Today, Juventus extended their lead at the top of the league with a crucial win against Inter thanks to a Leonardo Bonucci winner.
Despite the constant formation changes, Bonucci continues to act as the glue that holds the Juventus defence together. Today against Inter it was no different as the former Bari man was once again immense at the back for the bianconeri. As a result, both Mauro Icardi and Rodrigo Palacio barely got a sniff of the goal. In addition, the Italian international found himself in the right place at the right time when Danilo D’Ambrosio’s headed clearance fell to him in the box. Bonucci would make no mistake and would volley it home expertly past the helpless Samir Handanovic. With performances like these it leads one to wonder whether Bonucci has overtaken his teammates as the side’s best defender.
Bonucci v Inter – By the Numbers:
Goals: 1
Passes completed: 49/55 (89.1%)
Ball Recoveries: 8
Tackles: 3/3
Interceptions: 1
Clearances: 3/3
Just by going by the numbers from above it’s easy to realize just how important Bonucci was to Juventus’ success tonight against Inter. That said, if you payed close attention to the defender throughout the game you will quickly realize that his influence goes far beyond his impressive numbers. With the 28-year-old at the heart of defence, Massimiliano Allegri’s men are able to dictate the tempo of games as Bonucci is more than comfortable with playing out of the back.
Tonight, Inter opted not to press the defender when he was in possession and it costed them as Bonucci had all the time in the world to pick their midfield apart. Should teams adopt similar tactics against Juventus and Bonucci, don’t be surprised to see more performances like these by the defender.
Our full ratings from this game can be found here.
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