Socrates

Pisa 0 - Juventus 2: Initial reaction and random observations Saturday night was Juventus’ first visit to the Arena Garibaldi in nearly 12,800 days. In case you’re not able to do the quick math in your head — and who could blame you with that kind of number — that’s nearly 35 years, with a mid-January visit to Pisa in 1991 being the last time that the Bianconeri strolled into the quality atmosphere that this venue in Tuscany has to offer. ............ It’s safe to say that this performance will not go into the vault of all-time Juventus’ team showings. Or really anything close to it. For much of Saturday night’s 2-0 win over newly-promoted and 19th-place Pisa, it was a complete slog against an opponent who packed numbers and back defended with numbers very well. But for what this team needs more than just about anything — hint: it’s points — they eventually got the job done, and that is what Juve eventually secured when Kenan Yildiz’s seventh goal of the season in all competitions took much of the stress off a slim one-goal lead and saw Juventus jump into third place, albeit with those around them set to play on Sunday or Monday and also with at least one game in hand. An overall not-great performance by Juventus still ended with these things being true: That’s three straight wins domestically since the bad loss to Napoli. That’s seven wins in the last eight games in all competitions, with the loss to Napoli being the only blemish. That’s win to close out the calendar year that just so happens to begin a string of fixtures against provincial sides before the Champions League comes back onto the schedule late in January. I mean, let’s face it, it really could be a lot worse. Mainly because it was before Luciano Spalletti showed up in Turin. ............ Saturday night was not Spalletti’s best showing. Just as it wasn’t for Juventus. This was a slog, with the kind of first half that saw Juventus dominate for much of the opening 45 minutes only for Pisa to have two of the best scoring chances, including one shot that went off the woodwork. It wasn’t looking great. They had just six shots total. They had two just shots on goal and their xG was nothing to really boast about whatsoever. The lineup decisions that Spalletti made — namely Loïs Openda and Teun Koopmeiners — were not looking effective at all, and it’s not like there were a lot of positives coming out of such a sluggish first half to begin with. But what Spalletti has done well since coming to Turin is to try and reverse course and make second-half adjustments as soon as he can. The introduction of Edon Zhegrova certainly helped, as evident as by what he did before, during and after the opening goal that we thought was originally scored by Pierre Kalulu but ultimately went down as an own goal. It was a change like Zhegrova that Juve desperately needed for some sort of presence and creativity spark on the right wing — and that’s exactly what happened almost immediately after he came on. ............ This wasn’t the kind of performance that we saw against Roma. Nor was it really expected to be knowing that Pisa have given some top teams a tough time already this season and just the simple way of how they play compared to Juve’s opponent last weekend. Pisa forced Juve to try and break them down — which proved to be a pretty difficult task for a good amount of the 90 minutes. Thankfully, the own goal and then Yildiz’s icing on the cake ensured Juve will go into the new year on a nice little run of results and, at the very least, be within striking distance of the top four when they kick off their first game of 2026. ............ RANDOM THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS A team with a Buffon playing against Juventus? Sorry, this will take some getting used to. But seriously, when you’ve been around long enough as a fan to see your favorite player’s son play against his dad’s former club, you know you’re starting to get old. And it’s not just the gray hair telling me this. Good to see young Louis Thomas quickly meet a certain player named Gleison Bremer shortly after coming on. In what proved to be easily his quietest game in weeks, Kenan Yildiz still scored a goal. Yildiz was also routinely triple-teamed by Pisa’s defense. When’s the last time we could say that about a Juventus player? Been a little while. ............ That little move by Fabio Miretti right before Yildiz’s goal … now that was very nice. If only he trusted his left foot enough to actually shoot the ball after making such a nice move to dispatch of everybody. Jonathan David probably should have been the one to score that ball, but alas that’s just the kind of season he’s having right now. When it’s going wrong, it is sometimes always going wrong no matter what you’re trying to do. Pierre Kalulu is good and I’m glad he’s a Juventus player. He deserved a goal even if it was officially credited as an own goal. He’s been that good this season. His celebrations were that good after he thought he got the goal. And let’s not forget, this is a man who has played every single minute of every game that Juventus has played so far this season. Let’s get him a goal to open 2026. Outside of that silly tackle at the top of the box in the second half, Bremer had a very Bremer-like game. It’s so nice to have him back. Oh, and to not be scared about him suddenly being subbed off in the 60th minute. ............ I sure would love for Zhegrova to get more minutes in his legs so that he can start and give Francisco Conceição a legit run for his money on the right wing. Plus, that would just be fun as hell to see Zhegrova play more often. But at least he’s making an impact off the bench as evident by what he did when he came on against Pisa. ............ Manuel Locatelli’s tackle that got him a yellow card might have been one of the most telegraphed soon-to-be late tackles I’ve seen in a while. You just saw it coming a couple of seconds before it happened. One of the easiest calls of the night to make. ............ As much as we say about Zhegrova’s through ball that led to the opening goal, that cross from Weston McKennie was pretty good, too. Just another thing to add to the list of things he’s doing well right now. ............ . Read more -> https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/previews-reviews/34982/pisa-juventus-2025-serie-a-matchday-17-final-score-result-initial-reaction-random-observations

