A comfortable 3-0 win over Lazio on Wednesday evening brought Juventus to the brink of another Serie A title, as the Bianconeri are now a mere four points away from clinching what would be a remarkable fifth consecutive Scudetto.

Having promised so much in the early part of 2015/16, challenges from AS Roma, Napoli and Inter Milan each crumbled, leaving the rest of Italian football’s top flight already looking ahead to next season.

Yet having been eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern Munich last month, the same is true for Juventus. Much to the dismay of their domestic rivals, the Turin-based side are hoping the future brings an even greater level of success, as coach Massimiliano Allegri explained shortly after their latest victory. OptaPaola provided an impressive Juventus stats:

“We made an impressive comeback in Serie A to win after that bad start, but we can still do even better,” the former Milan boss told Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia), also taking time to publicly ask the club to keep his current group of players together next term.

“We must confirm this squad, because it’s a young group and we want to do well in the Champions League,” Allegri said in that aforementioned interview. “Our exit this time was rather hard to swallow.”

Chief among those the 48-year-old will hope to see remain in the Old Lady’s famous black and white stripes are Paul Pogba and Paulo Dybala. Both have enjoyed excellent campaigns, and the duo were fundamental to the win against a Lazio side who never really threatened to turn this match into a genuine contest.

Their goalkeeper Federico Marchetti had already denied the Juve pair on a number of occasions in an open first half, but a 39th-minute corner would finally break his resistance. Pogba chested down a good ball from Hernanes at the far post, in turn firing it back across goal for Mario Mandzukic to prod home.

Breaking the deadlock, it marked the France international’s 10th assist of the season—equalling the league-high mark Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Miralem Pjanic (AS Roma) and Riccardo Saponara (Empoli) share—and continuing his own remarkable recent form.

Indeed, in his last six outings, Pogba has recorded four goals and five assists in all competitions, but there was no question Wednesday night belonged to Dybala as his powerful running, tenacity and skill constantly tormented Lazio.

The FourFourTwo StatsZone graphic in the tweet above highlights the scale of his impact in a match where he was simply irrepressible. Netting twice—one a penalty, one a right-footed strike from Sami Khedira’s neat pass—all six of his shots were on target while he also connected with 30 of his 34 passes—an impressive 88.2 percent success rate.

Creating one chance for a team-mate, his superb dribbling skills saw him complete four of the six take-ons he attempted, while his one interception and one block fail to accurately represent the defensive effort Dybala displayed here.

The Argentina native called it “a perfect night” in his post-match interview with Sky Italia (h/t Juventus.com), while his coach was only too happy to praise the striker as he spoke to Mediaset Premium.

“Dybala is a fine player and very intelligent,” Allegri said (h/t Football Italia). “He enjoys himself playing in almost a trequartista role, connecting the forwards to the midfield. He has very clear ideas on what he wants to do.”

The Juve boss will hope what the 22-year-old and his 23-year-old team-mate Pogba truly want is to remain at Juventus. With them playing prominent roles, La Madama can continue her domestic dominance and finally begin to enjoy tangible—and long overdue—success on the European stage.

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This season has been a strange one for AC Milan. It began last summer with hope of rejuvenation, though this quickly turned to fear of further decline. The team then showcased gradual improvements in the following months to climb into Serie A’s top six.

However, while a return to continental competition is on the cards, the Rossoneri are a long way off challenging the Italian football hierarchy. Juventus are nine points clear at the top of the league and on the cusp of securing a fifth consecutive Scudetto.

Behind the Bianconeri, Napoli and Roma look promising under the respective tutelages of Maurizio Sarri and Luciano Spalletti, while Roberto Mancini’s Inter Milan are also a rising force.

Sixth place represents progression for Milan, though this season has nonetheless been one of great turbulence. Sinisa Mihajlovic, who instigated much of the progress, is now gone, sacked following a run of five games without victory. In his place stands Cristian Brocchi, formerly the Primavera coach.

The future appears uncertain for the club, and while the intention remains to return to the top of Serie A once again, there are a number of changes that must happen in order to facilitate this.

