Juventus Wins but Fails to Impress: Only Miretti Breaks Through Against Standard Liège
Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus finally broke through in Liège, but their performance still left much to be desired. After a disappointing 0-0 draw in Basel against the Swiss side coached by former player Lichtsteiner, the Bianconeri managed to edge out Standard with a narrow 1-0 victory. Fabio Miretti’s free kick in the 55th minute proved decisive on a night when the many absences weren’t enough to excuse the team’s rather lackluster performance on Belgian soil.
There was certainly curiosity surrounding some of Spalletti’s choices, as he brought back the returning Douglas Luiz to the starting lineup and initially entrusted the attack to the young players Durmisi, Licina, and Adzic. It was Adzic who created the first scoring chance in a first half in which Juventus actually faced the most danger when Standard Liège pushed forward with Nkada and Trouillet—both of whom spared the Bianconeri (the latter’s chance was made even more dangerous by a serious mistake by Cambiaso with the ball at his feet). The second half saw the long-awaited debut of Celik, who started alongside (among others) Joao Mario and Arthur. Among the substitutes was Miretti, who scored the game-winning goal with a thunderous strike from a double free kick. Perin then made two decisive saves, underscoring a lackluster evening for the Old Lady.
Noteworthy was the absence of Lois Openda, who had been called up for this Belgian away match despite his transfer to Lyon now being a done deal. The Belgian forward, coming off a disastrous season with Juventus—scoring just one goal in twenty-four appearances—will move to France on a paid loan for 3 million euros, with his hefty salary of 7.5 million euros gross covered entirely by the French club. This was a deal Juventus was forced to close, considering that the player—signed from Leipzig last summer for a fee close to 45 million—is now valued at just around 20 million, and no club had come forward for a permanent transfer.
The match in Liège highlighted the challenges of a squad still very much a work in progress. Spalletti had to do without Thuram, Yildiz, Bremer, Milik, Zhegrova, and Koopmeiners—all of whom were behind in their preseason preparation—as well as new signing Ekhator, sidelined by an injury, and national team players returning from the World Cup in North America, such as Jonathan David and Francisco Conceição. This crisis accurately reflects the Tuscan coach’s frustration; in recent days, he had made no secret of his irritation over a transfer window that got off to a slow start: “Guys, pick up the pace! I’ll stay here, but many of you will be leaving,” Spalletti reportedly told the players in the Continassa locker room.
On the transfer front, the future of Vasilije Adzic is also a hot topic, even though he showed some promising flashes in Saturday night’s match. The young Montenegrin is considered surplus to requirements by Spalletti, and both Cagliari and Genoa have made moves for him, with the Sardinians seemingly in the lead thanks to the direct interest of coach Fabio Pisacane. In the season just concluded, the 2006-born player logged just 123 minutes in league play—a playing time that didn’t allow him to showcase his abilities consistently, despite the qualities glimpsed by the Juventus coach himself.
Meanwhile, the goalkeeper situation remains unresolved. The Dibu Martinez option has now definitively fallen through following Aston Villa’s outright rejection, while the Suzuki pursuit has become more complicated, with Newcastle poised to snatch him from Parma for around 30 million. In this scenario, Juventus management is reportedly stepping up its pursuit of Noah Atubolu, a goalkeeper born in 2002 who plays for Freiburg; his contract expires in 2027, and several European clubs—including Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton, and Atlético Madrid—are also vying for his signature.
