Juventus picked up a 2-1 win over Napoli to give themselves an outside chance in the title race.
The win tonight leaves Juventus third in the table, 12 points adrift of league leaders Inter Milan.
The Italian champions have been going through a rough patch for weeks and tonight’s performance will give them a major confidence boost. The home side put in a complete performance against Napoli and it was arguably their best performance in months.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala scored for the hosts and the three points will give Juventus some much-needed breathing space in the race for Champions League qualification.
Furthermore, the win could not have come at a better time for Pirlo. There have been rumours that the Juventus manager could be sacked if he fails to guide his side to a win against Napoli.
Meanwhile, the fans will be pleased with the way Andrea Pirlo tactically outsmarted his former teammate Gennaro Gattuso on the night.
Napoli were unable to create too many chances despite enjoying more possession and having more shots. The visitors failed to use the ball properly and Juventus managed to disrupt their game with the midfield partnership of Bentancur and Rabiot.
Chiesa was exceptional for the home side going forward and he set up Ronaldo’s goal with a sensational solo run.
Napoli made a last-ditch attempt for comeback, when their captain Lorenzo Insigne reduced the margin from penalty spot, but it was too late by that time.
Paulo Dybala scored in his comeback game
Meanwhile, the goal and the victory will come as a relief to Paulo Dybala as well. The Argentine has had a tough time over the last few weeks with injuries and he has been linked to several teams. He was earlier receiving end of a fresh criticism because of his decision to attend a social gathering amid the Coronavirus protocols.
Dybala had a stalemate in his contract situation at Turin, and the “most valuable player” of Serie-A from the last season is under tremendous pressure. Juventus management is struggling financially and want to make most out of the situation if the contract situation is not resolved.
Dybala scored the winning goal of the game just minutes after coming on as a substitute.
Juventus needed the international break after their poor run of results and it seems that the Italian giants have managed to freshen themselves up and they look like a proper unit once again. It will be interesting to see if they can build on this against Genoa at the weekend now.
