Juventus must find their identity under Massimiliano Allegri

“Hold the back page, hold the front page, Juventus have won a game in Serie A!”

It certainly wasn’t pretty, but a vulnerable Bianconeri deserve plenty of credit for the character they displayed in the second half at the Alberto Picco on Wednesday evening. After Janis Antiste handed a spirited Spezia an early second-half lead, Massimiliano Allegri’s side were on the ropes and if it wasn’t for a timely Manuel Locatelli intervention, Juve’s winless domestic run would’ve likely continued.

Nevertheless, thanks to yet another majestic Federico Chiesa sequence and a composed Matthijs de Ligt finish, the Old Lady were able to overturn the deficit by the 72nd minute, eventually holding off a late Spezia resurgence to claim all three points.

The boss, too, deserves praise. After his catenaccio-esque approach in the second period inhibited Juve in the second period against AC Milan, Allegri rectified his errors on Wednesday night to facilitate the Bianconeri’s comeback.

Allegri’s adjustments

Against Spezia, Allegri opted to replace Alex Sandro for Mattia De Sciglio while retaining Adrien Rabiot as the wide midfielder down the left. The dynamic was doomed from the outset. With De Sciglio offering close to nothing going forward, Rabiot was a lost soul in his hybrid function.

At half-time, Sandro was introduced to provide a reliable source of width down the left while Manuel Locatelli replaced Rodrigo Bentancur, who once again looked like a deer in the headlights in a deeper role. These adjustments brought more harmony to Juve’s attacking structure after a disjointed opening 45 minutes.

Nevertheless, Allegri’s salient alteration came on the hour mark. Federico Bernardeschi was introduced for the subdued Rabiot and Chiesa, so often isolated down the right, moved over to the left. Juventus played the last 30 minutes with inverted wingers; a subtle adjustment that increased Chiesa’s influence and succoured the Bianconeri tactically. The narrow positioning of the wingers and their tendency to attack the box meant Juve had more bodies in closer proximity in the attacking third. This allowed them to counter-press to greater effect and thus sustain attacks against the Spezia defence.

The hosts couldn’t get out and it didn’t take long for the Bianconeri’s pressure to tell, even if they didn’t create a host of clear-cut chances.

Concerns over conservatism

However, Juventus once again looked susceptible after taking the lead and if it wasn’t for a fine Wojciech Szczesny save late on, Spezia would’ve walked away with a point. After the hosts emerged from their second-half shell, the visitors once again looked vulnerable as they seemingly invited Spezia pressure.

This issue is one that marred Jose Mourinho’s tenure at Tottenham Hotspur. So often would Spurs, with all their attacking riches, find themselves a goal in front early on before conceding a second-half equaliser. They’d cede too much control, too much territory. That’s what Juventus did last Sunday against Milan and to a lesser extent against Napoli (Juve were undermanned that day).

The pragmatist Allegri would rather see his side suffer for a 1-0 win than showboat their way to a handsome triumph. That’s how he’s built, but such a mentality will take some time to inculcate. This isn’t the same Juventus he inherited from Antonio Conte in 2014.

What direction does Allegri want to take this Juventus side?

It’s clear that Allegri is still figuring out his Juventus side and he’s struggling to instil any sort of identity. So, let’s dissect what we’ve seen so far.

With the ball, Juve are direct and look to attack vertically – typically through Paulo Dybala – at speed. There are no sophisticated build-up patterns and they’ve been heavily reliant on Bonucci’s passing range to bypass opposition pressure. Locatelli also helps markedly in this regard, as will Arthur Melo when he returns.

Since the Malmo game, Juve have resembled a relatively fluid 3-1-5-1 structure in possession. Right-back Danilo shifts infield to create a back three, facilitating Alex Sandro’s advancement upfield and thus Rabiot’s movement into the left half-space. Locatelli’s the sole pivot, with Dybala free-roaming. There’s an emphasis on having several reference points between the lines and a constant source of width. Depth is typically provided by the striker, who’s also expected to drop deep and combine, too.

However, barring the opening 30 minutes against Udinese, a brief period against Malmo and the first-half against Milan, Juventus have distinctly lacked attacking fluency. But, Allegri doesn’t necessarily want his side to monopolise possession, he wants an efficient attack, one that counter-attacks proficiently.

Instead, Allegri will look to establish control as Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez did in their Premier League primes: by blocking space. Juventus aren’t going to be relentless, high pressers, but an astute group who’ll rely on specific triggers and traps to win back possession.

The manager’s content with his side sitting in a 4-4-2 mid-block and frustrating opponents before picking them off in transition. Unfortunately, due to various factors, the ploy’s been unsuccessful so far and I have concerns over its long-term sustainability. In time, there are bound to be improvements, but Juve have lacked the requisite intensity and shrewdness when sitting in the block for it to be successful. Teams have been able to sustain attacks against the Bianconeri thus far, with their attacking efficiency decreasing the deeper they drop.

However, we’re merely going off what we’ve seen from Allegri in the six competitive games he’s coached since his return. He’s an adaptable manager, and you can’t pin him down to a particular system. Pragmatism is incredibly broad in this context.

But, as we mentioned, Allegri doesn’t yet have the luxury of coaching the profile of squad that he did during his first stint in Turin. While this Juventus have several nice pieces, they’re currently enjoying a period of transition. There’s an underlying vulnerability. Teams no longer fear the Bianconeri as they did before Allegri left town.

What they need is an identity, a discernable style. And if Allegri sees his side as a counter-attacking juggernaut, let’s roll with it. It’ll take time and transfer windows to master, but you’ve got to trust the manager, right?