Massimiliano Allegri names his matchday squad for Sunday's trip to Sassuolo Moments after concluding his pre-match press conference, Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed his travelling party for Sunday's (15.00 CET) trip to the Mapei Stadium to face Sassuolo. The Tuscan's matchday selection in full is as follows: 1 Buffon 3 Chiellini 5 Pjanic 6 Khedira 7 Cuadrado 8 Marchisio 9 Higuain 11 Hernanes 12 Alex Sandro 14 Mattiello 15 Barzagli 17 Mandzukic 19 Bonucci 20 Pjaca 21 Dybala 22 Asamoah 23 Dani Alves 24 Rugani 25 Neto 26 Lichtsteiner 27 Sturaro 28 Rincon 32 Audero
Juventus XI: Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic; Cuadrado, Dybala, Mandzukic; Higuain. #SassuoloJuve #ForzaJuve
I'm starting to think I'm never gonna warm up to Pjanic. I hate the way he plays, i hate watching him in our colors and i hate his stupid face
They're coming together at the right time. Credit must be given where it's due. Allegri did well to switch to the 4-2-3-1.
Pathetic, never mind that it was 4' of extra time and they were in the 5' already. Small team mentality both in the club and the fans. Complaining about not reeiving a penalty, funny considering how many they've already received this season.
BTW, have i mentioned that Buffon is god? I have? Well, let me say it again. Buffon is a GOD. Gigi's great saves. pic.twitter.com/Gd5GsdSP9v— Khaled Al Nouss (@khaledalnouss1) January 29, 2017
I missed the second half. Looks like I did not miss much. I have it recorded. Higuain played big that first half. So too Mandzukic, who is quicker than Cuadrado. Just imagine Alves in Cuadrado's place. Bravo ragazzi. Same to Samp too.
Cuadrado played very well today. Mandzu is a revelation out wide. he and Alex shut down Berardi also. Bit worried about Dybala's reaction. he is due to sign up this week, so don't like rocking the boat here.
It's surely time to say that Mandzukic must start all big matches when healthy. He was excellent again. His hold up play and defensive contribution have always been top class, but his passing and technical ability are what stand out so much of late. Couple this with his mentality and I no longer hesitate calling him a world class player. Higuain is a goal machine. Yet, he is also so much more because his passing, movement, and technical ability are immense. What a player. This was one of Cuadrado's most consistent performances. His crosses and general play were fantastic. Like Mandzukic, he always fully commits himself to defending the right side of the 4-4-2. Khedira and Pjanic rarely made mistakes and kept the play moving. Both players are thriving by playing in front of a great backline and four creative attackers. Conte was a genius due to his employment of the 3-5-2 when he recognized that Juve had an abundance of world class midfield and defensive talent. In Mandzukic, Dybala, Higuain, Cuadrado, Pjaca, today's Juve have lethal and hardworking attackers. Bonucci, Chiellini, Barzagli, and Rugani are as good a collection of CBs as you will find in Europe. Sandro, Licht, Alves, give Allegri great LB and RB options. The 4-2-3-1/4-4-2 enables Allegri to start world class or top players in every position. Importantly, by fielding only two true CMs, it creates quality depth in this department. Technically, this Juventus when they are focused and in form are beautiful to watch. If they can keep improving by the CL KO stages (especially mentally), I wouldn't bet against them to make it to the final.
Only issue i see is we tend to miss a lot of great chances. We could have scored so many goals these last 3 games but many of our players missed some great chances. Hope we improve on that. Also my only beef with Allegri is he waits soooo long to make subs. Usually its min 78 when he subs. And i feel bad that anytime Pjaca comes in the game is kinda over and players are tired. Would love to see him earlier or start to see how he can do when the team is at full charge.