Juventus: Adrien Rabiot and Rodrigo Bentancur simply won’t cut it
Unfortunately, Juventus have had their fair share of disappointments in the 2020-2021 season, but their most deflating display may have come this past Sunday at the San Siro in the Derby d’Italia against bitter rivals Inter Milan.
The Bianconeri fell to the second-place side in Serie A 2-0, and, now, they are starting to look less and less likely to make a comeback for the top spot in the table despite having beaten Milan at the San Siro weeks earlier.
There were very few performances worthy of any sort of praise, but the two most disappointing players were, by far, midfielders Adrien Rabiot and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Rabiot started the season well after an excellent summer, but he returned to his poor form through most of the 2019-2020 season. The French international has not played well in weeks, particularly from an attacking perspective. And he hit a new low against Inter, as the opposition’s midfield even picked on him defensively. Per WhoScored.com, Rabiot did not put in a single tackle or interception! And he’s usually among Juve’s leaders in tackles!
Adrien Rabiot, Rodrigo Bentancur don’t bring enough star power to the Juventus midfield
Rodrigo Bentancur was just as poor on Sunday night. He did not provide a net positive to the Juventus attack, and this has been a recurring problem for the Uruguayan midfielder. The 23-year-old is not progressing this season as he should, and he needs to be doing a LOT more as a passer in order to justify being a starter for a club like Juventus.
Being tough defensively or racking up tackles and sideways passes isn’t enough. Juve need forward passing, technical class, and consistency in midfield. Rabiot and Bentancur have offered nothing of the sort, with the exception of the brief weeks when Rabiot suddenly explodes.
The Bentancur and Rabiot partnership is part of the problem. Alone, each player is useful in their own right, and they would be great players for a club that does not have Champions League title ambitions.
But Juventus need the best of the best in midfield. Their most impressive sides were built around midfielders like Paul Pogba, Claudio Marchisio, and Andrea Pirlo himself! Bentancur and Rabiot are nice role players, but they are not regular starters at a club like Juventus. And because of their lack of attacking quality and star power, they cannot start together.
Next. Juventus can't say no to Cristiano Ronaldo extension. dark
Juventus still have questions to answer in midfield despite some promise from these players at the start of the season. Occasionally, Bentancur and Rabiot will flash a high degree of talent, but their lack of consistency and ability to take hold of the biggest games mean that Juve must look elsewhere for a solution this summer.