Spalletti: ‘Juventus have to prove strength every time’ Luciano Spalletti warns Juventus ‘are a strong team, but we’ve got to prove it every time we step onto the pitch’ after a hard-fought 2-0 win over Pisa. ............ They survived that scare and took the lead on 73 minutes when a double ricochet on Weston McKennie’s low cross saw Pierre Kalulu bundle over the line, then Kenan Yildiz tapped in during stoppages after a strong Fabio Miretti run. ............ “Our tempo was slow, the last 6-7 minutes and first 6-7 minutes of the second half were bad, as Pisa caused problems with their intensity and we were fortunate in those situations,” Spalletti said. “In the second half, we had more quality, were more inventive, Zhegrova and David did well, giving us more quality in the final third. We were able to score and at that moment of the game I felt it was deserved, as we were creating spaces in the box. “We ought to do better and we need to do better.” ............ “Zhegrova had flu and three days with a high fever, so I had doubts he could sustain 35 minutes. But we had to risk it, as we were struggling to create those spaces, and he as we’ve seen is someone with the fuse lit, he knows how to take opponents on and make the right choices,” explained Spalletti. “I honestly thought he wouldn’t do as well in the circumstances. Khephren Thuram improved as it went on, I really liked Miretti when he came on, so this win boosts our confidence.” ............ “With various situations this week, I had to make changes. Koopmeiners didn’t show the quality of someone in that role, but perhaps the change affected him, as did switching the wide men around,” explained Spalletti. “We didn’t suffer that much in the second half, but in that period at the end of the first and start of the second, we did struggle to deal with Pisa’s physicality and they hit the woodwork twice. “I thought Pisa played very well and it was similar to their defeat against Inter, who suffered here for 70 minutes. Pisa are not fortunate at the moment. Our problem is that we are a strong team, but we’ve got to prove it every time we step onto the pitch, and we were below par in too many ways during the first half.” ............ This was Juve’s seventh win in the last eight competitive games between Serie A, the Champions League and Coppa Italia, potentially putting them back in the Scudetto race. ............ . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/spalletti-juventus-prove-strength-every-time/

Kalulu and Kenan Yildiz insist ‘Juventus deserved the victory’ in Pisa Pierre Kalulu and Kenan Yildiz admit it wasn’t the best Juventus performance, but they managed to break Pisa down. ‘We did better in the second half and deserved the victory.’ The Bianconeri ran a few risks at the Cetilar Arena this evening, as Stefano Moreo and Matteo Tramoni hit the frame of the goal for Pisa. So did Lloyd Kelly at the other end, but Kalulu eventually broke the deadlock after a double ricochet off Antonio Caracciolo when trying to meet the Weston McKennie low cross from the right. Kenan Yildiz made sure in stoppages, again from close range after a Fabio Miretti strong run and touch off Jonathan David, although the Turkish talent did not celebrate, perhaps thinking he was offside. ............ “It’s true this wasn’t a beautiful goal, but it was a very important one. Some games are tougher than others, I believe in football there is no such thing as good luck, you just have to keep working and improving,” Kalulu said. “With this victory, we are in a good position in the table, but we’ve got to just keep going and prepare for the next matches.” ............ This was the Old Lady’s seventh win in the last eight games between Serie A, Champions League and Coppa Italia. “It’s an important win for us, we have another three games to win before the midway stage. It was very tough, Pisa had an excellent first half, but we did much better in the second and deserved the victory,” Yildiz said. ............ . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/kalulu-kenan-yildiz-insist-juventus-deserved/

Juventus break down stubborn Pisa to continue fine winning run Juventus beat a stubborn Pisa side 2-0 this evening to continue their impressive run of form in the league. On paper, the fixture appeared straightforward, but it demanded focus and discipline from the Bianconeri, who were aware of their tendency to struggle against smaller teams if complacency set in. ............ Despite Juventus creating promising situations, Pisa defended admirably throughout the first half. The Old Lady could arguably have been more clinical with some of their chances, but the visitors maintained their structure and ensured the opening period ended without a goal, keeping the contest finely balanced. ............ After half-time, Juventus continued to press for the breakthrough, aware that conceding would make Pisa’s task significantly harder. The hosts remained disciplined, determined to avoid defeat, and limited Juventus to half-chances for much of the second half. The turning point came following several changes from the Juventus bench, which increased the tempo and intensity of their play. That pressure eventually told, forcing an own goal from Arturo Calabresi, giving the Bianconeri a deserved lead and shifting the momentum firmly in their favour. ............ Even after falling behind, Pisa refused to collapse and continued to compete with commitment, preventing Juventus from dominating completely. The Bianconeri were made to wait until the second minute of added time to secure the result, when Kenan Yildiz found the net to make sure of the win. The 2-0 scoreline reflected Juventus’ control and patience rather than outright dominance. It was a professional performance against an opponent that refused to make things easy, and another positive step as Juventus maintain their strong league form, and confidence continues to grow. . Read more -> https://www.juvefc.com/juventus-break-down-stubborn-pisa-to-continue-fine-winning-run/

