Juventus are one of the favourites to claim the Champions League trophy and they demonstrated their credentials in the 1-1 draw at Ajax. The Dutch side impressed once again in Europe, but Juventus looked really solid and brought a good result back to Turin. This tactical analysis will look at Ajax’s pressing, Juventus‘ defensive flexibility and how Juventus exposed Ajax’s man-marking to score the crucial away goal.
Lineups
Ajax set up with virtually the same team that defeated Real Madrid at the Bernabéu with the only change being Joël Veltman at right-back rather than Noussair Mazraoui. Max Allegri chose an expected side for Juventus with Giorgio Chiellini the only main absentee. He was replaced by Daniele Rugani.
Tactical analysis: Ajax’s pressing
Ajax were extremely aggressive in their defending against Real Madrid in the previous round and continued in the same vein here. When Juventus looked to build from the back, Ajax would man-mark Juve’s midfielders and push up against the centre-backs too. The below image highlights this approach.
If you want to read the full article then head on over to our dedicated analysis site, totalfootballanalysis.com, or click HERE
