Juventus are finally in the lead for the Scudetto. They are a narrow two points ahead of rivals Inter Milan. Lazio are the only other team even remotely in the title race, six points behind Juve.
For the majority of the season, the Bianconeri have been sitting in second place, and this is a massive breakthrough. Many teams get into positions like this and feel like they have gotten to first and accomplished their goal, so they relax, but this will lead to Juve’s downfall. They need to keep applying pressure and bring their best to every game.
Juventus Need to Apply the Pressure
Far From Safe
Juventus may be happy to finally sit atop the table, but the race is far from over. The two-point gap means nothing, and the smallest slip-up can cost them their position. One of the major problems in their game is that they seem to feel relaxed going into easy games and then drop points they shouldn’t have. This can be demonstrated by the points dropped to Sassuolo and Lecce.
In their next seven games, they have a deceptively easy schedule, with Napoli being their only tough match. This is exactly the kind of schedule which can cause Juventus to drop points from being sloppy and overconfident.
Opportunity to Extend Their Lead
In the coming month-and-a-half, Juventus have a period of slow fixtures where they can take time to rest before having to go back into European competition. This is a period they have to take advantage of because their biggest title race rivals aren’t competing in the Champions League. Lazio and Inter will be able to focus their time and resources on the league, while Juventus will be split and overworked from competing in Europe. This is one of the only periods in the season where the Bianconeri will be on a level playing field in this area, and they need to take advantage of it.
Not only will there be a lack of fixture congestion, but there will also be a lack of fixture toughness. Juventus’ only tough upcoming opponent is Napoli, who have recently under performed. If the Bianconeri can manage to pull off the expected results, they can extend their lead. Inter and Lazio have a much tougher line-up of fixtures, where they will probably drop points. Inter and Lazio will have to play each other on February 16, where one of them will inevitably drop points.
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