Juventus have used the international break to put their defensive department at the centre of the next stage of the season. There are few players at Continassa, but Luciano Spalletti has most of his back line available in Turin, giving him time to reinforce the foundations before the calendar accelerates again.
The decision
Only Pierre Kalulu and Jhon Lucumí are away from the group, while the rest of the defensive unit continues its work during the pause. For Spalletti, that is a useful starting point: Juventus built much of their nine-title run on defensive authority, finishing with Serie A’s strongest rearguard in eight of those campaigns.
The opening six matches have offered encouraging numbers. Juventus have kept four clean sheets, conceding only against Milan and in the remarkable defeat at Sassuolo. That Sassuolo afternoon underlined how heavily the team had felt absences further forward, particularly those of Manuel Locatelli and Khéphren Thuram, but the response over the following 180 minutes was more convincing.
NEC did not provide the sternest examination, yet the subsequent win over Atalanta without conceding carried greater weight. It is from that performance that Spalletti intends to resume.
Bremer has become central to the project again. The Brazilian has scored twice in five league appearances, finding the net against Frosinone and Atalanta, while steadily recovering the commanding presence he had before his serious knee injury. The return to a three-man defence for the NEC and Atalanta fixtures has suited him, allowing his physical strength, anticipation and positional reading to show more clearly.
When operating between Kalulu and Lucumí, Bremer has looked comfortable. The work in Turin is also aimed at improving his speed in possession and encouraging him to take greater responsibility with the ball, qualities Spalletti wants from his defenders.
The break is also important for Federico Gatti and Lloyd Kelly. Kelly began the season at Frosinone, then came on from the bench against Parma, Sassuolo and Atalanta. The English defender now wants to re-establish himself after the progress he made last season.
Gatti has had even fewer opportunities: a full match against NEC in Europe and only brief league involvement. Still, his late equaliser against Milan showed his value in a reduced role. Juventus will need both players once the schedule resumes, with nine fixtures due to be played in 29 days.
Andrea Cambiaso is close to returning fully on the left, while Juan Cabal is also awaited. Their availability would give Spalletti further options just as Juventus move from the calm of the break into a far more demanding run.
Sunday’s picture
Juventus return against Cagliari, a meeting that places two of the league’s early defensive stories in the same frame. Cagliari have conceded only two goals so far, the best record in Serie A at this point.
For Juventus, it is an immediate measure of whether the clean sheet against Atalanta was merely a useful result or the beginning of a more durable identity. Spalletti’s side have enough evidence to believe in the latter, but Sunday will ask them to show it again.
