Having crashed out of Europe in midweek, Juventus returned to domestic action on Sunday knowing a win was vital as they took on Cagliari knowing the teams around them had all dropped points.

Indeed, it was a weekend for surprising results, with leaders Napoli beat 2-1 by Como, Torino beating AC Milan by the same scoreline while Lazio were held to a 0-0 draw at Venezia.

All of that meant that Juve could secure a place in the top four with a victory in Sardinia, but they would also need to show that they could put their UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of PSV Eindhoven behind them.

That dire defeat was analysed in detail in this previous column, but it also saw Renato Veiga become the latest Bianconeri defender to suffer an injury. With Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal and Pierre Kalulu already sidelined, that forced Thiago Motta to deploy Lloyd Kelly in an unfamiliar role in central defence.

When the game against Cagliari got underway, it seemed as though the side had found a way to channel all that misfortune into a motivating force, immediately seizing control of the match and exerting total dominance over proceedings.

The opening 45 minutes were a showcase of the values, principles and tactics that Thiago Motta has instilled in this group as Juve probed at pace when in possession and pressed with relentless intensity whenever they were not.

Having already looked dangerous in the early exchanges, Motta’s men broke the deadlock after just 12 minutes. Dusan Vlahovic – in the starting XI for the first time in 2025 – seized upon a poor back-pass, forced his way past Yerry Mina and then the goalkeeper before rolling the ball into the back of the net.

Moments later it could’ve been 2-0 as Kenan Yildiz controlled a long ball from Michele Di Gregorio perfectly to put himself 1v1 against Elia Caprile only for the ‘keeper to deny his effort.

Caprile would then be forced to make saves from Francisco Conceicao, Vlahovic and Yildiz once again, and his efforts ensured that the game remained at 0-1 going into halftime despite Juve enjoying over 70% of possession.

Much of that control came through Manuel Locatelli, the Juve skipper at the heart of everything for his side. According to statistics from WhoScored.com, his tally of 114 touches was 21 more than any other player in this game despite him only playing 71 minutes, and he certainly made the most of being so central.

The same source shows that Locatelli made 106 passes, more than he has managed in any other game this season as he kept his side moving forward and seeking ways to unlock the Cagliari defence.

However, after the interval Cagliari found their way back into the clash, the introduction of Zito Luvumbo on the left flank crucial to their efforts as Tim Weah struggled to deal with the Angola international.

Despite the best efforts of the substitute, it wasn’t that Cagliari created chances, more that they stifled Juve from doing the same and the Bianconeri lacked the same incisiveness that was evident in the opening 45 minutes.

They still had the better chances, not least of which came when Vlahovic ran onto a long ball from inside his own half only to be clearly pushed in the back by Sebastiano Luperto but no penalty was awarded.

There was yet another injury problem too as Douglas Luiz was introduced on 62 minutes but had to be replaced just 20 minutes later after a collision. The impressive Randal Kolo Muani was also brought on, and he created chances for Yildiz and Vlahovic only to see both men squander them as the game ended 0-1.

“We had so many chances in the first half, we went into the break knowing that it would be a problem not finishing it off and inevitably we then suffered,” Thiago Motta told DAZN shortly after the final whistle.

“We created so much, it’s a pity we only went into half-time leading 1-0. Maybe we lacked sharpness, because we only played extra time three days ago. When you have a first half like that, you need to score more than one goal. The positive at least is that we were able to keep the clean sheet.”

All of that is true, and they have a chance to work on those things when they return to action in the Coppa Italia against Empoli on Wednesday, will hopefully the good version of themselves lasting more than 45 minutes.