Juventus News: Rodrigo Bentancur praises teammate as second to Andres Iniesta on the ball
Juventus needed to upgrade their midfield this past summer, and they did so by acquiring Arthur Melo and Weston McKennie to join the established duo of Adrien Rabiot and Rodrigo Bentancur.
While they could still use another difference-maker in the middle of the park, such as Manuel Locatelli or Houssem Aouar, the early returns on the new additions have been excellent.
Arthur, in particular, has broken out in recent matches and shown the world-class potential he possesses.
When he joined Juventus from Barcelona, Juventini had heard about the comparisons to Xavi.
At first, Arthur was a little frustrating due to his sideways passing, but the press-resistance and dribbling were obvious to all. And now, the Brazilian is starting to click.
Juventus’ Arthur Melo is among the best midfielders in the world in possession
Via Italian Football TV on Twitter, Arthur’s midfield teammate Rodrigo Bentancur heaped some high praise onto his shoulders, invoking the name of another former Barcelona legend in Andres Iniesta, who was once one of the top three players in the world.
Bentancur stated that Arthur is second to only Iniesta “with the ball at his feet” and said it is a “pleasure” to share the same pitch as the new signing.
Arthur, Bentancur, and McKennie all played well in Juve’s recent 2-0 win over Sampdoria in Serie A to complete the season sweep of the Genoa-based club. And Arthur was arguably the Man of the Match with his command of the pitch. A few more performances like that, and Arthur will safely be in the good graces of Juventini and entrenched in the future plans of Andrea Pirlo.
3 takeaways from Juventus' win over Sampdoria. dark. Next
Putting him over everyone but Iniesta is flattering, but it is true that Arthur has special talent on the ball. It is rare to see him dispossessed, no matter how tight the area. Purely on the ball, it is not far-fetched to say that Arthur is the best there is, though I would put him behind Luka Modric. Even so, that’s still great company. Next up for Arthur, working on his creative capabilities and his impact on the team closer to the goal.