Juventus: The biggest weakness is now a strength

Juventus had serious questions about their midfield in the 2019-2020 Serie A season despite winning another Scudetto, but that midfield is now a strength.

While Juventus haven’t fully gotten off to a winning start in 2020-2021 after dropping points at the Stadio Olimpico, there are some real positives to take away from the first two games of the season under Andrea Pirlo.

The biggest positives lie in midfield. We had a feeling that Pirlo, a legendary midfielder, would be able to transform the midfield and that new young additions Arthur Melo and Weston McKennie would have a role to play in that vision.

So far, the (very) early returns are worth getting excited about. Not “Best midfield in the league” excited, but excited enough to say that Juventus may not have a weak, meandering midfield anymore.

Under Maurizio Sarri, Juve’s midfield looked woeful by the end of the season. Only Adrien Rabiot truly stood out, as even Rodrigo Bentancur started to stumble. Miralem Pjanic had bright moments, but he was clearly on the downswing. Aaron Ramsey and Blaise Matuidi offered nothing. Sami Khedira was…well, the less said the better there.

Juventus showed their best stuff in midfield against Sampdoria

In the first match of the season against Claudio Ranieri’s Sampdoria, Juve’s midfield ran the table. Ramsey suddenly sprung into life, looking better than he did at any point in the 2019-2020 season. McKennie immediately made an impact. Rabiot was as good as he seemed down the stretch of the season.

And while McKennie and the other midfielders regressed at Roma, there was still one more positive to note from that 2-2 draw. Arthur made his debut off the bench for the Bianconeri, showing his technical class and confidence with some slick passes and dribbling. Out of all the players in midfield, Arthur is the one who can be THE difference-maker in the attack – even moreso than veteran free-agent additions Rabiot and Ramsey – and he is the man Juventini can be most excited about.

The Juventus midfield has balance. Bentancur and McKennie can bring in the running and defensive work, with some additional passing ability, in front of a standout back three. Rabiot, Ramsey, and Arthur are the technical players who provide more of the offensive creativity and/or thrust for Pirlo’s side.

There is a great deal of talent here, both emerging and experienced. Whereas last season, there was no direction and even fewer options, Juve have a real stable building for Pirlo. There will be growing pains, a need for tweaks, and off nights. But as a whole, Juventini have ample reason to expect big things from this group.