Juventus: 5 players with a point to prove before the 2020-21 season ends

#2 Federico Bernardeschi

Following a stellar 2016-17 season with Fiorentina, Federico Bernardeschi was signed by Le Zebre in the subsequent summer. That season, Bernardeschi, while playing as a winger, racked up 11 goals and 4 assists in Serie A for La Viola. After moving to northern Italy, those numbers, however, have evaporated, with the 27-year-old yet to complete a five-goal season.

And under the management of Andrea Pirlo, it’s hard to see him restoring his career at Juventus at this moment. Since becoming the manager of the senior side, Pirlo has regularly preferred fielding a two-man frontline with two wide midfielders to provide the width.

The irrelevancy of an out-and-out winger in the system is notable and hasn’t provided Bernardeschi with the opportunities to elevate his game. He has been deployed as a left-midfielder (where he has been utterly uninspiring), left-back, and at several other positions in the midfield.  In his prime, Bernardeschi, 27, has experienced only 891 minutes of Serie A action for Pirlo’s side.

Some fans believe that Bernardeschi could be more effective in a certain and more direct system. Pirlo might try to use him as one of the frontmen going forward. But the player will have to take his chances, catch the eyes of his managers and his peers within the game time allotted to him in the dying stage of the regular season.

#1 Paulo Dybala — do you see a future for Juventus without La Joya?

That extra bit of magic, spark, the productive aid that Juve have always received from Paulo “La Joya” Dybala in their creative department has suddenly gone missing of late, hasn’t it? It is not happening for the Argentine. The red siren first gonged when he sustained a serious knee injury last January. It ultimately kept him away from the ground for almost three months.

The 27-year-old marked his return in an empathic manner earlier this April, scoring a left-footed curler to win the game 2-1 for Juventus against Napoli having just come onto the pitch. Well, that has been the only moment of abrupt sorcery Juventus supporters have been able to enjoy from Dybala’s gameplay since his return to normality. Can we call it normality? Everything seems far from being normal these days.

Registering 11 goals and 6 assists to his name, Paulo Dybala, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, showcased his supremacy, reflecting the difference between him and the rest, becoming one of Maurizio Sarri’s talismans last season. Under Pirlo, that Dybala hasn’t yet seen the light, with La Joya garnering 3 goals and 2 assists from 16 Serie A appearances this term. To make things worse, his current deal with Juve is set to end in June 2022.

And as per the recent updates, talks over an extension have reached an impasse. Only the desire to earn himself a new contact in the Turin-based club could act as an impetus during this last few weeks of the season. Failing to impress Juve hierarchy means an almost certain departure in the summer for the canny playmaker.