UEFA Champions League
Paulo Dybala Helps Juventus Defeat Manchester United
A first half goal from Paulo Dybala helped Juventus defeat Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Serie A champions dominated for large spells of the game and throughly deserved their victory.
Juventus have won all three games in the Champions League this season and have one foot in the knockout stages.
Manchester United rarely threatened and were outclassed in particular in the first half.
The Turin giants took the lead after just 17 minutes. A great cross from Cristiano Ronaldo was cut out by United defender Chris Smalling at the front post just ahead of Juan Cuadrado.
However, the ball fell to Paulo Dybala who was unmarked inside the box and was able to tap home from only six yards.
Juventus could of doubled their lead just five minutes later.
A great strike from Joao Cancelo from just inside the box was well saved by David De Gea in the United goal.
On 37 minutes a brilliant double save from De Gea kept Manchester United in the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo struck a swerving free kick from 25 yards out which was well palmed out by De Gea. However, the rebound fell to Blaise Matuidi who’s shot was hit into the turf and forced the Spanish keeper into another great save.
No Response From Manchester United
Into the second half and Juventus came close to doubling their lead.
A brilliant pass from Dybala found Cuadrado out wide. He passed to Ronaldo on the edge of the penalty area, the Portuguese international unleashed a great strike towards goal but was brilliantly denied by David De Gea.
There was no response from United like in their last two games. They were struggling to create anything with Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku fairly anonymous.
The closest United came was with just 15 minutes to go. A brilliant turn and shot from Paul Pogba from 25-yards out struck the post. The ball bounced out and hit off Wojciech Szczesny in the Juventus goal.
It could of went into the net but went agonizingly wide.
Overall it was a comfortable victory for Juventus despite the scoreline.
Will Be Hard To Stop Juventus
Having finished runners-up in two of the last four Champions League finals, Juventus are desperate to win the biggest prize in club football.
It is a trophy they haven’t won since 1996 but the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer signaled their intent to finally end that wait for a Champions League title.
They already have one foot in the knockout stages and are quite rightly favorites to win the competition.
It will be incredibly hard to stop the Old Lady this season. If you look at their starting XI it is tough to find any weaknesses.
Defensively they have arguably the best back four in the World football at the moment.
The fullbacks Alex Sandro and Joao Cancelo were very impressive going forward. They were rarely troubled defensively and both have had great starts to the season.
In Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci they have two of the best center backs in World football also.
Their midfield three is also incredibly strong. Miralem Pjanic strolled through tonight’s game, while Rodrigo Bentancur is one of the best young midfielders in Europe.
Of course, up front they have so many options with the likes of Paulo Dybala, Douglas Costa, Federico Bernardeschi, Mario Mandzukic and Juan Cuadrado.
That’s not to mention one of the best players of all time in Cristiano Ronaldo. It is hard to find a weakness and with their past European experience and the struggles of the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, this could finally be their year.
Manchester United Not In European Elite
It is hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since Manchester United last won the Champions League.
Those were halcyon days for United fans which also saw the club reach three Champions League finals in four years.
However, those days seem like a long time ago as United are miles away from matching Europe’s elite clubs.
Tonight was a sombering night for United fans as they outclassed by Juventus, especially in the first half.
Incredibly Juventus had 71% possession and had 10 shots compared to United’s one.
Even though United improved in the second half, they showed Juventus far too much respect and started slowly once again.
The truth is how many United players would get into Juventus’s starting XI? Arguably only one and that is the keeper David De Gea.
That says it all as to where Manchester United are compared to Europe’s top clubs.
It doesn’t matter who the manager is, United won’t win any of the big trophies such as the Premier League and the Champions League with this current squad.
An overhaul of the playing staff is required if the Old Trafford side want to get back into the latter stages of the Champions League.
Next up Manchester United face Everton at Old Trafford in the Premier League.
For Juventus they take on Empoli away from home in Serie A.
Follow us on Twitter and YouTube
Photo credit to Sandeep Pal via Flickr
