Juventus: Can Federico Bernardeschi turn it around?

Juventus winger Federico Bernardeschi has struggled to start the 2020-2021 season, yet he can’t stop scoring for Italy.

Even as Federico Bernardeschi is mentioned in January transfer rumors, including swaps for Arkadiusz Milik or Milan’s Hakan Calhanoglu, the Juventus wide man is putting in strong performances for the Azzurri. He scored again during the November international break, which both drew praise and bewilderment from Juventini.

How can Bernardeschi look competent for the national team and yet play so poorly for Juventus at the same time? It’s almost hard to believe this is the same player. There are times when fans wonder if he is a professional-level footballer at Juve, because he makes some truly astonishing errors.

This season, Bernardeschi has played 82 minutes in Serie A and 32 minutes in the Champions League. His playing time is appropriate for a player of his caliber and his contributions to the Bianconeri. He is nothing more than a backup player, because players like Dejan Kulusevski, Federico Chiesa, and even Gianluca Frabotta have all proven to be more effective.

Perhaps Bernardeschi would be more effective in a different system or role. But since Kulusevski, Frabotta, Chiesa, and Juan Cuadrado are having no issues in wide positions and the forwards are playing well, there is no room for Bernardeschi and no need to accommodate the player.

So it is Bernardeschi who must step up. His wages, poor performances, and falling stock on the depth chart have made him a transfer candidate. It may be difficult to find a team that can take on his wages, but Juventus will try. That said, it doesn’t seem likely for Bernardeschi to get a January move.

The onus is on Bernardeschi to find a niche in the squad for the rest of the 2020-2021 season, especially if he wants to prove to another club in Serie A that he can be a top player.

What helps the Fiorentina man are his excellent performances for Italy. Goals were difficult to come by for the 26-year-old last season, as he literally scored just once from a tap-in. And the season before, he scored only twice. Again, it’s hard to believe he is the same player who once had 11 goals in a season in Florence before making a move to Turin where he had 10 goal contributions in his first season.

The talent is there. Bernardeschi is a good athlete who looks capable in other settings – just not at Juventus. Maybe he does not fit what is asked of him in Turin or the overall mentality of the squad, and, if that’s the case, a transfer has to happen. At this point, it seems like the only outcome.

But maybe there’s something else at play. Maybe there is some way for Andrea Pirlo to get the most out of a player entering his prime years who is succeeding for the Italian national team. If there is, the time is ticking on both Bernardeschi and the Bianconeri to figure it out.