Juventus: Is Dejan Kulusevski or Federico Chiesa shining brighter?
Juventus have two of Serie A’s brightest young stars in Dejan Kulusevski and Federico Chiesa, as both men made their way to Turin this summer. Kulusevski joined after a wildly successful one-year loan spell with Parma, while Chiesa is a loanee from Fiorentina who will be purchased permanently in the future.
Both men have played a key role in Juve’s youth movement and are two players whom Juventini can continue to expect big things from as the club looks to make a comeback in the table and secure a 10th straight Scudetto.
Which of these two players has made the bigger impact for Juventus this season?
To me, the answer is Chiesa.
Kulusevski was one of Serie A’s best players in 2019-2020, and he actually won the award for best young player. His explosiveness and goal-scoring exploits lifted Parma and made Juventini excited for his first-team future in Turin.
Federico Chiesa never stops running for Juventus
While Kulusevski has five goals in all competitions this season, he hasn’t been nearly as consistent as Chiesa.
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When Chiesa joined from Fiorentina, fans knew he was a highly-touted young winger. But they were worried he wouldn’t be able to impose himself as a starter and had been overrated on that word “potential”.
Chiesa has quickly shown he is anything but overrated. The young Italian winger has capably played on either flank in Andrea Pirlo’s preferred 4-4-2 formation. Although he is better on the right-hand side, he has also succeeded in an inverted role on the left so that Juventus can start both him and top assist-provider Juan Cuadrado.
The 23-year-old has three years on Kulusevski, and it does show. But what impresses Juventini the most about Chiesa is his motor. Like Cuadrado, for example, Chiesa never stops running up and down that flank. He is a more attacking player than Cuadrado, yet he defends just as hard as the defenders and midfielders behind him.
So far this season, Chiesa has seven goals and four assists in all competitions for Juventus. That’s an excellent return, and Chiesa has been saving his best goal-scoring form since the turn of the calendar year. He seems to be getting better and more confident as an attacker, showing off his shooting range along with the pinpoint crossing that we quickly saw at the Allianz Stadium.
An all-around star as a wide midfielder, Chiesa has wholly replaced Federico Bernardeschi as a regular starter. His defensive actions, dribbling activity, and even chance creation have all been assets to the Bianconeri in 2020-2021.
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Kulusevski has more long-term upside and is one of the most exciting athletes in Serie A. But through the opening five months of the campaign, Chiesa has been shining the brightest.