Bolder football

One of the primary reasons given for the dismissal of Mihajlovic was the style of football the former Sampdoria coach perpetuated during his time in charge. Milan president Silvio Berlusconi was clear on this matter with a post on his official Facebook page, per Football Italia, stating:

I proudly defend all my choices from the first to the last, which is to correct with a change of coach a trend of football that was not up to the history of AC Milan.

Let us be clear, aside from the results, we have never seen Milan play so badly. With that in mind, at the end of the season and not now, evaluating the concrete results of this choice, we can make the best decisions in the interests of our Milan.

While perhaps exaggerated, there was a good amount of truth to Berlusconi’s words. The Rossoneri’s style of football under Mihajlovic was functional and, while more effective than what came before, was also dull to watch.

For too long Milan have been pragmatic, adapting to their opposition instead of imposing themselves in each and every game. The team need to play bolder, more assertive football if they are to re-establish themselves as serious contenders in Serie A.

Brocchi has discussed a desire to play a more proactive game, telling the club’s official website:

Pinning our opponents back in their own half and pressing will be something that I will request. We must have an aggressive mentality. When we’re in possession we have to keep hold of it for as long as possible and try and find the right solution and route to goal. This will take time.

Managerial resolution

Unfortunately, while he may have the right ideas, as it stands Brocchi is only in charge until the end of the season. At that point, Milan will either hire him permanently or, as has been rumoured, bring in a new first-team coach.

Should the Rossoneri go with someone else in the summer, they would be appointing their sixth coach in four years, following on from Massimiliano Allegri, Clarence Seedorf, Filippo Inzaghi, Mihajlovic and now Brocchi.

This veritable coaching carousel has to end soon. If Milan want to make real gains on the pitch, they need to have the vision of one coach underpinning the team.

A number of strong candidates have been linked to the club, many of them with their own tactical preferences.

Sassuolo’s Eusebio Di Francesco is set to sign a contract extension with the Neroverdi, but he continues to be rumoured as a possibility to take over at Milan. The 46-year-old has implemented a coherent, attacking style of play within a 4-3-3 system at his current club, and he seems to have the combination of idealism and nous needed to establish his ideas at the San Siro.

Another man who would be able to remodel the club in his own adventurous image would be Fiorentina’s Paulo Sousa, who, according to ItaSportPress (h/t Football Italia) is also on the Rossoneri’s coaching wish list.

Both of the above would bring a bolder approach, but whoever is chosen, they will require the time necessary to wholeheartedly instil their ideals into the players. This means being given more than the 10 months afforded to Mihajlovic.

A more efficient transfer policy

This season, per Transfermarkt.co.uk, Milan’s net spend was higher than any other club in Serie A. Despite this, they have failed to even come close to a title challenge. Consequently, it’s worth investigating exactly how productive the club’s spending has been.

The £22.5 million fee paid for Carlos Bacca is being repaid, with the Colombian top-scoring for the side, while the £18.75 million signature of Alessio Romagnoli is a promising one, with the 21-year-old already maturing into a key member of the team’s defensive line.

However, the £15 million signing of Andrea Bertolacci looks more likely by the week to be a poor piece of transfer activity. The midfielder did not initially appear suited to Milan, who were more in need of a solid midfield bulwark than an elegant passer at the time of his arrival. His poor WhoScored.com rating of 6.78 is confirmation that he has not settled.

Luiz Adriano is another player who seems destined to underwhelm, having joined last summer from Shakhtar for a price of £6 million. Meanwhile, Juraj Kucka has proved to be perhaps the club’s only bargain, with his £2.25 million fee looking like a steal following some dynamic displays.

If Milan do appoint a coach with a clear tactical vision prior to next season, they will have to complement this with a more efficient transfer policy based on quality rather than quantity, with focus on specific areas of the team that need to be revamped.

The Rossoneri have improved this season, though in order to make the next step from European qualification contenders to Scudetto hopefuls, they need a coach with a bold tactical vision and a transfer policy to back it up.

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Arsenal‘s Emirates Cup, the club’s annual pre-season tournament hosted at their home ground, will not take place this year due to UEFA Euro 2016 and “essential pitch reconstruction works.”

The club announced the news on Monday via their official Twitter feed:

Work on a new playing surface at the Gunners’ Emirates Stadium is set to begin after their final home match of the season against Aston Villa on May 15.  

