5 Juventus players with something to prove in pre-season

We’re back, ladies and gentlemen!

Almost two months removed from Juventus’ concluding fixture of the 2020/21 season, the Bianconeri players returned to Continassa on Wednesday for the start of the 2021/22 campaign.

A familiar face is at the helm with Massimiliano Allegri and with the club taking a fairly passive stance in the transfer market up to this point, the current squad is almost identical to its predecessor. Expect that to change in the coming weeks.

Nevertheless, a new season with a ‘new’ manager brings fresh opportunities for several members of the playing squad who desperately need them. Pre-season fixtures are beckoning and with their Serie A season starting on August 22, there’s ample time for players to manifest their talent and prove their worth to the returning boss.

However, who are the players who’ll particularly be looking to impress in pre-season? Who’s got something to prove? Let’s take a look.

Merih Demiral

Injuries have plagued Merih Demiral’s spell at Juventus since joining from Sassuolo in 2019. Recurring muscle injuries limited the centre-back to just 24 appearances last season, as he notched just 20 minutes of action in Juve’s final 13 Serie A fixtures.

However, Demiral enters pre-season injury-free after returning home early from this summer’s European Championship. The 23-year-old didn’t disgrace himself amid Turkey’s pitiful tournament and will begin pre-season with plenty to prove.

He certainly wasn’t fancied by Andrea Pirlo as Matthijs de Ligt and Giorgio Chiellini established themselves as Il Maestro’s favoured centre-back pairing. Nevertheless, Demiral’s talent is distinct and he’ll be looking to accentuate such talent to the manager in the coming weeks.

Daniele Rugani

Daniele Rugani has become a forgotten man in Turin.

Once regarded as the man to succeed Leonardo Bonucci at the heart of the Bianconeri defence following the Juve skipper’s ill-fated move to AC Milan in 2016, Rugani has since plundered to the depths of Serie A in a bid to rediscover his best form. The sort of form that saw him named as one of the best players in the world born after 1994 by, albeit, Don Balon after being named in the 2014/15 Serie A Team of the Year.

Nevertheless, after enduring a miserable loan spell at Rennes at the start of last season, Rugani enjoyed his time in Sardinia with Cagliari to conclude the campaign and he heads into pre-season with a fresh sense of optimism.

Whether his redemption arc continues at Juventus or elsewhere – Lazio have expressed an interest – remains to be seen.

Gianluca Frabotta

Gianluca Frabotta was a surprise inclusion in Andrea Pirlo’s first Serie A team sheet as Juve boss and it looked like the attack-minded full-back could establish himself as a prominent member in Pirlo’s hybrid system.

However, he’d start just seven more league games as the unspectacular but reliable Alex Sandro snatched back the starting berth with ease. Frabotta’s miserable outing in the 2-0 Derby d’Italia defeat in January saw him thrust to the periphery from then on out. He notched just 72 minutes of Serie A action in the second half of the season.

Frabotta will have to compete with the returning Luca Pellegrini in the left-back depth chart for the upcoming season, but with Sandro on the wrong side of 30, chances are destined to arrive for the young pair.

Nicolo Fagioli

Nicolo Fagioli’s a talent that Juventini certainly wanted to see more of during the second half of last season with Juventus’ midfield often lacking a spark. However, as I warned following a bright cameo appearance against Crotone in February, let’s not get ahead of ourselves regarding the 20-year-old’s potential.

There’s certainly reason to be optimistic over Fagioli’s future; he’s got quick feet, makes smart decisions and looked fearless during his short sample size at a senior level, but let him develop at his own pace.

He was worthy of more opportunities under Pirlo last season but in Allegri, the young midfielder has an important admirer. In 2019, the Juve boss said: “We have Nicolò Fagioli, a guy born in 2001 who knows football and its tempo very well, it’s a pleasure to see him playing.”

Allegri’s comments bode well for the 20-year-old, who’ll be looking to prove he’s capable of mixing with Juve’s senior midfield options this summer.

Federico Bernardeschi

Admit it, when you saw Federico Bernardeschi strolling up to take Italy’s fourth penalty of their semi-final shootout against Spain, you didn’t give him a chance.

You certainly didn’t expect him to bury his spot-kick with the sort of assertiveness that only the likes of Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku boast from 12 yards.

This was Federico Bernardeschi! Federico ‘Ten goals in four years’ Bernardeschi!

After thrashing his penalty beyond Unai Simon in the semis, he’d then outwit a self-assured Jordan Pickford from the spot in the final, calmly placing his attempt down the middle.

Now, a pair of penalties may seem trivial in relation to Bernardeschi’s faltering Juventus career, but could they spark something within. Could those excellently-taken spot-kicks trigger a Renaissance?

The 27-year-old desperately needs it.