With Juventus undergoing a revolution of sorts at the club, there are big question marks over the bianconeri’s starting eleven going into the new season.
After nearly winning the treble last season, changes were to be expected in order to renew the hunger in the team. The departures of Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez only confirmed
this and signaled that Allegri’s side were in for a busy summer. The Italian champions went out and purchased Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic, Simone Zaza, Daniele Rugani and Sami Khedira among others. With over a month left in the transfer window, Juventus are still active on the market and have reportedly set their sights on signing a left back and an attacking midfielder. While a plethora of names are being linked, a few options have emerged as front-runners and look likely to make the move to Turin. Let’s look at how Allegri’s new-look Juventus may shape up going into next season.
Following Allegri’s appointment as Juventus boss, the Serie A giants were firmly built for Antonio Conte’s 3-5-2. A few months into his tenure, the former Milan tactician decided it was time to stamp his mark on the side and import his preferred 4-3-1-2. Allegri’s decision to do so bore fruits as he saw his side conquer Italy for the fourth time in a row and picked off some of the top European giants. Many still believed that Juventus, however, were still wining off the merits of Conte’s work. Whether this is true or not is up for debate and is a piece in its own. Next season, on the other hand, will be a different story as this summer has been full of upheaval. Vidal, Pirlo and Tevez, three players who were at the heart of all things good for Juve for the past few seasons, have moved to greener pastures and have since been replaced. Due to this, integrating the new signings is of paramount importance to the future success of this team. Given the many rumors surrounding the Italians’ transfer activity, there are a few different options for the remaining two question marks in their starting eleven.
In goal, there will be no surprises as Gianluigi Buffon is still the undisputed number one. Neto, however, was brought in from Fiorentina and will act as his understudy. In defense, there remains one big question mark. Stephan Lichtsteiner will likely feature at right back for Allegri’s side. This should come as no surprise given the player’s consistency and professionalism over the course of his Juventus career. In the center of defense, there won’t be any crazy changes either. Daniele Rugani has been brought in to replace Angelo Ogbonna while Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini will once again form the nucleus of their back-line. Now this is where it gets interesting. On the left hand side of defense, the bianconeri have an ageing Patrice Evra and Paolo De Ceglie. While the latter is definitely not an option, Evra has proven to be a more than adequate candidate for the job. Juventus, however, are looking for another left back before the window closes. Recently, they have been heavily linked to three players: Porto’s Alex Sandro, Atletico Madrid’s Guilherme Siqueira and Monaco’s Layvin Kurzawa. Out of the three defenders, Siqueira is the most realistic but I get the feeling, that he convinces the Juventus management the least. Acquiring Alex Sandro or Kurzawa won’t be easy but will prove rewarding in the long run.
In recent years, Juventus’ midfield has often been the difference in tight games. Given Pirlo and Vidal’s departures, the Italian champions will have to look to different players to drive the team forward. Claudio Marchisio is expected to fill in the maestro’s shoes while Sami Khedira will take the Chilean’s place in the team. The duo are certainly very good players but are quite different to their predecessors. In many ways, Allegri will have to reshape the team and refine his tactics. In order to accomplish this, Juventus have began targeting a variety of attacking midfielders. Recently, major media outlets in Italy have reported that the bianconeri were after Shalke’s Julian Draxler, Bayern Munich’s Mario Goetze and Wolfsburg’s Kevin De Bruyne. Out of the three players, Draxler is the clear favorite due to his price-tag and wages. I do believe that in the near future, the German international will be donning the famous black and white stripes. In addition to signing an attacking midfielder, there is a good chance that the onus in the midfield will fall on Paul Pogba’s shoulders. Moving forward, make no mistake, this will be his team.
In attack, there has already been heavy investments made by the club in response to Carlos Tevez’s departure and Fernando Llorente’s expected sale. Dybala, Zaza and Mandzukic have been purchased to complete the revolution and will all look to build a lethal partnership with Alvaro Morata. Given Dybala’s price-tag and immense talent, he will likely begin the season up front with Morata. You simply do not bench a player who you just spent €32m to bring in. Moreover, the former Palermo man offers something different in comparison to his teammates and should emerge as a vital piece of this team’s attack. Mandzukic and Zaza should not worry about this too much as there are plenty of games to go around. Under Allegri’s heavy rotation, everyone will get their chance to prove themselves.
Juventus’ success next season will largely depend on their new acquisition’s ability to adjust to life at their new club. Given their rivals massive spending campaigns, they will need to do this sooner rather than later. As of right now, they do appear to still be the clear favorites going into the new season because of their championship pedigree but it must be said that the gap is closing. Due to this, it will be interesting to see just who joins Juventus by the end of the summer. Until then, this is how they may line up.
The post Fantacalcio: How Will Juventus Line Up Next Season? appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
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