Juventus and Torino the only Serie A sides without a penalty either way after 11 rounds
Eleven rounds into the Serie A season, Juventus have neither won nor conceded a penalty, a distinction shared only with Torino. With the league's penalty rate down and the team seventh, the João Mario handball in Florence has become the clearest example of a call that went against them.
Juventus have reached the November break without a single penalty decision in their league matches. Seven sides are still waiting for a penalty in their favour: Roma, Juventus, Torino, Lecce, Fiorentina, Sassuolo and Udinese. Seven have yet to concede one: Inter, Milan, Como, Juventus, Napoli, Torino and Genoa. Only the two Turin clubs appear on both lists.
That makes Juventus an outlier, even in a season of fewer spot-kicks. Sportmediaset puts the number of teams still waiting for a penalty partly down to the new refereeing approach introduced by Orsato.
Penalties have fallen across the league
The wider numbers show a quieter season from the spot. The current rate compares with 0.28 and 0.27 per match in the two previous seasons. The drop was sharpest early on. Only five of the 24 penalties came in the first five rounds.
The trend has not been flat since then. The rate rose to 0.31 per match after the September international break. Juventus have not shared in that rise. Their total in both columns remains zero.
The contrast with last season is clear. Juventus were awarded five league penalties then. They also had the last three saved: David’s against Lecce, Yildiz’s against Cremonese and Locatelli’s against Sassuolo.
The Florence handball has restarted the debate
The case that has drawn most attention came late in the 2-2 draw at Fiorentina. João Mario handled the ball. No penalty was given. Gianluca Rocchi, who now works as a DAZN pundit, said it should have been a spot-kick. His reasoning was that the arm was out wide and the player had time to move it, even though the ball came from a teammate.
Luciano Spalletti signalled that he also saw a penalty. He chose not to complain publicly about the decision.
Close calls carry weight at this stage. Juventus are seventh on 18 points, six behind fourth place. Champions League qualification is in doubt. An injury-hit squad cannot easily absorb lost points from decisions at the margins.
The run after the break will test whether the pattern holds. Venezia, the next league opponents, are among five clubs to have conceded three penalties, the league’s highest total. Frosinone, Bologna, Atalanta and Sassuolo share that figure. Sassuolo are also on the list of sides yet to be awarded one.
The schedule is crowded. After Venezia, Juventus host Omonia in the Europa League. A league trip to Como follows, then Sassuolo at home in the Coppa Italia. Como have yet to concede a penalty this season.
The first of those fixtures has already moved. Lega Serie A brought Juventus v Venezia forward to Sunday 22 November at 12:30, from its original slot on Monday 23 November at 20:45.
