Juventus: 5 players who must prove they can start in 2021

Juventus are in a tough fight for the Serie A title, as they remain behind both Inter and AC Milan in the table after 23 Matchdays. And they are in a similarly tough situation in the Champions League Round of 16 – down, but not out – after a 2-1 loss to FC Porto in the first leg at the Estadio do Dragao.

The Bianconeri need some more difference-makers to emerge in the second half of the campaign. There are a number of players who need to prove they can nail down a regular starting spot. Here are five of them.

FW Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski is a very talented young forward who can create chances and take them. But he’s also inconsistent. Kulusevski wasn’t much of a factor, in truth, on Monday night vs. Crotone, and he was conspicuously absent in the loss to Porto.

After a sensational 2019-2020 season with Parma, Kulusevski has shown that he still needs a bit of time before he can become a star player for Juventus’ first team. It isn’t easy to crack the lineup with Alvaro Morata and, later, a healthy Paulo Dybala.

CM Rodrigo Bentancur

Rodrigo Bentancur has been a starter for Juventus in many games this season, and he was an important assist-provider in the title-winning campaign last year. But Bentancur has struggled in recent matches, both with his ball security and ability to control the match for his team.

Arthur Melo, Adrien Rabiot, and youngster Weston McKennie have all outplayed Bentancur in the 2020-2021 season. The Uruguayan is a valued member of the squad, but is he really a guaranteed starter now?

LM Federico Bernardeschi

Juventus is just itching for Federico Bernardeschi to prove himself. The former Fiorentina man has shown his quality before in Serie A and is still an excellent player for the Azzurri at the national team level. But for Juventus, Bernardeschi’s performances leave fans wanting and are generally lacking in confidence.

Yet at the same time, Bernardeschi cannot be discarded completely. He is behind only Paulo Dybala and Aaron Ramsey in terms of key passes per 90 minutes, according to WhoScored.com. And of course, he is full of running. Andrea Pirlo should be begging for someone on Juventus to step up on the left-hand side as an attacking outlet. Bernardeschi can still be that guy.

AM Aaron Ramsey

Aaron Ramsey was not the most consistent performer against Crotone, as that distinction should be shared by wide man Federico Chiesa and the stable defensive presence of Danilo. But Ramsey was the most active in terms of creating chances, as he has been all season long for the Bianconeri when healthy.

The Welsh international is third on the team in Serie A with four assists despite not being within 300 minutes played of either of the two leaders, Alvaro Morata and Juan Cuadrado. Ramsey’s biggest impediment to starting regularly is injury, but he could afford to be sharper with his discipline and decision-making. Juve have been expecting more from the former Arsenal man.

CB Merih Demiral

The young Juventus center back understandably wants more minutes in Turin, but there are a lot of mouths to feed in Italy’s most prestigious club. Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci are pillars of the team, while Matthijs de Ligt is clearly Juve’s next legendary center back. Demiral can at least be happy he gets more run than Radu Dragusin, who is yet another talented young central defender in the Bianconero ranks. Even Danilo is a top center back in a back three.

Next. Weston McKennie keeps on producing for Juventus. dark

But Demiral, when he’s on the pitch, excels. On performance alone, he and de Ligt are the best center back partnership. The issue is that Demiral is not as good of a passer as Chiellini or Bonucci, especially not the latter. And this is why he is not preferred to Bonucci. Demiral is a great defender, but he must become more well-rounded in order to start more matches for Pirlo.

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