rather, it’s been a long waiting period of hoping that one of the key pieces of Atalanta’s Europa League run last season would finally start to heat up. Fans at the Allianz were quick to remind him of that sentiment as he took the pitch in the 60th minute, as whistles could be heard around the stadium. At that point, the match which was overwhelming in favor of Juventus was still at a deadlock, though that would be quick to change.
By the foot of Khephren Thuram.
No, Koopmeiners was not the one who scored the night’s first goal, but he was the one who did what fans have been wishing to see all season. He solidified Juve’s lead with a late goal, which has become arguably more important after watching numerous fragile 1-0 leads turn into draws against the likes of Lecce and Torino. It’s good to see the Dutchman finally get a break from the overwhelmingly negative performances and put a game to bed. Juventus signed him to be an instrumental part of the squad, so maybe, just maybe, there can be a late-season momentum shift for Koopmeiners.
### **Thuram the Man**
At this point, it’s safe to say that Thuram has been one of the best, if not the best, new players on the Juventus roster this season.
It’s not surprising really, as he comes from a great football heritage, and has something to prove to his wildly successful brother, Marcus, who is a crucial part of Inter’s squad. Aside from the positive statistics of the younger Thuram, there is something intrinsically Juventus about him. It’s the way he barrels down the pitch, the way he bobs and weaves when defenders converge on him, and the way he refuses to give up his attempts on goal when he’s in the box.
In a season that has proved how some players on the Juventus roster simply do not have what it takes to don the iconic black and white stripes, Thuram has proved the opposite.
Motta doesn’t start him for a few games? No problem, he comes out and finds the only goal against Empoli last week. There is a feeling of disenchantment with this new Juventus squad after crashing out of the Coppa Italia? No problem, Thuram will open up the next game with a goal that makes professional footballing look easy. And what does the Frenchman do after his goal? Celebrates in the same way as his older brother, even going as far as telling the press that he did the celebration because his big brother is his idol.
A Juventus player idolizing an Inter player? No, a brother looking up to a member of his family.
### **Chef Locatelli**
You can play him offensively, you can play him defensively, but just make sure to put Manuel Locatelli in your starting XI.
Over the course of the match, Locatelli’s shooting stats were higher than Weston McKennie and Nico Gonzalez combined, with the Italian midfielder registering six shots and two on target. Not to mention his two key passes in a match where Verona had only four total.
But let’s head down the pitch a bit and look at Locatelli on the defensive end and at his passing game. While admittedly this was not his best defensive outing, finding only a single interception and a single clearance, Locatelli stood out for his passing game. Over the two halves he attempted four crosses, three long balls, and kept his passing accuracy at 88%. It’s more of what he knew not to do. See, in recent matches that resulted in a loss, the long ball strategy simply was not working, as the ball always seemed to find the middle of the pitch, and after a short scramble the possession would turn over. PSV was the worst example of this. But it takes a great player to know what is and isn’t working.
### **Pretty much … everyone**
Realistically, there were very few players on the Juventus squad who had a bad game against Hellas Verona. Andrea Cambiaso and Samuel Mbangula added an assist to their tallies, Lloyd Kelly showed fans that he is capable of playing well after his disastrous start to life in Turin, Pierre Kalulu made his much-needed return, and Federico Gatti was afforded even more of a much-needed 21 minutes of rest to his overworked legs.
It all seemed to fall into place.
But there is still an extremely long road ahead, and the dangers of the hope that stems from a convincing victory are still very present. Juventus cannot lose this momentum in the coming weeks, otherwise the idea of the Scudetto race’s validity, and top four, could be lost. One mistake, one experimental lineup, one penalty giveaway is all that it will take to find the Bianconeri on the losing side of the most competitive race in recent years.
The silver lining of the team’s expulsion from any sort of competition outside of Seire A is that all they have to focus on is one match a week.