Juventus will look a whole lot different under Andrea Pirlo’s leadership.
Juventus’ season came to an end after the loss against Lyon in the Champions League Round of 16 on aggregate points. The club’s management immediately sacked Maurizio Sarri and appointed Andrea Pirlo as their new manager.
On Aug. 8, Champions League second Leg at Home(Allianz) Stadium of Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 2 goals and help Juventus to win their home game, however away goal scored by Memphis Depay put Lyon through next round.
And then on Aug. 9, Andrea Pirlo was appointed as the new manager of Juventus, so take a look at how he could fix the Old lady.
Defense
Juventus’ defense has failed to stop their opponent from scoring goals. The main problem with their defense is at the fullback position. Although Alex Sandro is a decent left back, but the main problem is with their right back. Although they need a backup for Sandro which could be FC Porto left-back Alex Telles.
He is edging closer to leaving the club this summer, having entered the final year of his current contract. The Brazilian has racked up incredible numbers from an attacking standpoint and continues to be linked with eye-catching moves to the likes of Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain. Telles could emerge as an option for Juventus, with Alex Sandro continuing to blow hot and cold in recent seasons. With a staggering 13 goals and 12 assists across all competitions in the 2019-20 season for Porto.
Danilo, Mattia De Sciglio, and Juan Cuadrado have all struggled to nail down the right back position in Turin. The club should buy a new right back which could be Portugal’s Nélson Semedo. The 2019-2020 campaign was not a good season for him, but he could prove himself at Juventus.
The second one they could buy Youcef Atal. His season ended prematurely due to knee surgery, but the Algerian full-back is highly rated and has impressed with a series of eye-catching displays for OGC Nice. Blessed with rapid pace and incredible dribbling ability, Atal is also a good crosser of the ball and is at the right age to take the next step in his career.
Midfield
As we know Juventus Mid had failed to create chances, to support their attackers. Also, Miralem Pjanić had his last season with The Old Lady. He will be playing his next season for Spanish Giants Barcelona. Although Juventus have signed Arthur Melo.
The club has put Aaron Ramsey in their transfer list. Ramsey has failed to prove himself in Juventus squad due to injuries. Although we can not deny that he is one of the most underrated players.
Blaise Matuidi left the club for Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. An aging midfield is one of the first things new manager Andrea Pirlo is looking to sort out as he eyes are on Houssem Aouar of Olympique Lyonnais and Manuel Locatelli of Sassuolo. Pirlo is reportedly looking for versatile midfielders in the mould of Rodrigo Bentancur who can play in any position across midfield and has shortlisted Aouar and Locatelli as his targets.
Hailed as the crown jewel of Italian football, Nicolo Zaniolo’s reputation has soared in recent seasons due to his outstanding displays for club and country. Predominantly an attacking midfielder, Zaniolo’s ability to combine his technical ability with a warrior-like attitude makes him a tantalizing option for Juventus, while his versatility could also be a massive boost for the Bianconeri.
Attack
The Old Lady is also struggling to put the ball through the net as Cristiano Ronaldo is the only finisher Juventus have. He had a great season as he scored 37 goals with 7 assists in 46 appearances for Juve in all competitions breaking their highest all-time scorer over a single-season record. The record had been held for more than 80 years by club legend Felice Borel. Juventus has put Gonzalo Higuaín, Douglas Costa, Federico Bernardeschi on their Transfer List.
As Higuaín and Costa both failed to prove themselves – Higuaín due to lack of speed and finishing and Costa due to injuries. Bernardeschi also had a bad season scoring just 2 goals with 3 assists in all competition with 38 appearances.
Juventus has already signed Dejan Kulusevski. Next, they can sign is Federico Chiesa, who enjoyed another productive season with Fiorentina and has inevitably been linked with Juventus, which is so often the case for any Italian player impressing in Serie A.
The tricky attacker’s unique ability to score goals as well as create them could be a massive boost for the Bianconeri, who depend primarily on Cristiano Ronaldo upfront.
Chiesa is blessed with a wand of a right foot and is also someone who doesn’t neglect his defensive duties, making him an intriguing option for Juventus.
Also, Juventus are closing in on the transfer of Arkadiusz Milik from Napoli, according to reports in Italy. The striker is all but set to leave the Serie A giants, and Juventus are aiming to shrug off competition by offering Napoli a swap deal that would see Federico Bernardeschi go the other way.
Conclusion
As Andrea Pirlo appointed as the new manager of The Old Lady he had to make some tough decisions to make Juve work better and have to do new signings in replacement of some players and as a backup for some players. Juventus has been at the top of Serie A for consecutive nine seasons. But failed to deliver in the Champions League. This is how Juventus could fix themselves under new boss Andrea Pirlo.