Club chief executive Ivan Gazidis explained the decision to cancel this year’s tournament, per the Arsenal website: “We know how popular the Emirates Cup is with our fans here in the UK and around the world, so we are disappointed that we will not be hosting it this summer. The shorter pre-season window and the need to relay our pitch has resulted in this decision being taken. We look forward to hosting the tournament in 2017.”

The inaugural Emirates Cup took place in 2007 and saw Arsenal prevail ahead of Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and Valencia.

It has taken place every year since—apart from in 2012 because of the London Olympics—with Arsenal hosting the likes of Real Madrid, Juventus, Boca Juniors and New York Red Bulls at the two-day tournament.

France’s Euro 2016 does not finish this summer until July 10, and the 2016-17 Premier League begins on August 13.

Arsenal already have plans for pre-season matches in the USA against the MLS All-Stars and Chivas de Guadalajara. 

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Jose Mourinho reportedly “fully supports” Manchester United targeting Benfica’s Renato Sanches and Everton‘s John Stones in the summer transfer window, with the Red Devils also eyeing Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Portuguese manager now “expects” to take over from Louis van Gaal as United manager in the summer and would back moves for centre-back Stones and midfielder Sanches having pursued them both when in charge at Chelsea, according to James Ducker in the Telegraph.

Ducker added that Paris Saint-Germain striker Ibrahimovic “has admitted he would happily play under Mourinho at United” and is out of contract with the Ligue 1 giants at the end of the season.

Recent reports indicated United could be willing to offer the 34-year-old a £600,000-a-week deal to join them in the summer, per Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport (via the Mirror‘s Aaron Flanagan).

French newspaper L’Equipe (via Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol) also recently reported United currently have no competitors for the Swede in the Premier League:

Despite his age, Ibra would undoubtedly be a fantastic addition to the United squad as the Red Devils are in desperate need of more proven firepower in attack.

The former Ajax, Juventus and Inter Milan star has netted 32 goals in Ligue 1 this season, just eight fewer than the entire United side have managed in their Premier League campaign, per WhoScored.com. 

With Mourinho potentially set to take over at Old Trafford—he managed the Swedish superstar previously at Inter—it seems highly likely that Ibrahimovic could be a United player next term.

Stones and Sanches would both be excellent signings in the long term for the Manchester giants.

Everton’s 21-year-old English centre-back has had a topsy-turvy season, but he has huge potential and could partner well with Chris Smalling at United.

Chelsea failed with numerous bids for Stones last summer, the last of which was worth £38 million, per the Daily Mail‘s Sami Mokbel.

With the England international’s contract at Goodison Park set to run until 2019, Everton will not let him go cheaply, but United have shown in recent transfer windows that they are not afraid to splash the cash.

Sanches, 18, is also unlikely to come cheap, with Benfica’s valuation of the youngster reportedly £46 million, per the Manchester Evening News‘ Alice McKeegan.

He has enjoyed a breakout season in 2015-16 and proved to be a potentially world-class box-to-box midfielder—see some of his highlights below:

With Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger both nearing the end of their respective careers, Sanches could be a future star in the middle of the park for United and could prove a perfect partner for Morgan Schneiderlin.

United are unlikely to be the only club interested in the Portuguese youngster this summer, but they can afford to pay big money for him, and the appointment of Mourinho as manager could prove the deciding factor in their bid to sign Sanches.  

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The moment he collapsed to the turf, it seemed serious. Making a tackle just 15 minutes into Juventus‘ Serie A clash with Palermo on Sunday, Claudio Marchisio‘s knee buckled. He fell in agony, clutching the joint while calling for help from the bench.

His side had already taken the lead when the midfielder was stretchered off and replaced by Mario Lemina, the Old Lady going on to secure a 4-0 triumph that—combined with Napoli‘s loss to Inter Milan on Saturday evening—opens their lead at the top of the table to nine points with just five games remaining.

Yet despite moving one step closer to what would be a historic fifth consecutive league title for the Bianconeri, Marchisio‘s health was the immediate concern of coach Massimiliano Allegri after the full-time whistle.

“It’s probably the cruciate ligament, we’ll have an evaluation tonight or tomorrow,” the Juve boss told Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia). He went on to say the club hoped those tests would show “it’s not that serious,” but when Allegri started his post-match press conference, he already knew it was.

