Juventus drew 0-0 with Empoli on Saturday, which is obviously not considered good enough by the club’s supporters.
Empoli finished 17th last season and were fortunate to escape relegation. Had Juventus won, they’d have gone clear top of Serie A. As it stands, they’re third, one point off, and haven’t lost a match in the league this season.
Despite that, there’s mass drama continuing around signing Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa. At the time of the transfer, the Italian media were falling over themselves to explain what a good deal Juventus had got.
It was thought the two players sent to Aston Villa were overvalued and Juventus had played something of a transfer blinder.
Then comments from the Premier League club about having to do the deal to help with PSR caused some suspicion in the Italian media. And that led to suspicion around signing Douglas Luiz generally, and a level of scrutiny which has got a little silly.
Gazzetta dello Sport rated the Brazilian’s performance as 5/10 against Empoli. No player on the pitch scored less, but a handful did get the same.
Corriere dello Sport also rated him 5/10, again along with a few others, and they decided he was the match’s Il Peggiore – The Worst.
Gazzetta went on to say: ‘There’s no doubt that the benching was deserved. For now, he’s a ghost of the full-field playmaker seen in the Premier League. He stays wide on the left, it seems like the ball is burning between his feet. It’s clear that he has technique and speed of execution, but perhaps his condition isn’t helping him.’
There’s obviously concern Luiz didn’t turn up at Juventus in peak fitness, but some of the issues can surely be put at the door of manager Thiago Motta.
