Juventus: The midfield change Andrea Pirlo simply has to make

Almost a year to the day when Maurizio Sarri’s Bianconeri waltzed into the Groupama Stadium expecting to coast past supposedly seemingly inferior opposition in the first knockout phase of the Champions League, Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo endured a similar fate on Wednesday night.

Juventus’ 2-1 defeat to a Porto side ten points adrift of league leaders Sporting CP in Portugal undoubtedly rivals the humbling 1-0 loss to Lyon last year.

The performance for the most part was abhorrent, with both the collective and individual components faltering. One particular struggler was Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, who, after gifting Mehdi Taremi with a tone-setting opener following an under-hit backpass Szczęsny, embarked on a woeful display.

It was the sort of performance that – in a meritocracy – should certainly see Bentancur drop to the bench for Juve’s upcoming Serie A bout with Crotone on Monday night. But with Arthur Melo out and Nicolo Fagioli perhaps too raw for regular minutes, Pirlo may well have his hands tied in this regard.

There is a solution, however.

A revised role for Weston McKennie

Despite his impressive start to life in Turin, Weston McKennie shouldn’t be exempt from criticism for his showing in Portugal on Wednesday. Instead of the vibrant, energetic, and dynamic free-roamer Juventini have got accustomed to seeing this season, McKennie looked more like a player who should still be apart of the Schalke side currently languishing at the bottom of the Bundesliga.

However, he is still returning to full fitness, so we’ll cut the guy some slack.

Nevertheless, while the young American has excelled in the advanced marauding role for Pirlo this term, it might be the opportune time for the Italian boss to return McKennie to the midfield pivot.

It’s a function he performed admirably to start the campaign; with his willingness to counter-press and impressive technical quality on full display. His bright start, though, was blighted by a positive coronavirus test at the start of October and upon his return to the starting XI for the 4-1 victory over Spezia on 1 November, it was Arthur and Bentancur in the pivot with McKennie in the wide midfielder/between the lines hybrid role – one he’s played since.

But with Bentancur now in what can only be described as a rut, with his play plagued by unforced errors, perhaps it’s time for Pirlo to rethink McKennie’s role and pair him with the inconsistent Adrien Rabiot in central midfield.

Sustained game time for Aaron Ramsey

The dropping of Bentancur should trigger a chain of events that would facilitate Aaron Ramsey’s return to the XI following a spell on the sidelines this month.

It’s about time the Welshman returned to the role seemingly tailor-made for his profile.

Ramsey was one of the protagonists at the start of Pirlo’s reign, with the new Juve boss immediately labeling the former Arsenal star “a great player”, waxing lyrical over his footballing intelligence. The role in Il Maestro’s system which McKennie has performed since November was mastered by Ramsey to start the season.

His innate knack of timing runs to perfection, facilitating combinations between the lines and interpreting space within the opponent’s defensive structure led to majestic performances early on in the campaign. The 30-year-old was exceptional in the season-opener against Sampdoria and impressed in Champions League victories over Dynamo Kyiv and Barcelona.

Brief but annoying spells on the sidelines combined with occasionally erratic play, however, undermined Ramsey’s progress under Pirlo, and it became clear that the Italian boss started to lose faith in the Welshman.

For much of 2021 thus far, Ramsey’s been thrust to the periphery. For every late strike to secure victories over Sassuolo and Samp in January, uninspiring performances against both Milan clubs followed.

Nevertheless, while he can be frustrating and somewhat erratic, the return of Ramsey may be the spark Juve need to ignite their attacking fluency – a concept that has escaped the Bianconeri as of late.