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Serie A - 19^ Giornata Andata - 10-1-2016 (ore 20:45) SAMPDORIA - JUVENTUS - 19^ giornata di andata Domenica, 10 gennaio, 2016 - ore 20:45 Stadio Luigi Ferraris (Marassi), Genova Arbitro: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni Confronti ufficiali 123 - 114 (Serie A) - 9 (Coppa Italia) Vittorie Juventus 61 - 53 (Serie A) - 8 (Coppa Italia) Pareggi 37 - 37 (Serie A) Vittorie Sampdoria 25 - 24 (Serie A) - 1 (Coppa Italia) Goals Juventus 202 - 174 (Serie A) - 28 (Coppa Italia) Goals Sampdoria 125 - 112 (Serie A) - 13 (Coppa Italia) Sampdoria - Juventus Serie A a Genova Confronti ufficiali 57 Vittorie Juventus 20 (L'ultima il 02.05.2015, 0-1) Pareggi 18 (L'ultimo il 23.01.2011, 0-0) Vittorie Sampdoria 19 (L'ultima il 18.05.2013, 3-2) Goals Juventus 68 Goals Sampdoria 66 Giocatori con più presenze e goals contro la Sampdoria a Genova 13 presenze Boniperti Giampiero 11 Del Piero Alessandro 10 Salvadore Sandro 9 Castano Ernesto 9 Furino Giuseppe 9 Scirea Gaetano 8 Leoncini Gianfranco 8 Tacconi Stefano 7 Anastasi Pietro 7 Cuccureddu Antonello 7 goals Boniperti Giampiero 7 Sivori Omar Enrique 4 Altafini Josè João 3 Del Piero Alessandro 3 Mora Bruno 3 Muccinelli Ermes 2 Bettega Roberto 2 Inzaghi Filippo 2 Leoncini Gianfranco 2 Platini Michel Ultimi confronti diretti 28.10.2009 - Serie A - Juventus-Sampdoria 5-1 21.03.2010 - Serie A - Sampdoria-Juventus 1-0 12.09.2010 - Serie A - Juventus-Sampdoria 3-3 23.01.2011 - Serie A - Sampdoria-Juventus 0-0 06.01.2013 - Serie A - Juventus-Sampdoria 1-2 18.05.2013 - Serie A - Sampdoria-Juventus 3-2 24.08.2013 - Serie A - Sampdoria-Juventus 0-1 18.01.2014 - Serie A - Juventus-Sampdoria 4-2 14.12.2014 - Serie A - Juventus-Sampdoria 1-1 02.05.2015 - Serie A - Sampdoria-Juventus 0-1 Giocate 10 - Vittorie Juventus 4 - Pareggi 3 - Vittorie Sampdoria 3 - Goals Juventus 18 - Goals Sampdoria 13 da juworld.net http://www.goal.com/it/tables/serie-a/13

SAMPDORIA - JUVENTUS - MATCHDAY 19 Sunday, January 10th, 2016 - 8:45 PM Luigi Ferraris (Marassi) Stadium, Genoa Referee: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni Eder: 'Buffon, Dybala Juve's weapons' http://www.football-italia.net/78088/eder-buffon-dybala-juves-weapons? Jan 9, 2016 Sampdoria striker Eder looks forward to 'playing a trick' on Juventus and identifies Gianluigi Buffon and Paulo Dybala as the greatest threats. The Blucerchiati will be counting on the Italian oriundo to lead the team in tomorrow's mission impossible against the Old Lady, at 20:45 CET - 18:45 UK time. “I think winning the derby gave us a boost in terms of morale,” Eder told Il Corriere dello Sport. “It was an important match for us and our supporters and we'll come to the Juventus game with enthusiasm, and with the hopes of playing them a little trick. “Juve are the team to beat because they won the last four Scudetti thanks to the mentality created by Conte and sustained by Allegri, but we'll try to interrupt their streak of eight successful games. “Their strength lies in the solidity of their group. Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini, Marchisio and the others have all played together for several years, and they're good at passing on their winning mentality to the new arrivals too. “Who would I take away from them? As a striker I'll say Buffon, who is superb. But right now Dybala is in great shape. It's hard to mark a player like him, who has such moves and technique.” When asked about his odds to become the season's top scorer, Eder bowed out to Napoli's Gonzalo Higuain. “He is the real phenomenon of this championship. When I can, I always watch Napoli's games to study his movements. He's one of the strongest strikers in the world.” http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

Besiktas told no for Neto http://www.football-italia.net/78085/besiktas-told-no-neto? Jan 9, 2016 Juventus have reportedly turned down a Besiktas offer for goalkeeper Norberto Neto. The shot-stopper arrived as a free agent from Fiorentina over the summer, but naturally appeared mainly only in the Coppa Italia because the first choice is Gigi Buffon. According to Sky Sport Italia, Turkish side Besiktas made a formal proposal to either buy Neto outright or take him on loan. However, Juve have no intention of releasing the Brazilian.

Improved attack key to Juventus' eight-match winning streak http://www.espnfc.co.uk/club/juventus/111/blog/post/2782641/juventus-eight-match-winning-streak-down-to-improved-attack Jan 9, 2016 On a streak of eight consecutive Serie A wins, Juventus will face Sampdoria next hoping to collect yet another victory to continue their march forward and keep the pressure on league leaders Inter. How has a team that suffered so greatly at the start of the season recovered their dominant edge so quickly and made themselves the bookmakers' favourite to collect a fifth consecutive Scudetto? The secret lies in their attacking play. The best way to analyse the Bianconeri's season is to divide the campaign's start into two parts. In the first ten matches, Juventus conceded nine goals and scored 12. The latter was considered a paltry figure, one that desperately needed to improve considering the fragility of the defence. Immediately, critics blamed the loss of those who departed. giornalaccio rosa dello Sport wrote a feature in which it explained Carlos Tevez, Arturo Vidal, Fernando Llorente and Andrea Pirlo had contributed 52 percent of Juve's goal, which resulted in 27 points for the Turin giants. Their absence left the team with a void, and with Massimiliano Allegri rotating his squad so often, the new arrivals, especially those upfront, struggled to produce offensive performances worthy of the Bianconeri jersey. Since the loss to Sassuolo on Oct. 28, the Bianconeri have managed a terrific run, winning eight consecutive Serie A games and losing just once in all competitions since. Interestingly, the defence has not improved much. In those first ten matches, the Old Lady conceded on average 0.9 goals a game. But ever since their win in the Derby della Mole against Torino, Juve have only conceded 0.62 goals a game. It is certainly an improvement. But to be honest, the defence must still do better, especially when you consider how often the team concedes on account of a slip in concentration such as in the 3-2 victory against Carpi. The reason behind Juve's success lies in their attacking play. Scoring only 1.2 goals a game on average in the first ten games of the season, the Bianconeri have managed to net 20 times over their past eight, increasing their average to 2.5 goals a game. Unlike last season, the midfield is not contributing as directly to the tally but Juve's attackers -- including Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Simone Zaza -- have truly stepped up to exploit the creativity within the squad and help bring home the results. Much of their attacking brilliance is thanks to Paul Pogba's improvement in form and Stephan Lichtsteiner's return to the squad. The Swiss wing-back may not be a real attacking threat but what he does offer the squad are solutions, especially for ball carriers like Pogba. Watch any Juve game and you'll notice the Frenchman often launches diagonal balls forward towards Lichtsteiner, trusting that the former Lazio star will be there to receive and widen play. Against Milan, Pogba to Lichtsteiner was one of the most often-tried pass combinations and if it's not the youngster looking for the wing-back, it's often Claudio Marchisio looking to pick the Swiss out. Such chemistry makes all the difference. While Pogba has often depended on his understanding with countryman Patrice Evra on the left, the option of always switching play to the right opens up the game and offers the squad choices. Of course, one cannot mention the importance of Lichtsteiner without noting the exellence of Alex Sandro -- a player who has quickly made an impact in Turin, producing accurate and offensive performances that have greatly helped the team. Another wing-back who tactically understands where to position himself to offer the side solutions, he breathes life into the 3-5-2 formation and is vital in making it an offensive shape. Between his movements and perfect crosses into the box, Dybala and Mandzukic -- who has recovered from a debilitating infection suffered at the start of the season -- have been given the type of service required to make the difference. Both forwards know when to drop back and how to work with the men behind them, while their blossoming relationship has turned them into the most feared striking duo in the league. With a capable bench waiting in the wings, Allegri can always call on Juan Cuadrado or Zaza to ensure versatility and the prospect that a different set of skills can pierce through the toughest defences -- something that should keep them in good stead when Juve face Sampdoria on Sunday evening. A team coached by Vincenzo Montella, Sampdoria is slowly starting to take shape, producing enough going forward to collect points even if their defence still needs to be strengthened. Having scored five goals in the past two games, the Bianconeri must stay alert defensively while taking their opportunities going forward to make it nine wins in a row. Sampdoria will certainly pose a threat but if Juventus stay united and humble, their swift march forward is bound to continue. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

