Le Pagelle: Juventus vs. AZ Alkmaar

After Sunday's victory against Napoli, my biggest hope was that Juventus would manage to keep some of that momentum going. It's something that Juve have tended to struggle with over the last few years, and given the side's current problems, they really couldn't afford another Brigadoon game.

(Side note: the more I've used that phrase this past week the more I like the image comparing Juve's good games to the fleeting glimpses of the titular town in the musical. I don't know if I officially coined it or not, but I'm claiming it, because why the hell not?)

Thursday night's Europa League match against AZ Alkmaar was a perfect test to see if that momentum could be kept up. AZ were a Pot 1 peer who hadn't lost a European game at home in over three years — a total of 17 consecutive games coming in — and were just three spots behind Juve in the early League Phase table. It was also a homecoming for Teun Koopmeiners, who began his career at AZ and in this match would come face-to-face with his younger brother, Peer, who has been at the AFAS Stadion his entire career.

Ironically, it was the elder Koopemeiners who got the scoring going with a neatly-taken goal in the 19th minute, followed very much against the run of play by Randal Kolo Muani 18 minutes later, produced largely by the Frenchman's sheer force of will.

But Juve were otherwise defending for long stretches against the home side. They missed a few chances to put the game away on the counter, but some shambolic defending with three minutes to go let AZ back in the game, and they very nearly squandered the lead entirely in stoppage time before being bailed out by the offside flag.

But in the end they were able to hold just enough, and fly home to Turin with a 2-1 victory that vaulted them two spots to fifth in the table, and did indeed keep the momentum going forward as they head into the final game before the international break on Sunday.

How did everyone do in this European matchup? Let's take a closer look.

GUGLIELMO VICARIO – 6. Played a good game overall, and made a pretty spectacular-looking save in stoppage time that ultimately didn't count thanks to the offside flag — and thank goodness, because the game would've been tied otherwise.

FEDERICO GATTI – 7. Had absolutely everything covered on defense until his odd withdrawal with 10 minutes to go (more on that later). He blocked three shots and made five interceptions, and the only reason this grade isn't quite a bit higher still is that he flubbed a couple of counterattacks in the second half that could've put the game fully beyond reach.

JHON LUCUMÍ – 5.5. His numbers were good — two tackles, two blocks, two interceptions, five clearances — but he got caught ballwatching on Mexx Meerdink's goal and let the striker get a few strides behind him for an easy tap-in.

LLOYD KELLY – 5.5. Docked for giving the ball away deep in the run-up to the goal. Relatively solid beside, with four clearances and a key pass going the other way.

PIERRE KALULU – 6. Blocked three shots and pressed well when he was up in attack, even if he didn't have a whole lot in the way of numbers to show for it. His presence helped cause the turnover that led to Kolo Muani's goal.

TEUN KOOPMEINERS – 7. Put aside his emotions to have a really great day. The goal he scored looked far easier than it was. The first-time side-footed shot used the pace from the cross without dissipating it in the slightest from 18 yards — it took an incredible amount of skill. He also notched a key pass and co-led the team with two dribbles, while also racking up five clearances on defense. One of his best games in a Juve shirt, if we're honest.

PAPE MATER SARR – 6.5. A powerful ball-winner in midfield. Led the team with four tackles and was one of three players that registered four clearances as well.

ANDREA CAMBIASO – 6. Nothing terrible, nothing great either. Had a pair of tackles and got a rather harsh yellow card in an early-second-half tangle that saw a lot of grabbing and pulling on both sides and ended with him on the ground.

RANDAL KOLO MUANI – 7. A goal and a assist that were both made possible by his industry and inventiveness as he played out wide on the right. Looked far more confident, almost as if getting booed off the field on Sunday struck a nerve.

KERIM ALAJBEGOVIC – 5.5. His passing was really rough (63.6 percent) and that dragged down what was otherwise a pretty passable game. Very nearly scored another fabulous goal in the first half but fired his shot just high.

NICK WOLTEMADE – 6. Played a good one-two with Kolo Muani to assist on the second goal, and led the team with three key passes overall. Could've been higher, but for the second straight game the dude didn't manage to take a shot, which is kinda important when it comes to being a striker.

JÉRÉMIE BOGA – 5.5. Made a dribble and worked hard but constantly defending over the second half.

JUAN CABAL – 5. Let Elijah Dijkstra in behind with a spectacular piece of ball-watching that allowed him to set up AZ's goal. Unfortunate that he follows up one of his best performances in years with this match.

BREMER – NR. Not sure why he was coming on, or why he replaced who he did. Had a pair of clearances but that was about it.

JEFF EKHATOR – NR. Got booked a little harshly and was barely able to sniff the ball at his feet in the box. Defended dilligentlt thought.

DOUGLAS LUIZ – NR. An attempt to solidify the midfield for the last few minutes but it didn't have the time to do much of anything.

There were definitely some major problems in Spalletti's approach on Thursday night against AZ Alkmaar, and it nearly cost them the game.

The overall attitude was reactive as opposed to proactive, which always drives me around the bend, especially for a coach who has shown the ability to put together teams that can do the latter. AZ finished the game with 56.4 percent possession, but it felt like a whole lot more than that at times. In between Juve's two goals, the number was 72.7 percent, which makes what turned out to be the deciding goal all the more remarkable.

Yes, AZ had come into the game not having fewer than 50 percent possession all year long, but leaving them to pile on pressure for long stretches was eventually going to cost the team, and it finally did when Kelly gave up possession deep and then the entire team turned in an impressive display of ball watching. Perhaps things would be different had Juve converted one of a couple of chances to make it 3-0 early in the second half, but sitting back and waiting for the game to come to them, especially with an defense that has proven itself mistake-prone, simply isn't the right way to approach things. After a good first half Juve basically stopped attacking beyond the odd counter in the second half, which completely negated a well-chosen (for what was available) lineup that got up 2-0 in spite of giving up the game's initiative.

There was also the weird decision to substitute Gatti, who had been imperious in defense up to that point and clearly one of, if not the best Juve players in the match for 80 minutes. Gatti had made a few lung-busting runs up the field on the counter as the second half had worn on, and maybe that combined with the results of those attacks led Spalletti to believe that he was gassed, but despite a good individual effort by Bremer in the last 10 minutes, it seemed to cause a little bit of assignment confusion and led to the ball-watching incident on the goal. It was a curious decision that would only be justified if Gatti truly was out of it and in need of a breather.

Sunday's away game to Fiorentina is the last game ahead of the international break. The Viola just escaped the relegation zone last week, but that hardly ever matters in a game at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, where Fiorentina and their fans area always ready to try to ruin their rival's day. It'll be a hot and hostile atmosphere that Juve will need to deal with in order to get three points.