Juventus: 3 players who must step up with Juan Cuadrado injured
Juventus right back Juan Cuadrado suffered an injury in the first half of Saturday evening’s 1-0 loss to Napoli. Goal.com’s Romeo Agresti reports that the Colombian wide man will miss this Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against FC Porto and the upcoming Serie A contest against Crotone.
We’ll have to see if Cuadrado misses more time, but he is surely out for this week’s matches. Therefore, it’s time to look at who must step up in his absence.
RM Federico Chiesa
The first man on the list is a wide midfielder who plays on the left or the right in Federico Chiesa. A loanee from Fiorentina whose future is guaranteed to be in Turin, Chiesa has been Juve’s most impressive young player this season, even above Weston McKennie.
We have been impressed with Chiesa’s consistency and work ethic. He does not stop running for a second and does not shy away from his defensive duties. To accommodate Cuadrado, such as on Matchday 22 at Napoli, Chiesa usually plays on the left. But he is better on the right-hand side due to his crossing. We should see him rule the flank against Porto this week.
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RB Danilo
Andrea Pirlo prefers a 4-4-2 setup, which means Danilo could be the starter at right back on Matchday 23 against Crotone and in the Champions League knockout stages at Porto.
Danilo has been the revelation of the 2020-2021 season for Juventus under Pirlo. The legendary Italian regista has helped Danilo find new form and confidence at center back, though this has also carried over to his work in defense. He can shift to being a right-sided center back even in the back four, with the left back, either Alex Sandro or Gianluca Frabotta, pushing up more.
CM Weston McKenie
Although Weston McKennie is a center midfielder, the Schalke loanee has been deployed by Pirlo as a right or even left-sided midfielder. Like Federico Chiesa, he is better on the right side on his stronger foot, which was familiar territory for him in Gelsenkirchen due to their constant shifting of McKennie. He even played at right back for the Royal Blues!
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McKennie has been excellent for Juventus in the 2020-2021 season, showing quality he never got a chance to truly display while with the struggling Bundesliga side. We could see him play on the right-hand side with Cuadrado out, and his chance-creation and work rate will be vital with Cuadrado injured.