“An MRI scan has confirmed that Claudio Marchisio has suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee,” read a statement on the club’s official website. “He will undergo surgery in the next few days.”

Out for the rest of the season—and almost certain to miss this summer’s UEFA European Football Championship with Italy—it is a desperate loss for all concerned, such is the importance of the 30-year-old to both club and country.

It is the same problem that blighted the Bianconeri in the early part of 2015/16, with Hernanes and Simone Padoin proving to be wholly inadequate replacements as Marchisio missed the first few matches of the campaign.

He returned in October’s 0-0 draw with Inter Milan, and Juve‘s form improved immediately, their record with him in the side making remarkable reading. Indeed, Marchisio has made 32 appearances in all competitions this term, with the Bianconeri registering 25 wins, six draws and just a single defeat in those matches.

The only loss was away to Sevilla in the Champions League, with his tally of zero goals and two assists failing to underline his influence on almost every performance. Fielded in the centre of Allegri’s three-man midfield, the team has altered shape around Marchisio, but he remains the key to its success.

According to statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, his average of 63.5 passes per game leads all Juventus players, connecting on an impressive 88.5 percent of those attempts as he commands the attacking flow of the side.

It is a similar story without the ball, as the same source shows only Paul Pogba (72) and Patrice Evra (51) have made more tackles than Marchisio‘s tally of 48, while his average of 2.8 interceptions is another team-high mark.

Lemina has blossomed into a fine deputy in recent weeks, but Juventus will be thankful the Serie A title race is no longer as tight as it once was and that so few weeks remain for Napoli to close the gap.

“It’s a terrible injury that happened to a serious professional, a treasure of our Juventus,” director general Beppe Marotta told RAI Radio 1 (h/t Football Italia) on Monday morning, adding his hope that the player “can return as soon as possible.”

That remains to be seen, but the Bianconeri will almost certainly miss the Turin native, a key figure at the centre of everything his hometown club has achieved in recent seasons under both Allegri and his predecessor, Antonio Conte.

With five league games and the Coppa Italia final awaiting, Juventus must find a way to win without Marchisio, something that has proved hugely difficult in the past.

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Having watched Inter Milan defeat Napoli on Saturday evening, Juventus Stadium welcomed Palermo on Sunday afternoon aware the hosts could extend their lead at the top of the Serie A table to nine points.

Fielding a full-strength starting XI, they would do just that. Juventus emerged comfortable winners in a game that ended 4-0 to the home side, thanks to goals from Sami Khedira, Paul Pogba, Juan Cuadrado and Simone Padoin.

In the buildup to this fixture, Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri explained that he was preparing to face a reinvigorated opponent after the Rosanero made their ninth coaching change of the campaign last week.

“It’s a tough game because they’ve spent the whole week on a training camp together and their Serie A survival is on the line,” Allegri told reporters at his most recent press conference, where he also discussed the prospect of winning a fifth consecutive league title.

The Livorno native called that “an exceptional achievement,” and this victory brings the Bianconeri another step closer to reaching that goal. What follows is a look at the individual winners and losers from the game in Turin, highlighting the best and worst performances from this Serie A fixture.

Begin Slideshow

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Having watched Inter Milan defeat Napoli on Saturday evening, Juventus Stadium welcomed Palermo on Sunday afternoon aware the hosts could extend their lead at the top of the Serie A table to nine points.

Fielding a full-strength starting XI, they would do just that. Juventus emerged comfortable winners in a game that ended 4-0 to the home side, thanks to goals from Sami Khedira, Paul Pogba, Juan Cuadrado and Simone Padoin.

In the buildup to this fixture, Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri explained that he was preparing to face a reinvigorated opponent after the Rosanero made their ninth coaching change of the campaign last week.

“It’s a tough game because they’ve spent the whole week on a training camp together and their Serie A survival is on the line,” Allegri told reporters at his most recent press conference, where he also discussed the prospect of winning a fifth consecutive league title.

The Livorno native called that “an exceptional achievement,” and this victory brings the Bianconeri another step closer to reaching that goal. What follows is a look at the individual winners and losers from the game in Turin, highlighting the best and worst performances from this Serie A fixture.

