3 Juventus players who deserve to keep their place from the Salernitana victory
When the teamsheet manifested on our Twitter timelines, Juventini rejoiced.
Finally, Massimiliano Allegri had done it. He’d resisted the temptation of sticking with his faltering old guard and, in favour, introduced the vibrancy of inexperience.
Luca Pellegrini was picked ahead of Alex Sandro, while Adrien Rabiot was named among the substitutes. Incredibly, it was the first time the Frenchman hadn’t started a Serie A game in which he was available for this season. And you wonder why Juventus are where they are!
Nevertheless, the result was a performance laden with spark, craft, cohesion and structure. Yes, it was Salernitana, but we’ve seen the Bianconeri struggle considerably against inferior opposition this term. On Tuesday, Juventus were improved in almost every facet, as Allegri adopted a more aggressive and proactive approach after weeks of dogged pragmatism.
The three points were imperative to get the ball rolling after a horrible week and now, Juventus have the chance to end the calendar year on a high with a kind run of fixtures in the pipeline. For now, however, their attentions are whole-heartedly set on Andriy Shevchenko’s Genoa.
3 players who should keep their place from Salernitana and start against Genoa
There’s no doubting that Allegri will be tempted to reshuffle his pack once more for Sunday night’s contest, but there are several players – without stating the obvious – who deserve to keep their place in the starting XI. Here are three of them.
Luca Pellegrini
Luca Pellegrini has impressed every time he’s donned the Juventus jersey this term. While he’s been considered the second choice by Allegri thus far, the tide is certainly beginning to turn in the left-back depth chart.
Alex Sandro has been abysmal for the past month and indifferent for the past two or three years. After starting the season brightly, the Brazilian has gone back into his shell. He lacks athleticism, assertion and technical security; a horrible triumvirate of attributes.
Pellegrini, on the other hand, is a live-wire down the left. The young Italian is somewhat streaky, but he plays with an exuberance that Juventini appreciate. You get the feeling that something could happen when he’s in possession of the ball in the opposition’s third. We haven’t felt that with Alex Sandro since 2017.
The second-choice left-back impressed against Salernitana on Tuesday after producing a stout performance against Lazio ten days prior. He deserves a run in the side because Juve are simply are more dangerous outfit with him in it.