Juventus 1-0 Udinese: Three Things We Learned

Juventus edged out a late win against Udinese to give their Serie A title hopes a huge boost on Saturday night.

The Old Lady knew they’d face a tough test on Saturday and that was exactly how it played out, with Udinese giving them as good as they got. Ultimately, though, it wasn’t quite enough, as Juve got the win and the three points they desired.

Today, we’re going to take a look at a few big takeaways as the insanely good resurgence of Italian football continues.

Waiting for their moment

Patience was very much the key to success for Juventus here. The game was 0-0 all the way through until the 86th minute, when Federico Chiesa pulled the ball back for Danilo to stick it in the back of the net. It wasn’t a desperation play and it wasn’t lucky – it was just smart. Sure, fans would’ve liked to see them get ahead earlier on in proceedings, but all that matters is being able to grind out three points even when it looks unlikely.

Udinese hold their own

Udinese are currently sat in 8th place in Serie A and in this outing, they were really good value for that position. They traded blows with Juve here as they had 49% possession and also attempted 11 shots on goal, even if only three were on target. Sure, their resilience was eventually broken in heartbreaking fashion late in the day, but this is a morale boosting loss – if there ever could be such a thing.

Napoli’s big challenge

Napoli are currently top of the Serie A table by four points after an electric start to their league campaign. However, on Friday, they’ll play host to Juventus in what will serve as their biggest test yet in the push for the championship. Juventus have been on a real tear as of late and they’re going to cause real problems for Napoli, which should make for an intriguing clash between two of Italy’s finest.