Begin Slideshow

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This week is set to be a huge one for Juventus, taking on Palermo, Lazio and Fiorentina, hoping to at least maintain their advantage over closest rivals Napoli. The Bianconeri head into that run of games with a six-point lead at the top of the table, knowing a win in the first fixture is essential.

By the time they kick off against the Sicilian side, coach Massimiliano Allegri and his players will know the result of Napoli’s clash with Inter Milan and could deliver a fatal blow in the Serie A title race.

“We’ve still got a long way to go in order to win the Scudetto,” the Juve boss said at a press conference last week, then going on explain the reasons behind the incredible form shown by the reigning champions.

This is a true group effort that derives from the club’s support of the manager and players, who have been excellent from the tenth matchday onwards. Winning five Scudetto titles in a row isn’t something that happens every five years, but we’ve the chance to do so this season.

We need to stay calm and courageous, but also enjoy the ride, taking each match at a time. The ability to focus on the game at hand has undoubtedly been one of our main strengths.

Their next outing should be much simpler than last weekend’s tough clash with AC Milan, with Palermo falling rapidly down the standings after failing to record a win in any of their last 11 Serie A fixtures.

They have also sacked their coach a staggering nine times this term and conceded more goals (57) than any team other than Frosinone’s tally of 60, prompting president Maurizio Zamparini to concede defeat.

“We already have one foot in Serie B, we don’t have the mentality to survive,” the club owner told Radio 24 (h/t Football Italia). “We are not accustomed to battling it out with the same situations as Carpi and Frosinone.”

Juventus will be further boosted by a reduced injury list, with former Palermo striker Paulo Dybala returning to training this week, per the club’s official website. Sami Khedira will also return from suspension, meaning Allegri will have almost a full squad of players to choose from for the first time in a number of weeks.

They will of course need to guard against complacency, but there is little doubt that the Bianconeri have the quality to sweep their opponents aside and notch three more points in their pursuit of history.

Date: Sunday, April 17, 2016

Time: 2 p.m. BST/9 a.m. ET

Venue: Juventus Stadium, Turin

TV Info: BT Sport 2 (UK), beIN Sports 1 (USA)

Live Stream: BT Connect (UK)

Form Lines

Last five domestic results:

Probable Formations

Juventus (3-5-2): Gigi Buffon; Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Daniele Rugani; Juan Cuadrado, Sami Khedira, Hernanes, Paul Pogba, Patrice Evra; Mario Mandzukic, Alvaro Morata

Unavailable: Simone Zaza (suspended), Giorgio Chiellini, Martin Caceres and Roberto Pereyra (all injured)

Palermo: (4-3-1-2): Stefano Sorrentino; Aljaz Struna, Giancarlo Gonzalez, Sinisa Andelkovic, Achraf Lazaar; Oscar Hiljemark, Mato Jajalo, Gaston Brugman; Franco Vazquez, Alberto Gilardino, Aleksandar Trajkovski

Unavailable: Robin Quaison (suspended) and Edoardo Goldaniga (injured)

Key Battle

Given Palermo’s woeful defensive performances this term, the key for them here is likely to be shutting out a Bianconeri attack that has scored 58 goals this term, the third-highest mark in Serie A.

Croatia international Mario Mandzukic has ended a lengthy personal drought to net in each of his last two appearances, and Stefano Sorrentino’s ability to deny him a third consecutive strike will be vital.

Their head-to-head battle is likely to play a major role in deciding the outcome of this fixture, and it was discussed in further detail in this previous post.

Player to Watch

While restricting the chances given to the likes of Mandzukic and Dybala will be key for the Rosanero, their own attacking threat rests almost entirely on the shoulders of the Argentinian-born Franco Vazquez.

The 27-year-old forward—who has won two international caps for Italy—has continued the good form he displayed last season, weighing in with five goals and seven assists so far in the 2015/16 campaign.

According to statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, his average of 3.4 dribbles per game is the best mark in Serie A, with the above graphic showing just how effective he has been at taking on defenders.

Fortunately for Juventus, Vazquez has been wasteful in front of goal this term, with Squawka.com highlighting his poor shooting accuracy, which has seen him hit the target with just 36 percent of his attempts.

Odds (via Odds Shark)

Away win: 16-1

Home win: 1-5

Draw: 11-2

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