Alex Sandro: ‘Dybala like Neymar’ http://www.football-italia.net/78072/alex-sandro-%E2%80%98dybala-neymar%E2%80%99? Jan 8, 2016 Juventus full-back Alex Sandro believes his teammate Paulo Dybala “has all the qualities” to reach Neymar’s levels. The Brazilian has played with Barcelona star Neymar at international level, and believes his Argentinian club colleague can be as good as the Blaugrana man. “Dybala has all the qualities to become a champion like Hulk and Neymar,” Alex Sandro told Sky. “I’m sure he’ll surprise the world of football. “Having fellow South Americans here is always a good thing, because the language is much easier and the culture is closer. “We like to spend time together both in the squad and outside of that. It’s important.” Sandro joined the Bianconeri from Porto this summer, and discussed his start to life in Turin. “The Italian style and the style of Juventus has helped me a lot, and is still helping me. “I think by following the instructions of [Coach Massimiliano] Allegri and the squad I can get better and better. “I don’t feel ‘suadade’ [a Portuguese word for longing, for a place or person], I’m already used to living in Europe and in Turin. “It’s a nice friendly city with tourists and people who come from other countries.” The left-back was also asked whether he’d be joining Juan Cuadrado and Paul Pogba for their dancing goal celebrations. “I don’t have the talent for dancing that Pogba and Cuadrado have!” Sandro laughed. “I’ll leave the dances to them.”

Neuer named world's best goalkeeper for third year in a row The Bayern Munich stopper defeated Juventus' Gianluigi Buffon and Barcelona's Claudio Bravo and has now completed a hat-trick of titles, with David De Gea finishing fourth. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3275/bundesliga/2016/01/08/19111212/-? Jan 8, 2016 Manuel Neuer has been named the World Goalkeeper of the Year for the third year in a row. Bayern goalkeeper Neuer beat off competition from runner-up Gianluigi Buffon and third-placed Claudio Bravo to reclaim the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) award. Experts from 50 countries cast their vote in the competition, and Neuer earned 188 points, a remarkable 110 ahead of his Juventus rival, while Bravo received only 45. "Of course I am happy about this triple. But titles with my team are more important to me," he told Bayern's official website. Premier League goalkeepers David De Gea and Thibaut Courtois came fourth and fifth respectively, with Petr Cech sixth. Marcelo Barovero, Marc Andre Ter Stegen, Iker Casillas and Daniel Subasic round off the top 10.

