Juventus: 5 burning questions after an incredible opener

Juventus made short work of Sampdoria in their first game of the 2020-2021 Serie A season. Here are five burning questions before the match against Roma.

Yes, it was against Sampdoria. But Juventus looked excellent in their first match of the 2020-2021 Serie A campaign, showing an attacking mindest and hunger that was missing under Maurizio Sarri in 2019-2020 despite the Scudetto. Andrea Pirlo will be judged by the Champions League, just as Sarri was, but this was an encouraging start.

Here are five questions to ponder before Juve face Roma on Sunday.

1. Can Aaron Ramsey keep this up?

Aaron Ramsey was a disappointment in his first season with Juventus, failing to provide the attacking creativity and end product that the Bianconeri were looking for. He was inconsistent, floating in and out of the lineup.

But last Sunday against Sampdoria, Ramsey was tremendous. He looked liked one of the best three players on the pitch for Juventus, producing a team-high six key passes with some hard work defensively. If Ramsey can build on this performance, he could blossom into the player Juve envisioned when they signed him for free from Arsenal in the summer of 2019.

2. Is Dejan Kulusevski locked in as a starter?

Swedish international Dejan Kulusevski was named Serie A’s best young player after the 2019-2020 season, as he scored 10 goals with eight assists as Parma’s star man. Now back in Turin after that wildly successful loan spell, Kulusevski is already off to a good start with his new team, as he scored a great opening goal with three key passes and three dribbles completed to his name, per WhoScored.com.

Juventus have signed Alvaro Morata on loan and have superstars Paulo Dybala and Cristiano Ronaldo in their attack. Andrea Pirlo has many mouths to feed. But after what Kulusveski did against Sampdoria and all season long for Parma, he needs to have a regular spot in the lineup.

3. Has Danilo saved his spot?

Danilo has been mired in transfer rumors this summer after an underwhelming 2019-2020 season, though a lot of the criticisms need context. Recency bias comes into play with Danilo, who was woeful to close the 2019-2020 season. But there are two things to keep in mind. Firstly, he was far from the worst offender. Secondly, he was poor as a left back, which is clearly not his natural position.

I think Danilo gets a bad reputatoin unfairly. No, he should not be a regular starter for a club like Juventus, but he plays for big clubs for a reason. He is a gritty defender, competent technically, and does his job. As a squad player, he is versatile and showed it with a good showing as a right-sided center back vs. Sampdoria. Danilo should not be sold.

4. How good will Leonardo Bonucci be this season?

Leonardo Bonucci remains one of Europe’s better center backs, but he committed so many frustrating mistakes near the end of 2019-2020. Errors have long been Bonucci’s crutch, as he makes some truly baffling mistakes. But he hit some new lows last season as Juve’s defense crumbled under Maurizio Sarri.

At the heart of the back three, Bonucci, as expected, thrived. He looked so much more comfortable defensively and showed off his world-class range of passing against Sampdoria. Bonucci just clicks alongside Giorgio Chiellini, as their partnership is truly wonderful to see. An in-form Bonucci starting alongside Chiellini and Merih Demiral (until Matthijs de Ligt returns) will be good to see.

Expect Bonucci to have one of his finest seasons yet. I have a good feeling about 2020-2021 for the veterans under Pirlo.

5. Will Weston McKennie become a star for Juventus?

American center midfielder Weston McKennie wasn’t used correctly at Schalke, as the Royal Blues seemed more interested in experimenting with the young player’s versatility than truly developing him into a star player in European football.

Juventus already has plans for McKennie, as Andrea Pirlo acquired him from Schalke on loan with the intent of making him a key part of the midfield. Or so it seems after McKennie started in the opener and was one of the best players in the game.

His defensive contributions were not surprising to anyone who followed his career in Germany. He had four tackles and three interceptions to put in a strong shift. Offesnively, he deserved a goal, as he was constantly a threat.

McKennie has competition in midfield from young and experienced players, but he should find his spot in Turin. There are high hopes for what the 22-year-old can accomplish under Pirlo.