Juventus Wins but Fails to Impress in Frosinone; Lecce Wins on the Road in Venice
Juventus and Lecce came away with wins on the first matchday of Serie A. That’s what the results of Sunday’s two afternoon matches suggest, but the signs from the field paint an almost opposite picture. Luciano Spalletti’s Bianconeri managed to secure a 1-0 away win at Frosinone thanks to a late header by Bremer, though they struggled for long stretches, repeatedly failing to double their lead and nearly conceding an equalizer in stoppage time. The Giallorossi’s 2-0 win in Venice, on the other hand, was convincing, though it resulted from a clinical exploitation of their few chances in contrast to the hosts’ numerous but fruitless attempts.
Juventus struggled early in the match when Monterisi got his head to a cross from Calò but missed the ball. Then it was all Bianconeri: Kolo Muani tested Palmisani, then Conceiçao and Bremer tried their luck but to no avail. Kolo Muani himself incredibly squandered a one-on-one chance with Frosinone’s goal wide open, then Bremer scored the game-winning goal with a header in the 22nd minute off a corner kick by Conceiçao. Before halftime, the revitalized Douglas Luiz, Kelly, and Conceiçao again all missed chances to double the lead, then Bracaglia gave Vicario a scare but failed to beat him. Then Palmisani made two spectacular saves on chances by Kalulu and Yildiz. In the second half, Conceiçao made a truly glaring mistake one-on-one with the ever-reliable Palmisani; the Ciociari then began to gain momentum despite another great late-game opportunity for Kolo Muani. In stoppage time, Perin replaced the injured Vicario and saw Raimondo hit the crossbar off a corner kick by Calò.
Lecce’s away victory in Venice that afternoon was more convincing. But the 2-0 win for the Salento side is somewhat misleading: in the first half, the Venetians came close to scoring through Hainaut, Yeboah, and Busio; they even would have found the net with Correia after a quarter of an hour, but the VAR overturned the goal due to a handball. The visitors, however, were more clinical: just before halftime, Coulibaly hit the post with a volley off a corner kick, and early in the second half, Gorter collected an assist from the same Malian player and beat Stankovic. Falcone and, once again, VAR (on a shot by Basic) denied the home team the equalizer, then in the 80th minute, Tiago Gabriel sealed the deal with a spectacular goal following a corner kick.
Perin’s entry in place of the injured Vicario inevitably puts the spotlight back on the goalkeeper market at Juventus. The starting goalkeeper, on loan from Tottenham through June 30, 2027, with a buyout clause set at 8 million euros, will now have to be evaluated by the Bianconeri’s medical staff, and his unavailability could accelerate certain decisions regarding outgoing transfers. Perin, who in recent weeks had received a tempting offer from Palermo—a two-year contract with an option to extend and a salary higher than his current €1.5 million—has not yet made up his mind about his future. Palermo, who lost Jesse Joronen to a shoulder injury sustained in the Coppa Italia, need a goalkeeper immediately, but Perin’s potential departure would force Juventus to return to the transfer market.
In midfield, however, the situation appears to be nearing a resolution. Fabio Miretti is now set to leave: Juventus and Besiktas have agreed on the transfer of the 2003-born player to Turkey, on loan with an option to buy, at the explicit request of Vincenzo Italiano, the Istanbul team’s coach, who knows and appreciates the player. Another factor pushing Miretti toward accepting the move to Turkey is the realization that he is no longer part of Spalletti’s plans, as the coach is looking for different types of players in midfield. In Turkey, moreover, the midfielder would be reunited with Dusan Vlahovic, who has just joined Besiktas following the conclusion of his stint at Juventus.
Miretti’s departure paves the way for a signing that Juventus has been pursuing for some time: the arrival of Franck Kessié. The Ivorian free agent has already reached an agreement with Juventus, but his signing was contingent on the team freeing up space on the roster. Despite an attempt by Al-Ittihad, which offered a lavish contract, Kessié appears set on choosing the Old Lady and returning to Serie A. Spalletti, who on the eve of the match against Frosinone admitted there was “still work to be done” in the transfer market, will soon have at his disposal the internationally experienced reinforcement needed to complete the midfield.
