Maurizio Sarri’s Juventus were defined by a sturdy enough defence, an incompetent midfield, the productivity of Cristiano Ronaldo, and the magisterial talent of the free-roaming Paulo Dybala.
The Bianconeri were like a sandwich with no filling, but somehow good enough to retain their Serie A crown.
Since Andrea Pirlo took the reins last summer, the “total and collective” approach he notes in his dissertation has been on full display. While Sarri struggled to establish harmony in an aging squad, Pirlo, thanks to the reimbursement of youth, has endured no such problem.
Thus, while Sarri’s reign was made fruitful thanks to the ridiculous production of one of the greatest and an on-song genius, Pirlo’s short time at the helm has already seen heroes emerge all over the field.
Here are five key stars in Il Maestro’s Bianconeri.
You can read part one of the series, analyzing the tactics, here.
Danilo
As swap deals go, Manchester City and Juve’s exchange of Joao Cancelo and Danilo has proved one of the most successful of the modern era.
The Brazilian has gone from strength-to-strength this term, with Pirlo handing the former Cityzen a crucial and specific role. His function is a flexible one, with his impressive versatility on full display; in Juve’s 4-4-2 block out of possession, Danilo will line-up as either a right or left-back – depending on Juan Cuadrado’s availability – but drift infield to form a back three when Juve have the ball as part of Pirlo’s fluid 3-2-5 configuration.
The reasoning behind this is two-fold: first, to aid the Bianconeri’s build-up, and second, to provide central compactness in transition.
However, there are times where the Brazilian will advance from his centre-back position to provide overloads up the field.
Overall, though, Danilo has served as a metronome, almost, to Pirlo’s Juve. No player attempts (82.5) and completes (73.8) more passes than the Brazilian per 90 minutes in Serie A this season, while the versatile defender’s already enjoyed more league action under Pirlo (1,576 minutes) compared to Sarri (1,440 mins).
Juan Cuadrado
Juan Cuadrado’s evolution as a right-back has been pretty impressive. With the idea founded by Massimiliano Allegri, the Colombian was used almost exclusively in a back four under Sarri before Pirlo introduced a hybrid function for the dynamic 32-year-old.
While he’s used as a right-back out of possession, Cuadrado morphs into a key attacking outlet when Juve have the ball. He advances down the right flank to serve as Juve’s fifth attacking option in the final third, tasked with providing width and allowing either Weston McKennie or Aaron Ramsey ahead of him to drift infield. Pirlo has also given Cuadrado the license to get forward in attacking transition, a phase in which he can be so dangerous – shown late on in the recent 2-0 victory over Sampdoria.
Nevertheless, the Colombian’s five Serie A assists (his 11 in total tops the charts) ranks behind only Alvaro Morata in the Juve squad, while only Danilo and Rodrigo Bentancur (both 95) have made more ‘progressive passes’ than Cuadrado (76). He’s a fine crosser of the ball too, while his defensive nous is somewhat underrated – only Bentancur (4.26) and McKennie (3.96) are making more tackles and interceptions per 90 than the veteran (3.65) this term.
So, not only is the Colombian ever so dynamic and crucial in helping Juve progress and penetrate down the right, but he’s also emerged as a sound defender going the other way.
Weston McKennie
Well, what an astute bit of business this has proved to be! The Schalke loanee has been nothing short of a revelation in Turin.
While the American was initially deployed in Pirlo’s double pivot before Arthur Melo started to find his groove, Il Maestro has utilised McKennie in the role tailor-made for Ramsey – who’s also performed admirably in spells this season.
His function is all about space interpretation, whether that be between the opposition’s defensive and midfield lines or in the penalty area, McKennie is all about finding space. From there, he can facilitate combination play, drive at opposing defences, or, ultimately, score goals – finding the net on four occasions in all competitions.
McKennie’s dynamism is unrivaled in the Juve squad, with his work in transition immense. However, what can’t be understated is his importance to Juve out of possession, in which he performs his defensive duties with such diligence.
Typically positioned on the right side of midfield in Juve’s 4-4-2 block, McKennie is absolutely relentless. Whether tucking infield to prevent the opposition from accessing the half-spaces or advancing to team up with the front two in Juve’s first pressing line, McKennie performs every defensive function with such astuteness and intensity. He’s a counter-pressing monster, with his average of 21.9 pressures per 90 in Serie A topping Juve’s charts.
In short, he’s a manager’s dream and was always going to thrive in Pirlo’s system.
Federico Chiesa
Federico Chiesa’s switch to Turin was one that had almost felt inevitable ever since he burst onto the scene at Fiorentina.
Upon his deadline day arrival in the summer, though, Chiesa remained an incredibly raw talent; a player who boasted a distinct burst of speed and wonderful ball-carrying abilities, but lacked a certain ruthlessness in the final third.
However, Chiesa has found a new lease of life since his release from the shackles of Beppe Iachini.
The young Italian is typically tasked with holding the width on one flank in this Juve side, with his positioning on the right or left decided by the presence of, you guessed it, Cuadrado. Nevertheless, Chiesa’s proved this term to be equally effective on both wings, although Transfermarkt attributes just two of his nine Serie A goal contributions for Juve this term in games in which he was deployed on the left.
His role is a little more complex on this flank; he’ll rotate more with Cristiano Ronaldo, in particular, and find himself running in behind opposition defences more frequently than on the right. The right-wing, however, is where much of his finest work has arrived this term, including that stellar performance against Theo Hernandez and Milan.
The fact that he’s overperforming his xG (he’s scored five in Serie A when expected to score 2.6) highlights his new-found efficiency in the final third, considering he underperformed in this regard in every season at Fiorentina.
The supreme ball-carrying qualities remain but he’s no longer reliant on such skill, Chiesa’s evolved into a more well-rounded footballer in Turin, clearly benefitting from a coherent system and the superior talent which surrounds him.
Alvaro Morata
Name a more heartwarming love story than Alvaro Morata and Turin. I know, you simply can’t.
It’s the city in which the Spaniard made his name, with his goals in Europe thrusting the Old Lady to the 2014/15 Champions League final. From there, however, Morata’s career has been defined by hefty price tags but few goals.
But after Atletico Madrid shipped the striker to Juve in the summer in a loan deal which could be made permanent at the end of the campaign, there was a sense of inevitability that Morata would thrive. It’s just something about Turin.
Nevertheless, Pirlo deserves credit too for facilitating the Spaniard’s renaissance. The Italian’s fluid and flexible system means Morata’s role in the side is multi-faceted – as I touched upon in part one. Thus, while he’s primarily tasked with running the channels and providing an outlet in behind, Morata’s target-man build means he can also function as a focal point when Juve are forced long, while his technical security and shrewd movement ensure he’s adept at dropping between the lines.
The Spain international’s been really impressive and would’ve surely hit double figures in Serie A by now if he understood the offside rule. Still, 21 goal contributions in all competitions is a fine return for the selfless forward.