Juventus made history on Saturday evening with a 3-0 win against Genoa, entering Serie A folklore as the best defensive side since the introduction of the three-points-for-a-win system in 1994/95. Thiago Motta’s men have kept a clean sheet in all six league matches at the start of the new campaign, a feat unheard of in the competition’s history.
The division’s best defensive set-up has yet to concede this season. As the only team in Europe’s traditional top-five divisions, Motta’s charges have surpassed the previous club record set by Massimiliano Allegri’s team a decade ago, going 540 minutes without conceding in Serie A action.
Indeed, back in the 2014/15 season, Allegri’s troops maintained their defensive solidity for 482 minutes before Francesco Totti knocked them off their perch. Motta’s Juventus could make more history, with only four sides enjoying a longer run without conceding at the start of a new league campaign.
Defensive stubbornness used to be the backbone of Bianconeri’s success under Allegri. Juventus won nine consecutive league titles between 2011 and 2020, largely thanks to their unparalleled strength at the back. Motta seems to have reinstilled that mentality at the Allianz Stadium, though it often came at the expense of Juve’s attacking efficacy.
Juventus won three times in the first six Serie A rounds via an identical 3-0 scoreline. However, the other three matches ended 0-0, solidifying Motta’s reputation as a defensive-minded coach. As long as the results keep coming, Motta’s defensive approach will be hard to criticize, even if it lacks the attacking flair some fans might crave.
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