How Juventus should line-up post-November international break

Midfielders

Federico Chiesa (RM) – Freddie Church has teased his electricity this season without catching fire for a sustained period. In the Champions League victories over Chelsea and Zenit, we saw Chiesa at his unstoppable best, but this iteration of the player is yet to come to life in Serie A this term. The Italian has just one goal and one assist in ten league appearances thus far. For a player of his talent, that return must improve. However, three big games are on the horizon and we usually see the best of the 24-year-old when it matters most.

Manuel Locatelli (CM) – There’s no doubting that Locatelli had succumbed to fatigue before the November break. He had been run into the ground by Allegri because of his importance to this Juventus side. With Arthur Melo only returning to action in October, Locatelli was the sole midfielder who could perform the deep-lying function in the double pivot. Despite this, the Italian’s been impressive for the most part, more so without the ball, and there’s certainly more to come from him. He’s a shoo-in.

Weston McKennie (CM) – McKennie’s fine run of form continued over the November break as he scored in the USA’s victory over Mexico. Before jetting off across the Atlantic, the Texan had enjoyed his best run of form in Bianconeri colours since the start of the 2020/21 season. McKennie scored in the defeats to Sassuolo and Hellas Verona before impressing in the wins over Zenit and Fiorentina. The former Schalke man adds a layer of dynamism and off the ball craft to the Juventus midfield, and his upturn in form has depicted just how effective he can be when playing with a bit of confidence in a role that suits him to a T.

Federico Bernardeschi (LM) – The persistent use of Bernardeschi in the hybrid role might have to be put on ice. Romeo Agresti reported on Monday night that the Italian had sustained an adductor injury during the Azzurri’s disappointing draw with Northern Ireland. Hopefully, the injury isn’t severe and we see him operating between the lines of Serie A outfits as soon as possible. Otherwise, it’ll likely be Adrien Rabiot time (again). Nevertheless, Bernardeschi’s best performance in years came from this position against Zenit in the 4-2 win and he’s certainly the most adept at performing this function in the Juventus squad. He deserves a run in the side.