When Adrien Rabiot first joined Juventus, he looked like a huge disappointment. But since this summer, he has been the Bianconeri’s best midfielder.
In the span of a few months, Adrien Rabiot has went from a guy who looked like he was on the way out of Juventus to a player Juventini do not want to see leaving any time soon.
Rabiot’s strong performances over the summer turned heads, including Didier Deschamps’. The World Cup-winning French manager has since given Rabiot huge praise for the improvements he’s made in Turin, and Rabiot is becoming indispensable to the manager’s plans.
The same can be said for Rabiot at Juventus. He’s scored for Juve this season against Spezia, but Rabiot’s offensive contributions haven’t been the main reason to praise the 25-year-old.
No, Rabiot has stepped up big-time defensively to help ensure the Bianconeri remain one of the league’s top defensive teams despite injuries and a couple of head-scratching errors from Leonardo Bonucci.
Rabiot, according to WhoScored.com, has 1.5 tackles per game and 2.0 interceptions per game in Serie A. Only Danilo, surprisingly Juve’s best center back this season, has more interceptions per match. And in the Champions League, Rabiot is averaging a team-high 4.7 tackles per game with 3.0 interceptions per game. Again, only Danilo and fellow center back Merih Demiral are averaging more interceptions.
It’s been wonderful to see Rabiot step up as a steely presence in midfield, which complements his quality passing and technical ability well. The former PSG man is averaging at least one dribble per game in both competitions, completing roughly 90 percent of his passes in Serie A. He is a real midfield engine for Juventus.
In Arthur Melo and Rabiot, the Bianconeri can feel confident in having two well-rounded midfield workhorses. Weston McKennie, a loanee from Schalke, could soon become the third such player. Rodrigo Bentancur has disappointed to start the season, but he is a talented young player who defends well.
But it is not a stretch to say that Rabiot has been Juve’s best midfielder through the first seven Serie A matches. He has been one of the top five players on the team overall alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata, Juan Cuadrado, and Danilo.
It’s incredible to think that Rabiot has become this important to the Bianconeri just months after fans were hoping Everton or Manchester United would take him on a transfer. Now, the 25-year-old defensive midfielder looks like a player who can be a star in Turin for years to come.
For Rabiot, the challenge will be to keep leveling up his game as the 2020-2021 season continues. Juventus haven’t met their toughest challenges in Serie A yet, and their true tests will be in the Champions League knockout stages. If Rabiot can become more of an attacking threat, then Juve could have a true world-class midfielder that they need in order to win the Champions League trophy they’ve been searching for.