5 Bold Predictions for Juventus in 2016 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2604518-5-bold-predictions-for-juventus-in-2016? Jan 8, 2016 There is little doubt that 2015 was a good year for Juventus, with the Turin giants completing their maiden 12 months under coach Massimiliano Allegri by claiming the domestic double for the first time in two decades and reaching the Champions League final. The Bianconeri also rallied after a difficult start to the current campaign, with new signings Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic helping the club to overcome the loss of Carlos Tevez, Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo. It is difficult to imagine Italian football’s grand Old Lady being able to top those achievements in 2016, though, with Bayern Munich likely to prove a formidable opponent in the Champions League next month. Pep Guardiola’s men are likely to prevent the club going as far in UEFA’s elite competition this time around, but what follows here is a look at five predictions for what Juventus and their players may achieve in the new year. Alvaro Morata to Better His 2014/15 Goal Tally If this term began poorly for Juventus, then it is difficult to argue that any player was affected as much as Alvaro Morata. The Spanish striker was one of the club’s most valuable players in 2014/15, but this season has seen him relegated to the bench after struggling to make any real impact on the field. Indeed, the 23-year-old has scored just three goals so far in the current campaign, with the last of those coming against Bologna back in early October. The emergence of Mario Mandzukic in the past two months has been a major factor, with the Croatian supplanting Morata in coach Massimiliano Allegri’s preferred XI. Yet—having seen him fire Juve into the Champions League final last term—there is little doubting the former Real Madrid star’s quality. It is therefore somewhat easy to predict Morata will better last season’s tally of 15 goals in all competitions this season, with a return to form expected in the coming weeks. It is worth noting that he had struck just four times before the 2014/15 winter break, so improving his tally by two goals this time around is certainly not beyond him. …And Remain in Turin Perhaps the biggest issue with Morata since his arrival has been the constant talk of him returning to Real Madrid. Upon signing the striker, Juventus revealed via their official website that the Spanish club retained a buy-back option on the player, allowing them to re-sign him in the summer of 2016 or 2017. Set at a maximum of €30 million, the lure of Morata’s home-town club is obviously strong, but it would be no surprise to see him line up in the famous black-and-white stripes once again in 2016/17. “Morata is our player, I can only see his future at Juventus,” club vice-president Pavel Nedved told Tuttosport earlier this year (h/t Goal.com). “He is a great player and I believe that he is still only at 60 percent of his full potential.” “Morata represents the future of Juventus,” the retired midfielder continued, and the man himself made his own feelings on the matter clear, dismissing talk of a return to the Santiago Bernabeu during an interview with Radio Marca. “It's true that on paper I could go back to Madrid,” Morata said when asked about a return (h/t ESPN FC), “but there are some things that are worth more than a simple clause, such as a person's happiness.” Paulo Dybala to Top Carlos Tevez Standing in stark contrast to Morata’s struggles, Paulo Dybala has been something of a revelation since joining Juventus back in the summer. As discussed previously here, the Argentinian striker has become indispensable for coach Massimiliano Allegri, and the team looks much more dangerous with him on the field. According to their official website, the Turin giants paid €32 million—with a further €8 million in potential bonuses—for Dybala, a fee he has already begun to repay. The 22-year-old has bagged 11 goals and four assists in all competitions, and he could well surpass the figures posted by Carlos Tevez in 2014/15. The former Manchester United star weighed in with 20 league goals last term, narrowly losing out to Mauro Icardi and Luca Toni in the race to be named Serie A’s leading scorer. He also added seven assists, but as Dybala adapts to playing in a deeper role, he might achieve even greater impact than his predecessor. “When I arrived I thought I would be playing as a centre-forward like I had done at Palermo,” Dybala told Sky Italia recently (h/t Juve’s official website). “The boss asked me instead to operate a little deeper and get involved in the play as much as possible.” Dybala has done just that, and he will need only a small uplift in production to better Tevez’s accomplishments. A Juventus Player Will Win Euro 2016 With the Bianconeri enjoying immense success at club level, it would be no surprise to see a number of the club’s players carry that over into the international arena. The UEFA European Championships await this summer, and Juventus are blessed to have a number of their current squad expected to play major roles at the tournament. The likes of Gigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci and Claudio Marchisio will likely be part of Antonio Conte’s Italy squad, while Sami Khedira (Germany), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Switzerland) and Alvaro Morata (Spain) should also travel with their respective countries. With Paul Pogba and Patrice Evra regulars for host nation France, it would be good to see at least one Juventus player on the winner’s podium when Euro 2016 is over. New World Transfer Record? Perhaps no player is expected to deliver more than Paul Pogba this season, with the French midfielder now firmly established as one of European football’s most valuable assets after continual improvement at Juventus. Like the rest of the side, he struggled in the first few months but has since returned to prominence, explaining in a recent interview with Turin-based newspaper La Stampa just what has changed (h/t Football Italia): Obviously without Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez it is a different Juventus. There’s more responsibility on the other players and we have to focus more on working as a unit. The same is true for me. Before I had Pirlo by my side and one of our opponents was always marking him. Now they put the same marker on me. I have to find the right moment to make the pass. Pogba has made a determined effort to do just that, already weighing in with four goals and five assists in all competitions this term. Given that he managed just five assists in total during 2014/15, that is just one facet of his game that has improved, while his goal direct from a free-kick against Torino last month highlights another. Should he decide to move on this summer, there is little doubt Juventus would look to receive a world-record sum, and Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola told Tuttosport he believes they are likely to achieve that aim. “What are the chances of Pogba staying next season? We don’t know yet,” Raiola said recently (h/t Football Italia). “Paul will decide based on the offers on the table and what he feels inside. He was already in the same situation last summer.” “The player has grown and with him his price tag, so I think €100 million won’t be enough.”

Allegri delighted with title challenging Juventus' U-turn Massimiliano Allegri is thrilled with his side's upturn in form, especially his strikers, as Juventus continue to revive their Serie A title defence. http://www.goal.com/en/news/723/serie-a/2016/01/08/19105142/-? Jan 8, 2016 Juventus coach Massimo Allegri is spoiled for choice up front - as he discovered during his side's 3-0 win over Verona on Wednesday. The reigning Serie A champions coasted to an eighth straight league win, with no place for Mario Mandzukic - who scored a brace in the team's 3-2 win over Carpi before the mid-season break - in the starting line-up. Instead, Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata lead the line, with the former scoring and the latter being replaced by Simone Zaza, who got his name on the scoresheet. Allegri said he was happy to see Zaza score again, with the Italian netting four goals in his last three appearances. "I'm pleased for Zaza and the regularity with which he's finding the net," Allegri said. "Morata played well, he attacked the space and closed down the man in possession at every opportunity. He needs to remain calm and keep working hard, his strikes have been crucial for us in the past. "As for Dybala, he's continuing to improve every aspect of his game. He's very focused on achieving his goals and is a great player to have in the squad." Allegri said he was happy with the progress he was seeing from his team after correcting a poor start to the domestic campaign. "We've grown enormously on all fronts and for me that is the key difference between what you are seeing now and what you saw at the start of the season. "Back then, we weren't playing badly and I believe some of our performances were better than those during the opening months of the previous campaign. Now however, we are quicker, stronger and have all of our key players back to full fitness."

http://www.tuttosport.com/foto/calcio/serie-a/2016/01/06-7299793/serie_a_juventus-verona_il_film_della_partita/ http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/uNVnpmqWUnn/Juventus+FC+v+Hellas+Verona+FC+Serie/3S_RhUZNZUn Juventus 1-0 Hellas Verona (Dybala) Juventus 2-0 Hellas Verona (Bonucci) Juventus 3-0 Hellas Verona (Zaza)

Guardiola Wants Juventus Star At Manchester City http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2016/01/guardiola-wants-juventus-star-at-manchester-city/? Jan 7, 2016 Pep Guardiola has identified Juventus star Paul Pogba as a target for when he potentially joins Manchester City next summer. The current Bayern Munich coach will leave the German club at the end of the season, and with the Citizens being his most likely next job, he will try to sign several players, including Lionel Messi. Paul Pogba is amongst these, according to The Sun, as Guardiola will try to build a young team to leave a dynasty at Manchester City. The Juventus number 10 has struggled like his teammates in the first portion of this season, but has emerged recently and overall put together four goals and seven assists in 25 appearances, which keeps him amongst the most talented and desired young midfielders. It is still unclear whether or not Guardiola will join City, but if so the club are reportedly happy to financially back the Spaniard’s big transfer plans, which include signing Bayern’s David Alaba and Barcelona’s Gerard Pique.

Juventus, Napoli on IFFHS list http://www.football-italia.net/78010/juventus-napoli-iffhs-list? Jan 7, 2016 Juventus and Napoli placed second and third on the International Federation of Football History & Statistics’ club rankings. The body calculates the ranking of clubs in world football by their results in a calendar year, and the Bianconeri and the Partenopei came behind Barcelona in the World rankings. The Old Lady’s run to the Champions League final saw them come second to winners Barcelona, while the Vesuviani’s Europa League exploits brought them second place. Fiorentina were the only other Serie A side in the top 10, coming in eighth place between Independiente and River Plate. Lazio were ranked 17th, Roma came in 38th place while Inter were in joint 84th alongside CSKA Moscow. In terms of players, Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was named as the world's second best goalkeeper, behind Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich. IFFHS Club rankings 1 - Barcelona 2 - Juventus 3 - Napoli 4 - Bayern Munich 5 - Paris Saint-Germain 6 - Real Madrid 7 - Club Independiente Santa Fe 8 - Fiorentina 9 - River Plate 10 - Wolfsburg

Dybala Wants Barcelona Star At Juventus http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2016/01/dybala-wants-barcelona-star-at-juventus/? Jan 7, 2016 Juventus began 2016 in good fashion as they defeated Hellas Verona 3-0 on Wednesday and striker Paulo Dybala has praised his teammates for the way in which they achieved their task. After once again getting himself on the score-sheet, the Argentine rejected claims that he is one of the most important players in the squad, stating that there are many people with more influential experience than him within their dressing room. “Today it was important to win and start the year well,” said Dybala to Sky Sport Italia. “We have achieved the victory and I am very happy. “In this squad there are lots of leaders that are more important than me.” The Argentina international also admitted that it would be great to have his compatriot Lionel Messi join him in Turin, and that a fresh challenge may be the best thing for the Barcelona striker’s career. “As for convincing Messi to come to Juventus, it would be beautiful to have him with us,” Dybala added. “He has always played in Spain and it would be good to see him perform in another championship.”

