We’re now three games deep into Juventus’ 2021/22 pre-season, and it’s not exactly clear who’s guiding them in the dugout. Massimiliano Allegri appears to have been usurped by Galileo Galilei such has been the experimental nature of his methods this summer.
We’ve seen the revered Italian pragmatist radically deploy Federico Bernardeschi as a mezzala and trust Daniele Rugani in defence. But, perhaps his most ludicrous and profound experiment has been the introduction of Aaron Ramsey in the regista role.
Like Rodrigo Bentancur, Ramsey’s career in Turin is at a crossroads. Blighted by injuries and inconsistency since his 2019 free-agent arrival, the Welshman is yet to justify his monster salary.
Nevertheless, Allegri believes he may have had his ‘aha moment’ regarding the 30-year-old. Maurizio Sarri and Andrea Pirlo both utilised Ramsey in the role he mastered during the latter stages of his Arsenal career; one that granted him significant positional freedom in the opposition’s half, but Juve are yet to reap the rewards. The Welshman has just 12 goal contributions in 65 appearances (a contribution every 5.41 games), a ratio incomparable to his 130 in 371 Arsenal appearances (one every 2.81 games).
So, is Allegri’s proposed positional evolution the solution? Not only to Juventus’ midfield woes, but to Ramsey’s struggles as well? Could it be the making of the 30-year-old? Let’s take a look.
What we’ve seen so far
Against Barcelona on Sunday, Ramsey served as the deepest-lying midfielder for the Bianconeri and grew into the contest after a poor start. He was the metronome in Juve’s midfield, with Bentancur and Bernardeschi stationed higher upfield as they looked to build up from the back. The Welshman was persistent in his attempts to create angles beyond Barcelona’s first pressing line but rarely had the chance to receive in space and open up the pitch. He’d also occasionally drop into the defence to form a back three with the centre-backs, thus facilitating the advancement of both full-backs upfield.
Ramsey looked at ease in the build-up phase. There were few errors over short distances and he was assured technically, something that can’t always be said about the Welshman.
Moreover, he won the majority of his duels, although he did – like all of his teammates – struggle to cope with the fluidity of Barca’s nimble playmakers between the lines. Also, while Ramsey was fine in the first phase, his sub-par passing range ensured he was inefficient over longer distances.
It’s also clear that his understanding with Bentancur needs to develop. There was one example on Sunday where Ramsey attempted to break in behind from midfield, while the Uruguayan occupied the right-back zone. This left a gaping void in midfield that reduced Juve’s chance of progression in this sequence and meant they were left short in defensive transition.
Overall, though, Ramsey was one of Juve’s better performers in the first half against an impressive Barca.
What’s Allegri said?
This is all Allegri’s doing and there’s no doubting that the Italian boss is confident that Ramsey could blossom into a fine regista in due course. The Welshman’s debut in this function came against Serie B side Monza, and his assured display led to Allegri saying this post-match.
“Ramsey played very, very well in front of the defence and I think in that role he can really become an important player.
“I think if Ramsey can be convinced to play in front of the defence, he can really do well there. He already can see passing channels, has a good sense of the geometry of the field and can also rest on the ball more than he does up front,” he said (via Football Italia).
The Juve boss also commended the midfielder’s display against Barcelona.
Nevertheless, is Ramsey’s evolution a matter of necessity? If Allegri is keen on utilising a 4-3-3 this season, then the Welshman is as good as anyone at this stage. We know the boss doesn’t like Bentancur as the regista, Rabiot is injured, Arthur Melo will miss the start of the season, while Filippo Ranocchia is admired but inexperienced.
Is it a viable solution?
Ramsey’s function underwent a subtle evolution at Arsenal, although he was predominantly a box-to-box midfielder. Nevertheless, in two seasons towards the end of Arsene Wenger’s reign in north London (2015/16 and 2017/18), the Welshman was often deployed in a double pivot. In 2017/18, Wenger’s last season at the helm, Ramsey was utilised to great effect alongside Granit Xhaka, whose defensive nature facilitated the Welshman’s surges into the opposition third. According to data from Transfermarkt, Ramsey notched five goals and seven assists from this position.
Nevertheless, Allegri’s setting a precedent by deploying Ramsey in the single pivot. This is new ground for the Welshman, and I’m unsure whether his skill set is ideal for the role because it inhibits what he’s great at. His priorities will change as a regista; breaking up opposition counter-attacks will replace late box entries while distributing the ball through the lines will displace receiving possession in space-laden zones.
How competent is Ramsey at breaking lines? Is he progressive? We know he’s adept at receiving progressive passes, but can he deliver them with the same efficiency? Over the past four years, he’s received an average of 9.515 progressive passes, while he’s delivered an average of 4.495 progressive passes himself in the same time frame. Of course, this is expected considering his previous functions, but the stats nonetheless manifest his uncanny ability to find space in a bid to receive possession. Would Juventus be losing something higher up the field?
So, while Allegri should be commended for experimenting in an attempt to squeeze all the potential out of the gifted Welshman, I’d be sceptical as to whether this is a long-term solution.
Could Ramsey still leave?
It’s worth noting that there are no guarantees over Ramsey’s future. Tuttomercatoweb reported earlier this week that Juventus will listen to proposals for the 30-year-old this summer, as they attempt to facilitate a move for Miralem Pjanic after Manuel Locatelli.
Premier League clubs are said to be interested, including Newcastle United.
However, Tuttosport (via JuveFC) have since reported that Ramsey wants to stay in Turin and convince Allegri that he could blossom into a key part of his plans. Whether this is as a regista, however, remains to be seen.