Juventus Maintain Perfect Defensive Record With Victory Over Genoa As Napoli Claims Top Spot.
Juventus continued their impressive defensive run this weekend, remaining the only team across Europe’s top 16 domestic leagues yet to concede a goal in league play. Their latest 3-0 triumph over Genoa saw Dusan Vlahovic score twice, bringing their tally to nine goals in six Serie A matches without a single goal conceded.
Remarkably, Juventus have achieved this feat without a settled defensive line-up. Manager Thiago Motta has utilised two goalkeepers and eight different defenders, each having started at least one of their opening six league games. The last team to breach Juventus’ defence was Bologna in May, also managed by Motta at the time.
Reflecting on the team’s early success, Motta praised their collective effort: “We have a strong group that can become even stronger together. That [not conceding] is an important statistic, it shows that we have a solid team. We defend as a team.”
The last Italian team to maintain clean sheets in their opening six league games was the legendary AC Milan side of 1993-94, which featured defensive icons Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini. That Milan team conceded just 25 goals across all competitions and went on to win both Serie A and the Champions League.
Elsewhere in Serie A, Torino relinquished top spot after a 3-2 home defeat to Lazio, despite Scotland striker Che Adams scoring for the third consecutive match. Napoli moved to the summit with a 2-0 victory over Monza, while both Inter Milan and AC Milan secured wins in their respective fixtures.