Del Piero for Mallorca role? http://www.football-italia.net/77992/del-piero-mallorca-role? Jan 7, 2016 Former Juventus star Alessandro Del Piero is reportedly on the verge of joining Real Mallorca in a directorial role. Sky Sport believes that a close friendship between Del Piero and former NBA star Steve Nash, who owns the club, could lead to a new role for the former Italy international. The report says that the former Juve number 10 would take on the position of director general at the Spanish club. Mallorca are currently 18th in the second tier of Spanish football and Nash was reported to have been part of a group that purchased a controlling share in the club two days ago.

JUVENTUS - HELLAS VERONA 3 - 0 Paulo Dybala (8') Leonardo Bonucci (45') Simone Zaza (82') MATCHDAY 18 Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Gianpaolo Calvarese Alex Sandro and Juventus Impress in Win over Hellas Verona http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2605603-alex-sandro-and-juventus-impress-in-win-over-hellas-verona? Jan 7, 2016 With Serie A returning from its annual winter break, reigning champions Juventus welcomed Hellas Verona to Turin, the visitors having failed to secure a victory in any of their 17 previous league games this term. They would fail to do so again here, the Bianconeri running out comfortable winners in their first outing of 2016. Before Christmas, Massimiliano Allegri had overseen seven consecutive wins by his team, and the coach discussed the importance of continuing that streak in Tuesday’s pre-match press conference. “We must approach the game in the right way, especially from a psychological point of view, as switching back on is always hardest after being away,” he told reporters at the club’s training centre. “The boys needed some time off but have come back fired up and trained well all week.” Adam Digby @Adz77 Stop me if you've heard this before but a guy wearing no. 21 for @juventusfcen just curled home a freekick Allegri went on to say that his side had “dropped too many points against so-called ‘smaller’ teams,” and he ensured they were in no mood to repeat those mistakes against Hellas. Just eight minutes had passed when Dybala curled home a superbly taken free kick, marking the Argentinian’s 11th goal of the season. While Juventus were doing well without first-team regulars Mario Mandzukic and Andrea Barzagli, the absence of Luca Toni clearly hurt the visitors. Giampaolo Pazzini drew a fine save from Gigi Buffon, but all too often the Veronese side struggled to create any real attacking threat on the rare occasions they were able to press forward. Hellas goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini did well to deny Alvaro Morata and Claudio Marchisio but would be powerless to prevent a superb header from Leonardo Bonucci as he nodded home another pin-point set piece from Dybala. They would take that two-goal lead into half-time, and Simone Zaza would grab a third in the second half to seal all three points in a superb team performance that demonstrated the depth and quality available to Allegri. As well as Barzagli and Mandzukic, the coach also left out Juan Cuadrado and Patrice Evra, with Alex Sandro doing a superb job in place of the latter. Indeed, the Brazilian wing-back was arguably Juve’s most impressive player here, turning in an excellent display that highlighted just why the club invested so heavily in him this past summer. According to their official website, the Bianconeri paid former club FC Porto €26 million for Sandro, who then signed a five-year contract with the Italian giants. Despite the presence of established veteran Evra, he has already begun to prove to be worth that high fee with a string of eye-catching performances. The ability to deliver match-winning assists against Milan, Torino and Manchester City showcased his attacking prowess, but Sandro has also continued to be a diligent defender each time he steps on the field. That continued on Wednesday afternoon, with the graphic in the tweet below highlighting the extent to which he dominated the entire flank against Hellas Verona. It shows he made three tackles, four interceptions and two clearances while also completing 29 of his 35 pass attempts (82.9 percent). Adam Digby @Adz77 Alex Sandro vs Hellas(7/1/16): 3 tackles, 4 int, 2 clearances, 29/35 passes (82.9%), 2/3 take-ons (via @StatsZone) It also indicates the 24-year-old was successful in two of his three attempted take-ons; he was a continual source of torment for the opposition defence as he repeatedly linked up well with both Dybala and Paul Pogba down Juve’s left. But despite Sandro’s excellence, overall it was a victory for the entire team, which Zaza noted as he spoke reporters immediately after the match. “Today’s game might have become easier as it progressed,” the Italy striker said, per the club’s official website, “but that’s down to our ability and good work. Now we need to take this form into our next fixtures.” There is little doubt Juventus will look to do just that when they visit Sampdoria this weekend. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

