Juventus have an interesting decision to make with their attackers on Sunday against Genoa.
On Sunday evening at the Luigi Ferraris, fifth-placed Juventus will take on Genoa, who are in the relegation, in Serie A. The Bianconeri will look to continue their winning ways after defeating derby rivals Torino last weekend following a furious comeback. They were even more impressive on Tuesday night in a 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League.
According to Sky Sport Italia, Juventus are expected to start both Dejan Kulusevski and Paulo Dybala at the same time. Cristiano Ronaldo and Dybala would be the forwards up top in a 4-4-2, and Kulusevski and Federico Chiesa would be inverted wide forwards. The right-footed Chiesa would play on the left, while the left-footed Kulusevski would play on the right.
So we have a situation where there are two inverted left-footed players on the right-hand side. Kulusevski is a lot like Dybala, in the sense that he’s best higher up the pitch and around the box where he can cut inside and shoot. Whereas Chiesa is content with playing as a two-way wide midfielder who crosses, Kulusevski is an inverted winger who is at his best when going for goal. And we all know that the closer you get Dybala to the penalty box, the more effective he is.
That means there are valid concerns if Kulusevski and Dybala can co-exist on the same side. To be honest, I have not been impressed with Kulusevski’s performances as a right-sided wide midfielder in a 4-4-2 or 3-5-2, but that has more to do with the fit. Kulusevski is best as a right winger in a 4-3-3 where he can cut inside and shoot vs. someone who has to move up and down the flank. He isn’t going to put in crosses, and, in this position, loses some goal-scoring threat.
Last weekend, Juventus used this formation with Kulusevski and Dybala on the same side. Kulusevski had 122 yards covered with the ball, per FBRef.com, but he had just one shot-creating action. Andrea Pirlo subbed him off in the 56th minute after a subdued performance in which he could not contribute enough to the attack.
Behind him, Juan Cuadrado flourished with two assists after Kulusevski was taken off, which is something worth thinking about. Cuadrado is excellent at getting up the pitch and creating chances. He is one of the best crossers in European football. So is his effectiveness limited with Kulusevski or could be accentuated if he can get up the pitch and overlap so Kulusevski can cut inside? Could that help Dybala stick closer to a central, goal-scoring position?
Now for Dybala. He had six shot-creating actions against Torino, including five key passes. His passes were progressive, he carried the ball for his side, and he finished with about 90 percent of his passes completed. But, again, he wasn’t effective in providing a scoring threat, nor was Cristiano Ronaldo in the tough derby matchup.
The idea that Kulusevski and Dybala get in the way of each other is an interesting one, but it is a matter of Dybala. He must stay inside and allow Kulusevski space to operate when he cuts inside and Cuadrado moves up. Then, the rest of the defense can shift to the right to cover Cuadrado, with Alex Sandro staying defensive as something of a left center back.
That’s a way Juventus could make this work and have a fruitful attack with Dybala and Kulusevski starting. There are adjustments to be made under Pirlo, and one of them will be how Dybala plays in order to accommodate new players like Kulusevski.