There is a certain peculiarity to the first friendly of a pre season campaign. You are searching for patterns of play, for tactical intent, while simu...
There is a certain peculiarity to the first friendly of a pre season campaign. You are searching for patterns of play, for tactical intent, while simultaneously trying not to read too much into the rustiness of multi million pound athletes. Juventus's trip to Basel offered exactly that blend of vague promise and obvious incompleteness. The final scoreline, a rather arid 0. 0 draw, tells only half the story. The other half belongs to Mattia Perin.Thiago Motta's men took to the St. Jakob. Park pitch in their new kit, looking to impose themselves through controlled possession. And yet, for all their dominance in the middle third, the Bianconeri lacked that sharp, clinical finishing in the final third. A common complaint from last season, you might say, and one that this early outing did little to dispel. Basel, to their credit, did not simply park the bus. They offered moments of transitional threat, forcing the Juventus backline into a low block on several occasions. It felt like a proper workout, the kind of sweaty, high intensity friendly that managers crave.The defining moment, however, came from the penalty spot. A somewhat clumsy challenge in the box gave Basel a golden opportunity to break the deadlock. Up stepped the taker, but Perin had other ideas. He read the run up perfectly, threw himself low to his left, and palmed the ball away with a strong, clean hand. The away end erupted. It was a moment of sheer, unadulterated class from a goalkeeper who has been waiting for his chance. In a game of few clear cut chances, that save was the difference between a respectable draw and a deflating defeat. That is football for you; a moment of individual brilliance can salvage an entire afternoon of work.Beyond the result, the real value of this fixture was in the minutes banked and the tactical flexibility tested. Motta will have seen enough to know where the sharpening needs to happen, especially in terms of breaking down a stubborn defensive block. The build up play was tidy, the movement off the ball intelligent, but the final pass was often just that half a yard too heavy. Is that a worry three weeks before the competitive season starts Probably not. But it is a clear instruction for the training ground. For now, the talking point is Perin. And frankly, for a first run out, a clean sheet and a penalty save is a rather handsome return.