JUVENTUS - HELLAS VERONA 3 - 0 Paulo Dybala (8') Leonardo Bonucci (45') Simone Zaza (82') MATCHDAY 18 Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Gianpaolo Calvarese Juventus vs. Hellas Verona 3-0, Bianconeri start the year off with comfortable win Paulo Dybala, Leonardo Bonucci and Simone Zaza scored as Juventus rout Hellas Verona at Juventus Stadium. http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/1/7/10727972/juventus-hellas-verona-2016-serie-a-round-18-final-score-recap-result Jan 7, 2016 Juventus hosted Hellas Verona in the first match of 2016 and, just in case you're wondering, the Bianconeri didn't lose their implacable rhythm on the domestic championship with the holiday break. Hellas Verona visited Turin craving for points, with the Mastiffs the only squad who have yet to win a game in Serie A and they are dead last in the table. On Verona's bench was an old acquaintance, Luigi Delneri, who brought us memories of that Juventus with Milos Krasic, Marco Motta and Luca Toni, amongst others. Max Allegri employed a 3-5-2 formation again. However, it came with a surprise — instead of Daniele Rugani, Martin Caceres supplanted an injured Andrea Barzagli in the starting lineup. Alex Sandro replaced Patrice Evra on the left flank and Álvaro Morata partnered with Paulo Dybala in attack. Delneri used a 4-2-3-1 configuration with Giampaolo Pazzini as his lone attacker. The match began red hot. Verona surprised Juventus — and all of us — with a high pressure in the early instants, but the home team could adjust quickly to that strategy. At 6th minute Stephan Lichtsteiner was fouled harshly on the edge of Verona's penalty area. Juan Cuadrado immediately jumped off the bench as a precaution, but the Swiss Express was able to continue. Paulo "La Joya" Dybala took advantage of the free kick and performed a delightful curled shot over the wall that made Verona's goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini look like a statue. Five minutes later, Hellas Verona responded, as Giampaolo Pazzini turned back the clock and elaborated an acrobatic volley that was saved spectacularly by Gianluigi Buffon. After that, Juventus began to bombard Verona's goal with long-range efforts. First, Paul Pogba was really close with a thundering shot that passed just wide of Gollini's near post. Minutes later, Morata and Claudio Marchisio tested the young keeper reflexes with a pair of wicked shots. Gollini kept the score 1-0 for a moment, but Juventus' pressure was too much. Seconds before halftime Juventus earned another set piece in the attacking third, with it was marked near the touchline. Dybala delivered a magnificent bending cross and...Sciacquatevi la bocca! Leonardo Bonucci sent the ball home with a furious header. At halftime Juventus was ahead by two goals. Juventus slowed the tempo in the second half. Delneri made a couple of substitutions trying to be more aggressive, however, Hellas Verona didn't create a clear opportunity. The match was in Juventus' hands, and Allegri decided to manage the game and simply took his foot off the gas. Still, it looks like nobody told that to Simone Zaza who entered for Morata at the 79th minute. Three minutes later, Pogba assisted Zaza leaving him 1-v-1 with Gollini, and the ex-Sassuolo attacker calmly rounded the keeper and sent the ball to the back of the net. Juventus achieved their eighth victory in a row. They´ll visit Genoa to play against Sampdoria on Sunday hoping to close the first half of the league schedule with another triumph. LE PAGELLE Buffon 7.5 He hardly appeared in the game, but his only save was world-class and served to demoralize Verona's attackers. Cáceres 7 He filled Barzagli's shoes appropriately. He was hardly tested on defense. Bonucci 7.5 He had great command of Juventus' backline. Also, his header for Juve's second goal was superb. Chiellini 7 Another game another scar for King Kong. He handled Pazzini properly. Litchtsteiner 7 A usual performance by the Swiss Express. He worked really hard on the right flank. He attacked at will. Khedira 7 Solid game by Sami. He played a great game on defense but failed to deliver a couple of passes offensively. Marchisio 7.5 A maestro in the middle of the pitch. Controlled the tempo of the match with simplicity and wisdom. Pogba 8 Easy to know when Paul is having fun. He bullied Verona's players with his skills. He was always a menace thanks to his powerful shots. The assistance to Zaza was thing of beauty. Sandro 7.5 This kid is a beast. Always a threat with his crosses and an enforcer on defense. Paulo Dybala 8.5 I'm speechless, another Man of the Match performance for the tiny attacker. Morata 6.5 The Spaniard is struggling right now. He tried but was out of luck. Better times lay ahead. Subs Sturaro 6 Entered for Khedira. He worked a lot, but was reckless sometimes. He must calm down and learn how to read the stages of the game. Zaza 7.5 He showed great instincts with his movements and scored like an expert hitman. Rugani s/v Entered for Cáceres at the 83rd minute. Coach Allegri 8 Dominated the match tactically. His side was always on command and slowed the tempo because they'll play on Genoa on Sunday. Things I think I think Marchisio will not play on Sunday thanks to a suspension. Place your bets for his substitute as regista. Sami, Pogba or... Hernanes. Maybe I'm going to bring some controversy in the comments below, but Simone Zaza has some similarities to Javier Hernandez and (with a huge leap of faith to) Pipo Inzaghi in my opinion. They have a so-so technique, however, they have this killer nature and know really well how to move on attack thanks to their instincts. Also, when they're hot, they're really hot! Paulo Dybala is making Maurizio Zamparini look like a genius, and guys that's a hard task. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

Dybala: Becoming a Juventus player changed my mentality The Argentine forward, who scored his 11th goal of the season against Verona, says a more mature approach to football is behind his impressive start to life in Turin. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/3276/serie-a/2016/01/07/19063562/-? Jan 7, 2016 Paulo Dybala says becoming a Juventus player has changed his mentality and approach to football. The 22-year-old struck a brilliant free-kick as the champions extended their winning run to eight Serie A games with a 3-0 home victory over Verona on Wednesday. Dybala has now scored 11 goals in his first season in Turin and he has credited his impressive start to life with the Italian champions to a more mature mindset. "When I arrived here, I altered my approach, understanding that to have a strong character means everything," he told reporters. "For example, if I lose possession of the ball, I try my utmost to win it back. "I don't consider myself one of the leaders, as there are so many important and experienced players around, but wearing this shirt comes with a great responsibility and I feel that I've matured here. "We always need to work for one another, as we did today. It was useful to break the deadlock early on and, after the second goal, we were pretty comfortable before Simone [Zaza] put the game to bed with our third goal." Dybala admits that regular free-kick contests in training have helped him to sharpen his dead-balls skills. "Looking back at it, I have to admit that I caught the ball well," he reflected. "The keeper wasn't able to get across in time. "We've been practicing dead-ball situations a lot in training and even have competitions to see who's the most accurate. I've still not won one of these, but I'm delighted to have scored today." Juventus remain three points behind Inter in Serie A after the league leaders beat Empoli 1-0.

JUVENTUS - HELLAS VERONA 3 - 0 Paulo Dybala (8') Leonardo Bonucci (45') Simone Zaza (82') MATCHDAY 18 Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Gianpaolo Calvarese Del Neri: 'Verona season starts Sunday' http://www.football-italia.net/77979/del-neri-verona-season-starts-sunday? Jan 6, 2016 Luigi Del Neri believes “Verona’s season starts on Sunday” after a 3-0 defeat to Juventus. Hellas are bottom of the table and still without a single victory. “We were missing too many players to have any kind of chance here,” Del Neri told Sky Sport Italia. “The team allowed Juventus the bare minimum, but unfortunately we were unable to hurt them. The Bianconeri were superior in every area. “It would’ve been a difficult game even with Luca Toni, but we hope to get him back for the next game. Verona’s season starts on Sunday against Palermo.” http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

JUVENTUS - HELLAS VERONA 3 - 0 Paulo Dybala (8') Leonardo Bonucci (45') Simone Zaza (82') MATCHDAY 18 Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Gianpaolo Calvarese JUVENTUS 3-0 HELLAS VERONA SERIE A MATCH REPORT Juventus win their 8th league game in a row courtesy of a masterclass from Paulo Dybala. http://www.juvefc.com/8105-2/? Jan 6, 2016 Unfortunately I wasn’t able to watch the whole game as it was slap-bang in the middle of a working day, but I was lucky enough to catch the second half. There were lots of positives in that performance, most notably, that we didn’t look too exhausted by the close of game and Verona didn’t really require us to get out of 3rd gear for much of the game. After Dybala’s beautifully taken opener, the result never looked in doubt and Bonucci’s perfectly placed header gave us some breathing room before Simone Zaza killed them off late in the game. It was good to see Martin Caceres back in the starting XI, even better still to see Daniele Rugani notch up a few more minutes towards the end of the match. 3 valuable points and we keep pace with the leaders by securing our 8th in a row – The best streak anywhere in Europe i’m reliably informed. Nothing much more to add as i’ve only got time for a brief roundup….Sampdoria just days away where we’ll travel without the suspended Claudio Marchsio. Hoping to see Mandzukic return and there’s a possibility that Cuadrado may start. Fino alla fine, Forza Juve ! Statistics Man of the Match: Paulo Dybala Flop of the Match: N/A Corners: 9 Pass Accuracy: 84% Shots on Target: 6 Total Shots: 15 Ball Possession: 53% Formation: 3-5-2 Lineups Juventus: Buffon; Caceres (Rugani 84), Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Khedira (Sturaro 70), Marchisio, Pogba, Alex Sandro; Dybala, Morata (Zaza 79) Verona: Gollini; Bianchetti, Moras, Helander, Souprayen; Greco (Gomez Taleb 61), Hallfredsson (Fares 81); Wszolek (Emanuelson 64), Ionita, Siligardi; Pazzini Ref: Calvarese Poll Who was your man of the match against Hellas Verona Dybala 78% Sandro 8% Marchisio 6% Pogba 5% Morata 2% Khedira 2% Buffon 0% Caceres 0% Chiellini 0% Bonucci 0% Lichtsteiner 0% Votes 63 Goals Juventus 1-0 Hellas Verona (Dybala) Juventus 2-0 Hellas Verona (Bonucci) Juventus 3-0 Hellas Verona (Zaza) http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