Serie A | Pisa 0-1 Juventus | Player Ratings – Kalulu, McKennie & Yildiz impress Juventus battled to a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Pisa on Saturday evening, with an own goal from Arturo Calabresi and a late goal from Kenan Yildiz the only thing separating the two teams. ............ Pisa 0-2 Juventus – Player Ratings Pisa: Semper 7; Canestrelli 6, Caracciolo 6.5, Calabresi 5; Toure 6, Leris 6, Aebischer 5.5, Vural 6, Angori 6.5; Moreo 6, Tramoni 6.5 Best Pisa player: Adrian Semper – ............ Lowest Pisa rating: Arturo Calabresi – ............ Coach: Alberto Gilardino 6.5 – ............ Juventus: Di Gregorio 6; Kalulu 7, Bremer 6, Kelly 6; Cambiaso 6 (Kostic N/A), Thuram 5.5, Locatelli 6.5 (Zhegrova 6), McKennie 7, Koopmeiners 5.5; Yildiz 7 Best Juventus player: Pierre Kalulu, Weston McKennie, Kenan Yildiz – ............ Lowest Juventus rating: Bremer – ............ Coach: Luciano Spalletti 7 – Whilst it was not a pretty win, and one that took its sweet time in arriving, the coach continues to show his Juventus are capable of overcoming the various tests thrown their way. . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/serie-a-pisa-0-2-juventus-player-ratings/

Serie A | Pisa 0-2 Juventus: Kalulu and Kenan Yildiz prove clinical Pisa were unlucky when hitting the woodwork twice before Juventus scored late on with Pierre Kalulu and Kenan Yildiz tap-ins to secure a 2-0 victory. The Bianconeri were brimming with confidence after six wins in their last seven competitive games, including back-to-back success over Bologna and Roma. ............ Adrian Semper stuck out a boot to push Weston McKennie’s effort onto the side-netting, while Kenan Yildiz’s right-foot curler flashed just past the far top corner and Antonio Caracciolo sprinted back to deflect the Koopmeiners counter-attack wide after Isak Vural slipped. ............ After the restart, Samuele Angori’s flicked on free kick was deflected just wide of the far top corner, while Manuel Locatelli’s long-range strike was straight at Semper. ............ Pisa thumped the frame of the goal for a second time on the hour mark, Tramoni’s header hitting the base of the near post on a Mehdi Leris cross from the right. Juventus also rattled the woodwork, as Lloyd Kelly’s angled drive hit the near stick from 10 yards. The Bianconeri started to swarm with the introduction of Edon Zhegrova, and he was part of the move to open the scoring. They spread it down the left with a McKennie roll across as Arturo Calabresi came sliding in to block from five yards, but it took another ricochet off Pierre Kalulu to bounce into the net. ............ Semper pushed another Zhegrova first-time strike out from under the bar, while Pisa introduced Louis Thomas Buffon, the son of Juventus legend Gigi. Juventus doubled their lead in stoppages when Fabio Miretti went on a mazy run, his finish was deflected off Jonathan David into the path of Kenan Yildiz to tap in at the back post from point-blank range. Pisa 0-2 Juventus Kalulu 73 (J), Yildiz 92 (J) ............ . Read more -> https://football-italia.net/serie-a-pisa-0-2-juventus-kalulu-kenan-yildiz/

Gioca nel Pisa ma quel cognome non puó lasciarci indifferenti.

KENAN YILDIZ 0-2

Ci pensavo anche io

La Seredova in tribuna felicissima

Entra Buffon junior

KALULU 0-1

Fuori Cambiaso, Spalletti!

del Pisa

Siamo Yildizdipendenti e non va bene

Siamo comunque sempre alle solite. Contro squadre chiuse in difesa non riusciamo a trovare varchi.

Perfino quegli scarsoni del Pisa

Gli vogliamo far fare gol?

Si scalda Milik

Koopmeiners non cambia mai

Openda mangione

Yildiz alla Del Piero ma non va

Quello che dicono i loro corregionali viola