Analysis: How Juventus can break down favourites Barcelona to win Champions League

For some of Juventus’ experienced marksmen, the stage for the Champions League final in Berlin is a familiar one. And Serie A expert Francesco Pellegrino believes that, with skill and a bit of luck, the Bianconeri can lift the continental crown…

The long awaited Champions League Final in Berlin has arrived and Juventus are set to face the somewhat overrated Barcelona defensive line. Many would believe that Barcelona’s lack of goals against is more impressive than Juventus’ lack of goals against, but the truth is behind the numbers. There are more goals scored per game in Serie A than there are in La Liga. Though the 2.69 goals per game in Italy is just slightly above the 2.66 in Spain it, nonetheless amplifies the impressive stat of 24 goals against Juventus have conceded all season long.

How can Juventus’ attack be more likely to have an impact on the game over Barcelona’s? It’s quite simple and it all lies within the counter-attack that Italian teams so effectively deploy. Antonio Conte is no longer on the bench of La Vecchia Signora, but that doesn’t mean his influence on this roster is gone. Juventus work both sides of the field and contribute as a collective rather than as individuals. That is where the greatest strength shines. It is the behind Tevez’s 20 league goals and 7 Champions League goals.

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The Italian side enjoy playing possession football, but Barcelona are the masters of the art. Juventus will need to time their moments and frustrate Barcelona by having impenetrable defense. The unfortunate news of Giorgio Chiellini being ruled out due to a calf injury in training might be the event that wakes an even greater giant. Sure, this sounds crazy and yet maybe the stars are aligned for a repeat of a past event.

Familiar arena: Several Juventus players will return to the scene where they won the world cup back in 2006. /

In 2006, if you take a trip down memory lane, Italy defeated France in the same stadium. The Azzurri were devastated after losing their top defender in the final group game against the Czech Republic. Nesta, arguably the best pure Italian defender on the roster for the tournament, fell limp to a groin injury that forced him to miss the rest of the tournament. What followed is the type of story that could only be told in a fairy tale. Marco Materazzi stepped in to fill the shoes of the legend.

Materazzi went on to steal the headlines in each game he participated in for the rest of the tournament. He scored a goal against the Czech Republic on a corner kick that proved decisive to seal Italy as group winners. He then was red carded when Italy faced Australia in the first knockout round. The same round that saw Italy hang on for more than half of the match and win on the controversial foul on Grosso that led to the Totti penalty kick. Materazzi would miss out against Ukraine, but Italy would win decisively. He would return to face Germany where the favorites of the tournament were left frustrated despite numerous scoring opportunities.

In the World Cup Final played in this very stadium that the Champions League Final will be played in on Saturday, it was Materazzi that tied the game off yet another set piece with a brilliant header against France. Later, it was the unforgettable “Zidane headbutt” that stirred gasps from across the world and saw one of the games greatest midfielders walk away from the game forever. He then scored a perfectly placed penalty kick as Italy went on to win the World Cup and the fourth in their history.

By now you are probably asking yourself what all of this is leading to.

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Chiellini will be out, but that will propel a more rapid maturation of Leonardo Bonucci. He will have to step up his game more than he ever has in what has seen him named in the Champions League XI selected by UEFA. This was the same situation that Fabio Cannavaro found himself in when the World Cup 2006 continued to progress all the way to La Nazionale’s fourth World Cup title. It was Cannavaro that won the Golden Ball for the most valuable player of the World Cup that year in Germany. He organized the back and it was his grueling leadership that steered the Italians to glory.

In charge: In the absence of Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli will play a big role in organising Juve’s defence. /

Yet, as important as Bonucci will be in Juventus’ quest for the treble, nobody can ignore the fact that Andrea Barzagli (also a World Cup winner) will have to radiate confidence and energy on the field. Barzagli and Bonucci have the opportunity to be a part of something that Italy hasn’t had since 2006 when Juventus were also the strongest team domestically along with a national team made up primarily of Juventus players.

It is with all this in mind that Juventus will rely on a counter-attack system that has seen more than its fair share of success. The midfield battle will be a fifty-fifty split, but Juventus, even without Chiellini, have the stronger defensive figures and the back and players who are going to be the engine behind the Old Lady’s attack. Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata have the pace, ball control, and inventiveness to be threat to that will make Barcelona’s sturdy defense.The longer this game goes scoreless the more likely it will play into the hands of Juventus.

Luis Enrique /

Luis Enrique has not had success managing against Juventus during his time in charge of Roma where he wasn’t capable of succeeding in what was at the time referred to as an inferior league. Enrique could not do it then so what says he could solve Juventus now? Of course he has Messi, Neymar, and Suarez this time around compared to the roster he had deployed at Roma, which involved Bojan Krkic as his striker.

Maximiliano Allegri of Juventus has had mixed results against Barcelona while in charge of a far weaker Milan side. In fact, Allegri managed a Milan team to a massive 2-0 win at the San Siro in 2013. Barcelona prevailed on the return leg, but talk about a manger that has seen this foe more than anybody could ask to see the same face.

“Defense wins championships” is a resounding phrase used throughout sports. Yet, in many cases there is always the outlook of a best defense is a great offense. That is why this matchup between two football titans is so special. Sir Isaac Newton, the father of physics, introduced to the world the Law of Action-Reaction when two forces of the same size collide. That’s the pleasure we all have on hand as these titans kickoff Saturday in Berlin.

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