Juventus: Don’t sleep on Merih Demiral
Juventus center back Merih Demiral looked like one of the biggest breakout stars of the 2019-2020 Serie A season before suffering a season-ending injury.
Defense has always been a strength for Juventus, as several legendary center backs have starred in the ranks of the Old Lady over the years. But as Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, and the old guard enter the twilight of their careers, we are witnessing the rise of two young center backs in Turin in Matthijs de Ligt and Merih Demiral.
De Ligt joined Juve in the summer 2019 transfer window as one of the most hyped signings in Europe, as the club spent 70 million euros on the Dutch center back. It was money well-spent, because while Ajax’s former hero struggled to adapt to the far more competitive Serie A, he eventually showed his quality.
However, de Ligt wasn’t even the most impressive young center back for Juventus last season. No, that honor definitely belongs to Demiral, despite only playing in five games and 379 minutes in Serie A.
Demiral also joined the Old Lady in the summer 2019 window, but Juventus spent a mere 18 million euros to grab the former Fenerbahçe prospect from Serie A club Sassuolo. While Demiral’s season was cut short in January by a torn ACL, the 22-year-old showed world-class potential in his handful of appearances.
Juventus center backs aren’t tasked with making tackles and being as active in defense as center backs with other teams or even in other leagues, but it is worth pointing out that Demiral led all Juve players at the position with 1.4 tackles per game, according to WhoScored.com.
Not only did Demiral make plenty of interventions defensively, but he looked far more mature than most defenders under the age of 23. As de Ligt’s slow start to the campaign shows, it isn’t easy for young defenders to adapt. Demiral’s previous experience in Serie A may have helped, but it was still wonderful to watch his composure and lack of mistakes at the heart of defense while making his first starts for Italy’s most prestigious club.
He even made an impact in the attack, scoring a goal and an assist for Juventus in his limited game time. Among Chiellini, Bonucci, de Ligt, and Demiral, Juve received seven goals from their center backs for a higher collective scoring output than the center midfielders. That’s not necessarily a good thing, but it shows how important it is for Demiral to display scoring ability as an asset on set pieces.
The future is in great hands with de Ligt and Demiral rising through the ranks in defense. But while de Ligt has the higher price tag and attacker Paulo Dybala is on the fast-track to superstardom, don’t sleep on the impact Demiral will make in 2020-2021. He is well on his way to being one of the top center backs in Serie A.