Midweek action saw Bologna visiting the Juventus stadium in a tightly contested match that ended with the home side walked away with three points. In a game that had a little bit of everything, the visitors did not shy away and came within minutes of going home with a hard earned points. However the late heroics of the 19-year-old Paul Pogba made sure the home crowd was cheering.
The points belonged to the Old Lady, but it was a young man that stole the show. Alessio and Conte decided to rest a number of starters for the big match on the weekend against Inter. Caceres started in the back in replace of Chiellini, Isla and De Ceglie were given starts on the wings, Bendtner and Quagliarella paired up top while Giaccherini and most importantly Pogba played alongside Pirlo.
There are a number of talking points coming from this game, but none bigger than the skill of Paul Pogba. After coming on to score against Napoli a week and a half ago, Pogba showed that same spark over an entire match. Early on he found the back of the net but it was disallowed after a soft penalty call. Later he sent a curler in from 20 yards out that beat the keeper but rattled the post. He was all over the field, making key tackles on defense, moving the ball with ease alongside Pirlo and creating scoring opportunities.
A lot of the credit for the first goal has to be given to Pogba. His long ball was sent over a line of defenders right to Giaccherini’s head. It was a pass usually attributed to Pirlo but instead it was his teenage counterpart. Giaccherini with a very smart header sent it quickly into the middle where a wide-open Quagliarella smashed it home. If he wasn’t already putting on an impressive showing, Pogba assured it after putting home the game winner in stoppage time. After coming on as a sub, Sebastian Giovinco swung in a pin point cross that found the head of Pogba and sealed all three points.
It wasn’t all good for Juventus, as this was a game of two halves. The first half truly belonged to Juve but they were unable to score. After scoring early on in the second half, Juve’s play became sloppy, and a costly error allowed Bologna back in this game. This has been a reoccurring problem for Juve in the last few weeks, as there seems to be a lack of determination, or grinta as its known around Torino, during the second half. It is clear that the absence of Conte in the locker room has an effect on the team. His assistant coach Alessio has done a great job filling in, and his substitutions were vital in the win, but no one can motivate like Conte.
Paul Pogba lit up the stadium during this match. Although the game wasn’t the greatest, it will be remembered for his performance. Juventus boasted one of the strongest midfields with Marchisio, Pirlo, and Vidal but now Pogba has added his name into the mix and after this performance there is no way he doesn’t get another start. It would be a surprise if the young Frenchman doesn’t play this weekend in the Derby D’Italia as the new look Inter travel to Torino.