JUVENTUS - HELLAS VERONA 3 - 0 Paulo Dybala (8') Leonardo Bonucci (45') Simone Zaza (82') MATCHDAY 18 Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Gianpaolo Calvarese Paulo Dybala has 'hunger to achieve,' says Massimiliano Allegri http://www.espnfc.co.uk/juventus/story/2781538/paulo-dybala-has-hunger-to-achieve-juventus-boss Jan 6, 2016 Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri praised Paulo Dybala's "hunger to achieve" after the Argentine forward's latest star performance in the Bianconeri's 3-0 defeat of Hellas Verona on Wednesday. The 22-year-old former Palermo man scored Juve's opener and provided the assist for the second goal as The Old Lady cruised to their eighth straight Serie A victory at the expense of their overmatched visitors. Speaking after the game, Allegri said he was content to begin the new year with a win. "The boys did well to immediately get back into the swing of things after the break," said Allegri. "It's never an easy task. "We weren't particularly sparkling, especially at the beginning, but we didn't allow our visitors a sniff. We're back amongst the chasing pack. The title winners will be the team that makes the least mistakes." Dybala has now scored five goals in his last seven Serie A games, and Allegri hailed the Argentina international's desire to achieve. "As well as opening the scoring, Dybala provided the assist for Bonucci's second -- a thumping header from a left-wing free-kick," Allegri added. "Paulo Dybala's got a real hunger to achieve his targets and works his socks off." For his part, Dybala described how he has transitioned so fast since joining the four-time defending champions. "When I arrived here, I altered my approach, understanding that to have a strong character means everything," Dybala said after the game. "For example, if I lose possession of the ball, I try my utmost to win it back. "I don't consider myself one of the leaders, as there are so many important and experienced players around, but wearing this shirt comes with a great responsibility and I feel that I've matured here. "We always need to work for one another, as we did today. It was useful to break the deadlock early on and, after the second goal, we were pretty comfortable before Simone [Zaza] put the game to bed with our third goal." Dybala's exquisite free-kick goal left no chance for Hellas keeper Pierluigi Gollini. He credited his work on the training pitch for the sweetly-hit strike. "Looking back at it, I have to admit that I caught the ball well. The keeper wasn't able to get across in time," Dybala said. "We've been practicing dead-ball situations a lot in training and even have competitions to see who's the most accurate. I've still not won one of these, but I'm delighted to have scored today." http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

JUVENTUS - HELLAS VERONA 3 - 0 Paulo Dybala (8') Leonardo Bonucci (45') Simone Zaza (82') MATCHDAY 18 Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Gianpaolo Calvarese Paulo Dybala the star in Juventus' victory vs. Hellas Verona http://www.espnfc.co.uk/club/juventus/111/blog/post/2781412/paulo-dybala-stars-in-juventus-win-vs-hellas-verona Jan 6, 2016 Despite needing a break to recover and rejuvenate the squad, there was a slight worry Juventus would drop the ball after taking time off for the holidays. However, with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Hellas Verona on Wednesday, the Bianconeri showed that they should not be doubted and are still the team to beat in Serie A, at least according to Luigi Delneri -- Verona's coach and Juve's former tactician. This was a game that perfectly demonstrated why Juventus are the toughest side to beat in Italy. While the Gialloblu attempted to play with intensity at the start of the match, they soon dropped their heads and surrendered to the supremacy of their opponents. Rather than push and provide Juve with a stern challenge, Delneri's men often gave up on the ball and proceeded to defend, limiting the damage when a more positive style of play would have reaped more rewards. Instead, it was the Bianconeri who remained eager, pressing for the ball and running to make the most of hopeless passes forward. Herein lies the difference between champions and sides destined to make up the numbers. While Juventus looked comfortable for most of the match, they were still guilty of losing focus and dropping their concentration to force certain players into committing necessary fouls. Yet one cannot be too hard on a side that played with intelligence and control to secure their eighth Serie A win in a row. Player ratings Gianluigi Buffon, 7 -- Always alert and attentive to the opponent, he is barely needed in such games but never fails to make an impression when called upon. Martin Caceres, 6 -- Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri was caught screaming at Caceres for his sporadic drops in concentration; Caceres is never going to be the most attentive defender, but he never fails to play with heart. Leonardo Bonucci, 8 -- Excellent at sweeping and even managed his first goal of the season thanks to his thunderous header. Bonucci plays like a true leader, an inspiration with regards to his desire and ability to neutralise the opponent. Giorgio Chiellini, 7 -- Somehow the defender always ends up with a bandage round his head, such is his determination in ensuring a clean sheet. A terrific performance from the Italian who pushes forward well and is always on hand to block the opponent. Stephan Lichtsteiner, 7 -- A player who always provides solutions, he is well-placed tactically to receive the ball from midfield, opening up the game and offering alternatives to those on the ball. Sami Khedira, 6 -- Still suffering to put in the kind of performances we saw from the German earlier on in the season, but he remains brilliant at positioning himself and excellent at recovering possession. Claudio Marchisio, 7 -- Indispensable. Marchisio not only allows the team to flow, putting in perfect passes forward, but he filters out the danger to help the defence. Perfectly balanced. Paul Pogba, 8 -- Superb footwork from a player improving his angles, he is becoming crucial to the side with regards to his vision and ability to produce attacking patterns of play. Never one to give up and always on hand to fight no matter how many obstacles are in his way, the youngster is growing into the leader worthy of the No. 10 jersey. Alex Sandro, 7 -- A little more reckless than usual, his precise crosses are still a delight to watch. Alvaro Morata, 6 -- Still not at the level fans expect, Morata is working hard and contributing to the team but is seemingly playing without confidence. Perhaps with a little continuity he can recover his magical touch. Paulo Dybala, 9 -- A wonderful performance from the Argentine yet again, the most reliable forward for Juventus. Scoring the opening goal from a delightful free kick before providing the assist for the second. He looked dangerous every time he approached the box, while his ability to drop back and help the team is crucial to the side's balance. Substitutes: Stefano Sturaro, 7 -- Replaced Khedira with 20 minutes left. Gritty and tough, you can never fault Sturaro for his lack of effort. A man always capable of providing a physical presence, few can get past him. Simone Zaza, NR -- Came on for Morata in the 79th minute. Another tremendous finish from the forward who is always capable of making an impact as a sub. He may play a bullish style of football that lacks a certain elegance, but he never fails to make the difference when allowed only a handful of minutes. Daniele Rugani, NR -- On for Caceres in the 84th minute. Not offered much time to make an impact, he helped the side close the game with a clean sheet. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

