Tommaso Baldanzi – Roma
Tommasso Baldanzi looked like a real livewire for Roma against Juventus on Sunday night. In the early stages he pressed the Juve defenders and flew into tackles like a greyhound just out of the traps.
On the ball he was electric. Clearly still a raw talent, Baldanzi was direct and bold on the ball. Earning two fouls on the edge of the Juventus box in the first half, his teammate Paulo Dybala should have done better with the resulting set pieces.
Moments before coming off Baldanzi set up Lorenzo Pellegrini with another dancing run, but his captain’s effort was pulled just wide.
Federico Chiesa – Juventus
Federico Chiesa must be feeling a case of Euro2024 fever. The winger who has suffered with injuries and underwhelmed at times for Juventus looks daunting on the ball in Rome on Sunday. The protagonist of an Italian triumph at Euro2020, perhaps this winger is finding his form again ahead of another summer of football romance.
Chiesa, when in form, is borderline unplayable. He gets the ball and drops the shoulder one way or another, but heads straight for goal. He nearly made this game his own at the start of the second period too, his rasping drive against the post nearly silenced the home crowd. It would have been a wonderful strike.
Despite looking as dangerous as ever, Chiesa made his way off after 75 minutes of the match. He did however leave us all with a glimpse just how talented he is, and how big of an impact he might have in this summer’s tournament.
Bremer – Juventus
Brazilian defender Bremer had a decent night in Rome. First and foremost he, for the most part, kept Romelu Lukaku quiet. The Belgian forward is prone to bullying defenders but on multiple occassions Bremer stepped in well and imposed himself on the forward.
At times not only did Bremer rob the ball from Lukaku but he did so with incredible calm and then kept the ball alive for Juventus. Finally, Bremer rose incredibly well in the box to meet Chiesas cross and get the vital goal for his team. In the second half he provided some big blocks to ensure his own strike would be worth a crucial point in the end.
Joseph O’Sullivan | GIFN
