Following a string of impressive performances against Torino, Milan, and Manchester City many are proclaiming that Alex Sandro is Juventus’ next great fullback but is this really the case?
Football is a weird sport. Just one month ago, Alex Sandro was being called a 26 million euro bench player and a flop among other things. Today, the tune is a very different one. After putting in consecutive match-winning performances against Milan and Manchester City, the Brazilian’s stock has risen considerably. Optimism surrounding the 24-year-old is at an all-time high to the point where many are even saying that he is the bianconeri’s best fullback since Gianluca Zambrotta. While Stephan Lichtsteiner might have something to say about that, Alex Sandro can definitely make the title his own if he is able to sustain his current performances. As Patrice Evra gets older and his forces begin to wane, the importance of the former Porto man cannot be understated. After all, Juventus fans will not want to see the return of a certain left back come DJ, Paolo De Ceglie, to the first team. Yes, De Ceglie is now a DJ but I digress. Back to Alex Sandro – He’s pretty good.
In the last two years Massimiliano Allegri has received a lot of stick for the way he’s integrated new signings. In the long run, however, his methods have proven to work. See: Alvaro Morata and most recently Paulo Dybala. Despite his relative success with easing in new signings, many still criticized his use of Alex Sandro. Until recently, the Brazilian’s only real minutes came against Chievo and Frosinone. As the player began to get used to life in Turin, Allegri began calling upon him more often as seen through the side’s games against Borussia Moenchengladbach and Sassuolo. In those games, the Brazilian was a bright spot in a Juve side that failed to impress.
Then came the defining game against Torino. When Allegri opted to sub off Paulo Dybala for Alex Sandro with three minutes to go, absolute madness ensued on Twitter. The Brazilian would quickly silence all doubters when he bursted down the left-hand side and fired a low cross into the path of Juan Cuadrado. The former Chelsea man would slide the ball past Daniele Padelli and gift his side the three points. Is there a better way to announce yourself to your new team than to provide a crucial stoppage-time assist against your rivals? Well, I surely can’t think of many better ways off the top of my head.
93′ ¡Goooool de Cuadrado! ⚽ #Juventus 2-1 #Torino https://t.co/yxLgJ9oNyp Vine by Fútbol Italiano – Serie A #Cuadrado
— Joninka Castillo (@jonni23) October 31, 2015
After that game, the former Porto man went from strength to strength and displayed just why Juventus decided to make him their second most expensive defender in the history of the club. Against Milan, he came on for a struggling Evra and instantly provided Juventus with some life down the left hand side while marking Alessio Cerci out of the game. Not that doing the latter is any hard anymore. Alex Sandro would once again prove to be a difference maker in that game after latching onto a lovely ball from Paul Pogba. After bringing the ball under his control, the left back would cross the ball into the box with his first touch and find Dybala. The Argentine would volley home past Gianluigi Donnarumma in what was the only goal of the game.
Fresh off his exploits against the rossoneri, the 24-year-old was thrown into a crucial Champions League game against Manchester City. The defender would prove that no stage is too big for him as he put in a man of the match performance against the English giants and picked up a third consecutive assist. Alex Sandro was also a defensive asset as he made four tackles and five interceptions. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see what exactly Alex Sandro’s rise will mean for Patrice Evra. The 34-year-old has emerged as an essential player and leader for Juventus and has put in a number of world-class performances over the last year and a half. That said, the former Manchester United man is not getting any younger and will inevitably begin to decline. It happens to everyone. At the moment, Evra has still looked good leaving Allegri with a welcomed selection headache. Despite the Frenchman’s consistency, it would be a crime to leave out Alex Sandro on current form.
Following the Manchester City game, this is what the fullback had to say,:
“I’m starting to speak Italian and I’m starting to gain confidence with the group and the environment.”
Be on alert, rest of Serie A. He’s only going to get better.
After taking into consideration his recent performances and Allegri’s previous work with new signings who begin to find their feet, one would fully expect to definitively make the left back spot his own by the new year. It’s also important to consider that with him on the field, Juventus are a two-headed beast going forward. For all his defensive solidity, Evra will never set the world alight with his offensive contributions. Due to this, the Italian champions often find themselves going down the right hand side through Juan Cuadrado making them overly-reliant on him and one-dimensional. With Alex Sandro in the lineup, on the other hand, teams who play Juve will have to be wary of the Brazilian’s presence especially in a 3-5-2, where he’s higher up the pitch.
Looking beyond this season, I can definitely see Alex Sandro becoming a mainstay in the lineup for years to come as it is truly rare to see a left back with his qualities. Now back to the initial question: Is Alex Sandro Juventus’ next great fullback? To label him this, at the moment, would do just as much as calling him a flop after his first few months and would be far too reactionary for my liking. It must be said though, that the conditions for him to equal or even surpass Zambrotta are there.
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