JUVENTUS - HELLAS VERONA 3 - 0 Paulo Dybala (8') Leonardo Bonucci (45') Simone Zaza (82') MATCHDAY 18 Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Gianpaolo Calvarese Allegri reassures Morata http://www.football-italia.net/77960/allegri-reassures-morata? Jan 6, 2016 Max Allegri explained his tactical decisions and reassured Alvaro Morata after Juventus got their eighth consecutive victory. The Bianconeri pushed Verona aside 3-0 in Turin with Paulo Dybala, Leonardo Bonucci and Simone Zaza on target. “The lads did well to get their minds straight back into Serie A mode after the holidays and allowed Verona nothing, other than a single great Gigi Buffon save,” the Coach told Mediaset Premium. “We are back in the Scudetto race and that is important. We’ve won eight in a row and must reach maturity now. We’ve got to put points in the bag and the key is to reach the last six rounds in a good position. “Zaza is doing well at Juventus and has a fine goals per game average. I always say the bench is essential and he has been doing very well coming in during the match. We have three tournaments and want everyone to be useful. “Was Morata sad? He has no reason to be sad. The sadder one feels, the less well things go. Let’s not forget Morata scored two decisive goals for Champions League qualification. Every campaign has ups and downs and he is working for the team.” With Andrea Barzagli injured, Allegri picked Martin Caceres rather than Daniele Rugani in defence. “Because today was a game where Caceres would’ve been more useful than Rugani. Caceres is a player who needs to be recovered, but Rugani has the faith of Coach and club. He will find space this season and Rugani will not leave.” http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

JUVENTUS - HELLAS VERONA 3 - 0 Paulo Dybala (8') Leonardo Bonucci (45') Simone Zaza (82') MATCHDAY 18 Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Gianpaolo Calvarese Juventus vs. Verona: Winners and Losers from Serie A http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2605188-juventus-vs-verona-winners-and-losers-from-serie-a? Jan 6, 2016 Juventus continued their recent excellent form with a 3-0 win over Hellas Verona on Wednesday as Serie A got underway in 2016. A fast start from the home side saw them open the scoring from Paulo Dybala's curling free-kick, though there was certainly an element of fortune in the set piece being awarded in the first place. Juve's dominance bore further fruit just before half-time, as another Dybala set piece was delivered to the head of Leonardo Bonucci, who crashed in a header. The second half was much slower and saw fewer chances, but sub Simone Zaza injected a little pace toward the end and sealed the win with a late strike. Here are our biggest winners and losers from the match in Turin. Winner: Alex Sandro Free to roam forward at pace and into space in Juventus' 3-5-2 system, Alex Sandro was the big early outlet for his side, and his delivery on the run was near unstoppable. Twice he crossed superbly for the home forwards to attack, and even in shorter passing and build-up play, the Brazilian was impressive and creative, opening up Verona's defence with quick balls into feet. Defensively he wasn't exactly tested non-stop but still did his work diligently and was always prepared to work tirelessly in both directions down Juve's left side. Loser: Alvaro Morata Given a start with Mario Mandzukic rested, Alvaro Morata toiled in attack and looked well off the pace, failing with his first touch at times and never looking capable of beating his defender one-on-one. Morata missed a few opportunities to get early shots away but more concerning was his lack of self-belief in dribbling and in making the runs into scoring positions, instead looking to play safe. It wasn't a surprise when he was subbed—and worse for the Spaniard, his replacement, Simone Zaza, netted the killer third goal. Winner: Paulo Dybala Argentinian forward Paulo Dybala was in exceptional form in the first half, scoring early on with a terrific free-kick inside the near post and then setting up the second with an equally impressive delivery just before the break. Aside from his set pieces, Dybala was effective in running forward with the ball, taking on his man and spreading play to both channels, keeping Juve's attacking tempo up and always allowing the counter-attack to be an effective route toward Verona's penalty box. Dybala wasn't so much of a goal threat in the second half, but his approach play and footwork were impressive throughout. Loser: Luigi Delneri It's now 18 league games this season and Hellas Verona have zero wins—that's the scale of the job facing new manager Luigi Delneri, appointed at the start of December and not exactly having made a great start to life at the club so far. Verona are eight points from safety and have scored only 12 goals all season. There was precious little fight in the players once they went an early goal down to Juve—it was rather as if they were more concerned with not getting hammered or having to put in a big shift simply to delay the inevitable. The next game, against Palermo, is surely a must-win before they face a difficult fixture against AS Roma. Winner: Paul Pogba French midfielder Paul Pogba didn't get himself on the scoresheet against Verona, but he was heavily involved in lots of Juve's best build-up play, working the left channel in impressive fashion and showing some immaculate dribbling and footwork. Whether by quick sidesteps or powerful surges through the centre, Verona's midfielders couldn't get close to him, and he won a succession of free-kicks. His through pass for Zaza's late goal was a deserved piece of end product after another good game. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

