Sampdoria 1-3 Juventus: 3 takeaways from a more convincing Juve victory

Arthur coming into his own

Arthur Melo’s Juventus future remains uncertain beyond the summer. The Brazilian’s form has oscillated considerably since he was integrated into Allegri’s starting XI and talk has emerged of the Bianconeri potentially pursuing a move for Jorginho at the end of the season.

However, Arthur produced a performance on Saturday that certainly would’ve raised an eyebrow or two among the Juventus hierarchy. He was excellent.

The much-desired Arthur x Manuel Locatelli dynamic that promised so much in January has flattered to deceive in recent outings. Often, only one of the tandem has performed.

But that wasn’t the case this time around as both contributed heavily to Juve’s comfortable triumph. Arthur and Locatelli made the most of an unathletic and beleaguered Sampdoria midfield on Saturday. Nevertheless, Arthur’s job, on paper, appeared to be a tricky one with Inter loanee Stefano Sensi functioning as a #10. The Italian is a master at gaining positional superiority between the lines, but he received just four progressive passes on Saturday as Arthur performed his defensive duties soundly.

The Brazilian was tenacious and full of bite in the single pivot, with his performance in possession being characteristically efficient as he completed 73 of 78 attempted passes (93.5% success rate). Arthur’s notable press resistance was on full display when Samp hesitantly tried to put pressure on the ball and alongside Locatelli, and even Rabiot, he was able to outfox and overpower the home side’s midfield.