Juventus: Assessing possible attacking combinations for the 2021/22 season
It’s been quite a sensational journey for the Juventus football club over the last few years. In 2019, they sacked Massimiliano Allegri and hired Maurizio Sarri as their new manager, citing a lack of progression in the UEFA Champions League for the alteration.
In 2020, despite delivering the ninth Scudetto on the bounce, Sarri had to part ways. In his place, Andrea Pirlo took over the senior team and subsequently led them to Supercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia titles.
In the succeeding 2021, Pirlo had to go. The excuse remained the lack of progression in the UEFA Champions League. Of course, Juve’s horrendous form in Serie A had added more misery to the collective pandemonium. The departure of Pirlo marked the return of Allegri once again.
In theory, hence, not much has changed since Allegri left in 2019 — just one Serie A title and two other major Italian tournaments have found their way into the Bianconeri’s illustrious trophy cabinet. Have you got something new for us this time, Max? Looking at his squad, it appears that he certainly has the right blend of youths and experienced campaigners.
What Allegri has is special at Juventus…
Juventus fans have always been critical of Allegri’s pragmatic approach towards the game. Would they find pleasure in the days and months to come? Whether or not Allegri can implement attacking standards on his Juventus side warrants further scrutiny. Then, the rest relies upon the courage of the gaffer.
What we can do is judge how many possibilities are open to the manager from the attacking perspective. We could discuss the combinations he could use to intensify the flamboyancy in Juve’s attacking play.
A three-man attack in 4-3-3…
We usually get to witness a three-man attack in 4-3-3, a formation Allegri used a lot during his previous stint at the club. As the formation suggests, the forward line consists of a central striker, who would be an out-and-out number nine, and two wingers, who could be either traditional inverted wingers (the ones who are more inclined to hug the touchline) or inside forwards (the ones who choose to cut inside the box without the ball on their feet).
In Allegri’s case, he prefers playing with wide forwards hugging the touchline. They are used for fast penetration down the flank. Well, Allegri would regard himself as fortunate as Juventus have some outstanding outlets for that purpose. The current Bianconeri squad (as shown in the Transfermarkt) doesn’t lack wingers.
Players such as Federico Chiesa, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dejan Kulusevski, and Federico Bernardeschi are the glittering examples of Juventus’ wing-oriented lethality. So, what kind of combinations could we expect to see this time?
Kulusevski—Ronaldo/Morata—Chiesa (R-L): Federico Chiesa joined Juventus from Fiorentina last summer. And after an awe-inspiring 2020/21 season with the Old Lady and a breathtaking title-winning European Championship with Italy, it feels as if Juventus made the right decision to sign him on a two-year loan deal, especially under the financial limitations that the club has had to deal with in recent months.
We could expect a front line featuring Chiesa, Ronaldo and Dejan Kulusevski. Both Chiesa and Kulusevski are versatile, meaning they could switch wings to make things harder for opposing defences. On the other hand, gradually losing his pace, Ronaldo, 36, could be a deadly weapon in the forward position this season. Alvaro Morata, with 11 goals and nine assists in Serie A, was an integral part of Juve’s success last time out. He would also be available to play the number nine role for Juve.
Dybala—Morata/Ronaldo—Chiesa/Kulusevski (R-L): Paulo Dybala missed a considerable chunk of games last term due to a Medial Collateral Ligament injury (as per Transfermarkt). If injuries don’t hinder his progress this time (and we hope it doesn’t), the right-wing role is wide open for him to fill in. Dybala has entered the last year of his contract at Juventus. If reports hovering in the air are believed to be true, he would sign an extension with the Piedmontese side.
Juventus usually play around 50-60 games per season. It means there would be rotations of personnel within the team. They have already landed a striker in Kaio Jorge. But it is unlikely that the 19-year-old would get enough playing time for Old Lady this season. So, it could be between Morata and Ronaldo for the forward position and Chiesa and Kulusevski at the other wing.