JUVENTUS - HELLAS VERONA 3 - 0 Paulo Dybala (8') Leonardo Bonucci (45') Simone Zaza (82') MATCHDAY 18 Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Gianpaolo Calvarese Juventus 3 - Hellas Verona 0: Initial reaction and random observations Paulo Dybala is good. Just thought I would share. http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2016/1/6/10722710/juventus-hellas-verona-2016-serie-a-round-18-final-score-result-initial-reaction Jan 6, 2016 Paulo Dybala does not believe in rust after a 17-day break between games. Paulo Dybala does not believe in taking it lightly on teams that have yet to win a game this season. Paulo Dybala, above all else, does believe in continuing this awesome run of form he's in for as long as it is humanly possible. And, let's see here, I don't think I've got any objection to it. The Paulo Dybala Destruction Tour continued Wednesday afternoon in Turin, as the young yet oh-so-deadly Argentine striker scored a beautiful free kick and then sent in a just as lovely cross on Leonardo Bonucci's header in the first half as Juventus beat last-place Hellas Verona 3-0 at Juventus Stadium. It was just the latest and greatest game for Dybala, who is shooting up the Serie A scoring chart just as fast as Juve has risen up the league table since the end of October. He's got nine goals in league play this season and 10 in all competitions. In 34 Serie A appearances with Palermo last season, he scored 13 goals. So, to say that he's having one hell of a first half of the season with Juventus would probably be pretty on point right now. And just for a little bit of context, let's go back to something along the lines of what I brought up in the match preview: Dybala has scored nine Serie A goals this season. Hellas Verona has scored 12 Serie A goals this season. WhoScored.com ✔ @WhoScored Paulo Dybala: Has now directly contributed to 12 goals in 13 starts in Serie A this season (8 goals, 4 assists) Is that good? Because I feel like that's good. Yeah, it's good, Really, really good. But for Dybala right now, it just seems like it's the norm. The hype machine will only continue to grow and churn out talk of how good Dybala can be, and just about all of the praise the young man will get in Thursday's papers in Italy will be wholeheartedly deserves. When you play this well and play such a crucial role in your team's success, you get put under the microscope. And Dybala seems totally comfortable with that. The boy just continues to shine like the nickname says he should. Random thoughts and observations Here's something we say after just about every game these days: Gianluigi Buffon had to make one save. That save was really, really good. And on a historic day for San Gigi, he got the perfect gift — a clean sheet. Well deserved. I'm happy that Juventus' defense decided to give Buffon most of the game off as he became the first player in club history to ever surpass the 50,000 minutes played mark in Serie A. Think about that for a second. Five-hundred-thousand minutes. And he's not exactly slowing down this season. Buffon has plenty of more minutes left in the tank despite the fact he's well into being a 37-year-old goalkeeper. I love that guy. Juventus did get bad news on Wednesday, and it involves Claudio Marchisio's availability for the weekend fixture. With his yellow card in the first half, there will be no Marchisio in Sunday's game against Sampdoria. I am quite interested to see who Max Allegri decides to fill Marchisio's absence with. If Sami Khedira slides into the center of the midfield and is flanked by Stefano Sturaro and Paul Pogba, i would totally be okay with that. Don't mess with Hernanes, Max. Keep it simple. If it wasn't for Patrice Evra being on the Juventus roster, I would demand Allegri makes Alex Sandro a full-time starter and not look back one bit. He seems to be getting better and better. Maybe it's because we're not seeing him in the same kind of frequency as somebody like Dybala, but it just seems like Alex Sandro is one of Juve's best players whenever he does get a start. Many of us were hoping Daniele Rugani would get the start in place of Andrea Barzagli. Instead, it was Martin Cáceres who made his long-awaited return to the Juventus starting lineup. There will be plenty of speculation about what it means for the high sock-wearing defender's future with the club because of the rumors surrounding his future at Juve, but it was nice to see Cáceres out there again. We tend to forget with all the talk of him being injured all the time that he is quite good at his job when he's actually healthy. Álvaro Morata couldn't help but shake his head a little bit as he was subbed off for Simone Zaza with around 10 minutes to go in the second half. You can tell he's visibly frustrated out on the field right now. He knows he can do better, and so do we. But until he gets that incredibly elusive second Serie A goal of the season, frustration will continue to mount. The boy needs some confidence, and it seems like the only thing that will solve that straight away is seeing a shot of his ripple the back of the net. Simone Zaza scored again in a substitute appearance. The assist by Pogba on the goal ... wooo, that boy good. That's eight in a row in Serie A for Juventus. While Roma were doing all sorts of Roma things against the other team from Verona, Juve were doing exactly what they should have done against a Hellas team that doesn't have a league win this season. That's how it's done, gentlemen. Now go and dab all you want in the locker room. POLL Who is your Juventus Man of the Match against Hellas Verona? 81% Paulo Dybala (323 votes) 9% Paul Pogba (37 votes) 4% Claudio Marchisio (16 votes) 2% Alex Sandro (7 votes) 2% Gianluigi Buffon (6 votes) 1% Leonardo Bonucci (5 votes) 1% Giorgio Chiellini (4 votes) 398 votes total http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

JUVENTUS - HELLAS VERONA 3 - 0 Paulo Dybala (8') Leonardo Bonucci (45') Simone Zaza (82') MATCHDAY 18 Wednesday, January 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Gianpaolo Calvarese TEAM RATINGS - Juventus 3-0 Hellas Verona http://www.goal.com/en/match/juventus-vs-hellas-verona/2120549/ratings Jan 6, 2016 Juventus 1 G. Buffon - A diving stop to deny Pazzini was the entirety of his work on the afternoon. The only other times he saw the ball really came with Juventus in possession. 4 M. Cáceres - Followed the lead of Bonucci and Chiellini, never putting a foot wrong in defence as he filled in for the injured Barzagli. 19 L. Bonucci - Eluded his marker to head home the second Juve goal at the stroke of half time, which essentially put the game out of reach. 3 G. Chiellini - A brick wall at the back, never letting Hellas get so much as a sniff at goal. 26 S. Lichtsteiner - Always looked to get involved in the buildup play and found some encouraging pockets of space in attack. Was never troubled in defence. 6 S. Khedira - Did plenty of the grunt work in midfield for Juventus, reading the game well and winning the ball back consistently for them. 8 C. Marchisio - Pulled the strings for the hosts from a deep-lying role. A typically composed showing from the Italian. 10 P. Pogba - His usual physical, imposing self in midfield. Helped dictate the tempo and played Zaza through for the third Juve goal with a perfectly-weighted ball. 12 Alex Sandro - Offered a consistent option on the overlap and sent some excellent deliveries in from the left. 9 Álvaro Morata - Didn't have much joy up top, as service from open play was limited, though he did well to drop deeper and provide a link. 21 Paulo Dybala - A man of the match display from the Argentine. Opened the scoring with a sweetly-struck free kick inside 10 minutes, then served the second up on a platter for Bonucci. Always a threat with his deliveries from set pieces. Substitutes 27 S. Sturaro - Provided some fresh legs in midfield, replacing Khedira with 20 minutes remaining. 7 S. Zaza - Scored minutes after coming on with a tidy finish following a well-timed run behind the defence. 24 D. Rugani - n/a Hellas Verona 95 P. Gollini - Could have done better on the third Juventus goal but had little chance to keep out the first two. Always confident and convincing in coming off his line. 22 M. Bianchetti - His flank was exploited on more than a couple of occasions by the likes of Dybala and Sandro, who were allowed to whip in some teasing deliveries. 18 V. Moras - Kept a close eye on Morata and really did well to limit the Spaniard's impact up top, forcing him to drop deeper to get on the ball. 5 F. Helander - Struggled with the movement and trickery of Dybala, but at least managed to keep the striker to the perimeter - though it didn't prevent him from leaving his mark. 69 S. Souprayen - Slid in a bit carelessly to concede the free kick which gave Juventus the lead. 19 L. Greco - Sloppy in possession and was unable to ask questions of the Juve back line with his passing. Replaced at the hour mark. 10 E. Hallfreðsson - Defensive cover was sound and he read the game well in midfield. Didn't offer much in possession, however. 13 P. Wszołek - Sound work rate, but he struggled to impose himself at either end as he struggled to prove anything more than a a nuisance for Juventus. 23 A. Ioniţă - Needed to work much harder to provide a link between midfield and attack which Hellas were so desperately lacking. 16 L. Siligardi - Did well to track the runs of Lichtsteiner on the overlap, but was anonymous going forward. 11 G. Pazzini - A inventive, individual effort was the entirety of Hellas' attacking play in the match, as service was in short supply. Substitutes 21 J. Gómez Taleb - Replaced Greco at the hour mark, but didn't fare much better than the Italian. 28 U. Emanuelson - Came on for his Hellas debut and was confident in possession but largely unable to change proceedings. 93 M. Fares - n/a http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127