Claudio Villa/Getty ImagesJuventus will rue not having a true striker vs. Inter, such was the inability of Fabio Quagliarella & Co. to convert easy scoring chances.

Andrea Stramaccioni dared, Andrea Stramaccioni won. Infusing all his ingredients together to serve the dish of defeat, the Old Lady enjoyed her meal for only a moment before she surrendered to her pain and fell a mighty fall in her own home and in front of her own fans. Her purity had been robbed and like a thief in the night, Stramaccioni departed with her honour in his hands and a smile on his face. He had done what no other Coach had managed before him: defeat Antonio Conte's Juventus in Serie A.

Feigning confusion when asked about the possible tactics he might deploy, Strama had known (and known for sometime) exactly how he would arrange his side so that he may defeat Juventus. Setting his team up in a brave 3-4-3 formation, commentators around Europe asked whether he was a courageous genius or a monumental idiot who would come to rue his arrogance. He proved to be the former.

As the starting whistle was blown, Arturo Vidal scored almost immediately to awaken the little conspiracy theorist that lives within us all. Faster than the speed of lightning, the ball was in the back of the net before anyone had a chance to cry foul. Once again the linesman had erred in favour of the Turin giants and once again it looked like controversy would be the order of the day.

Make no mistake: the passage of play was beautiful as it was electric. Kwadwo Asamoah latched on to a Mirko Vucinic pass in an offside position before going around the defenders and delivering the perfect pass for Vidal to strike powerfully home.

The Old Lady was beaming and already 1-0 up before a full minute of play had passed. Playing a high tempo game, Juventus were back to their 200mph best as they flooded Inter's box with attacking players in hopes of scoring another.

However the high speed robbed Juventus of their ability to make the right passes. Forced to make quick decisions, Conte's men looked sloppy, surrendering possession too easily and struggling to exert control. Effectively, their hurried performance gifted Inter control of the game. As Serie A's best tacklers, the Nerazzurri are well versed in the art of winning possession. Once they won the ball, they kept hold of it, dictating the tempo and eventually this control led to the win.

The brilliance of Juve last season was under their command early on. Accurately passing the ball around, the home side was proactive in their approach and calm in possession. However, after Vidal grabbed his goal last night, the team took a step back and invited pressure, something quite unheard of for a Conte-led team.

Aware of being unbeatable, this Old Lady has not produced the type of football that was so trophy-worthy last season. This year her wins have been somewhat lucky, her football much more lazy and her vibrant intensity largely missing.

In truth, this defeat could be the best thing to have happened to her so early in the season. Providing the proverbial kick up the backside, Inter destroyed a squad too comfortable in its surroundings and less prepared to engage in battle together as a unit than it has been before now. The loss of Conte on the sideline was clearly felt; his fighting spirit was too distant to taste. Their greatest performer on the night was Inter's Andrea Ranocchia who produced a shocking performance for the Nerazzurri and gifting the Old Lady all her chances.

At times when a group can no longer fight as one, it requires a leader with individual talent to rely on. Unfortunately for Juve, the genius of Andrea Pirlo's lobs (few and far between against Inter) and Asamoah's crosses fell at incapable feet that were unable to covert. Never has Juve felt the absence of a true striker and a match winner so much as last night. Left to rue their inability to convert the many chances they created at the start of the game, they will continue to suffer should they only manage to create and not finish.

With this defeat, the Old Lady can only go one of two ways. Either she suffers a psychological breakdown like Arsenal's invincibles, aware that she can no longer rely on her unbeatable attitude, or she can fight. Should she choose the latter option, there is no reason why she cannot do what Fabio Capello's Milan did after Parma ended their unbeaten streak – win the Scudetto again.

It's time for Juventus to readopt their footballing philosophy and go back to playing the sort of football that delighted onlookers. Wins need to be deserved and they can only be achieved by playing Conte's football. Control must be exerted, possession must be accurate and tempo must be dictated. They are still Serie A leaders. It's time they play like it.

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Email