Three talking points from Juventus 0-0 stalemate against Empoli | OneFootball

Juventus were held to a 0-0 draw away against Empoli, their second goalless draw on the trot, on what was the first Bianconeri start in the careers of Nico Gonzalez and Teun Koopmeiners.

Here are three talking points from Saturday’s stalemate at the Castellani.

Attacking unit not glued yet

Despite picking up consecutive 3-0 victories in their first two matches of the Serie A season, Juventus have now recorded back-to-back goalless draws. In terms of the attacking department, the last two fixtures have felt like a bit of a step backwards, but there are reasonable explanations from both matches.

Roma under Daniele De Rossi were always going to be a tough test and a difficult side to break down. Against Empoli, it was the first game for the ‘new-look’ Juventus, introducing Nico Gonzalez and Teun Koopmeiners as starters for the first time. Kenan Yildiz was also shifted out onto the left-wing to make place for the Dutchman, while the impressive Samuel Mbangula dropped out.

There is no doubting what either Nico or Koopmeiners are capable of doing in this division, they have both proved their quality over the past few seasons, but it may take a little while longer for those guys to fully click with their new teammates.

Vlahovic still dividing opinions

Dusan Vlahovic has had an up-down start to the season. He grabbed a brace in the 3-0 win over Hellas Verona on the second weekend of the season, but has not found the net since.

There was only one real goalscoring opportunity for the Serbia international against Empoli, coming at the beginning of the second half, which perhaps he could have done better with. Vlahovic hasn’t exactly been spoiled with clear-cut chances yet this campaign, and that is not entirely his fault, but it also emphasizes the need to be a touch more clinical when those chances do fall his way.

Juventus undefeated and still yet to concede

The positive news for Juventus is that their unbeaten record in Serie A is still intact. At the end of the night on Saturday, Juve were one of six teams yet to lose this season, and four of those still have to play on Sunday and Monday. Eight points from a possible 12 is not the worst start imaginable. Two points per game is typically enough to qualify for the Champions League with ease, but it is not title-winning form based off the last few seasons’ tables.

Juventus still boast one exclusive record in Serie A: No other team has gone four matches without conceding a goal. Reigning champions Inter and high-flying Udinese have both conceded twice, the closest teams to matching Juventus’s feat. You can’t lose if you don’t concede, and that is a very useful position to be in.