How Does Pablo Osvaldo Fit In At Juventus?

By Devrup Jyoti Gupta
11 years Ago

Pablo Osvaldo has always been a contentiousAi??character. A technically gifted player yet so naive emotionally that his discipline crumbles in the face of mental obstacles. He joins Juventus as one of Italyai??i??s top strikers, a dynamic and lethal forward with a proven goalscoring record on Italian soil and abroad.

Born on 12 January 1986, Osvaldo began his career at HuracA?n.Ai?? He soon moved to Serie A with Atalanta in January 2006. After spending another year at Lecce, Fiorentina secured his signatureAi??with a contract worthAi??ai??i??4.6 million.

In 2010, he joined Espanyol playing a crucial role as the Catalan side finished in the top half.Ai??A record ofAi??20 goals in 44 gamesAi??in Spain earned him a big step up toAi??Roma.Ai??Osvaldo excelled with Roma and finishedAi??both the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons as theAi??club top scorer with 11 and 16 goals respectively. He was even described by Zdenek Zeman, a man who knows a thing or two about attacking players,Ai??Ai??as a ai???force of natureai???. In August 2013, ambitious Southampton broke the clubAi??transfer record to sign Osvaldo for ai??i??15.1 million. But he did not enjoy a fruitful second spell with Pochettino.

But he isn’t just a threat in front of goal.

Osvaldo has been disciplined various times in his career for unprofessional behavior. He landed himself in trouble for punching team-mates twice, first flooring Nicola Mingazzini in pre-season training while playing for Bologna, before hitting Romaai??i??s Erik Lamela in the face in 2011. An international call-up was withdrawn in February 2012 after he received a red card against Atalanta. He didn’t make the cut for the European Championship that summer either, the justification being he was liable to get himself sent off which could cost Italy dear in Poland and Ukraine. Nine dismissals in six seasons justify this claim.Ai??He was excluded from the Confederations Cup squad, the official reason being he “deserted” the award ceremony at the end of the Coppa Italia (2013) final without permission.Ai??Most recently he was suspended by Southampton for two weeks following a training ground fight with teammate Jose Fonte.

The name of Osvaldo did pop up in the minds of Juve directors Beppe Marotta and Fabio Paratici a number of times yet the conclusion was always the same -Ai??not quite the real deal. One assumed that the latest controversy would only further ensure his non transfer to the Italian giants. Instead he was rewarded with a fantastic opportunity which saw him leave a club aiming for a place in Europe to join a club seeking European perfection. Conte has revealed the full extent of Osvaldo’s desire to move to Turin and is hoping the Italy international will bring variety to his attacking options. “We grabbed an opportunity to sign him,” Conte toldAi??Sky Sport Italia. “The player really wanted to come to Juventus and actually significantly reduced his demands to secure the move. Heai??i??ll improve the quality of our attack and offer important competition to those already here.”

Conte now has the opportunity to work with a player who can operate in multiple positions in the final third and whoAi??can allow a change in form, in tactics andAi??in the Old Lady’s style of play. Conte has always been a quick learner who sees the problem and then works to solve it. Initially he started with a 4-2-4 system then gradually moved to a 4-3-3 only to find the Old Lady struggling to score, to inject pace down the wings and overwhelm the opponent. He soon turned them into a side that could score via any member of the team, through timely runs forward created by the strikers. When this plan was figured out, he nurtured Fernando Llorente, allowing him to be their Plan B, another weapon in their attacking arsenal.

Now the problem is the 3-5-2. It is, undoubtedly, a wonderful formation that has served the club well, but alternatives must be sought to counteract the astuteness of European defences. In Europe, defences are faster, moreAi??intelligent and capable of duality. When the spaces are close down Juventus have struggled to pierce through.

Speaking to Tuttosport, Dunga assessed: “I think a trio Tevez-Llorente-Osvaldo is workable, especially against teams that close inAi??defence trying to eliminate all the spaces. In those cases, or in the running game, attacking defences with three players of this calibre can become effective.” After the failure in this yearai??i??s Champions League, Conte has to provide alternatives and Osvaldo is an excellent choice.

Let us now analyze the various options Osvaldo can offer upfront.

He used to play as lone striker in Espanyol in front of the trident of Callejon, Verdu and Luis Garcia (20 goals in 44 games) but Juventus usually do not play with a lone striker barring a few games last year (against Torino, Bologna for example) where they worked on a 3-5-1-1 formation. Now with Tevez and Llorente this situation is unlikely to arise but if Conte does use this formation then Osvaldo might be a very handy option as a lone striker.

Luis Enrique used Osvaldo out on the left of a front-three on many occasions where he would move into a central-forward position whilst Roma were in possession. The nature of Enriqueai??i??s system, generally with forwards deployed on the wings saw Osvaldo start out wide most of the time. Osvaldo broadly did well but still did not look suited to starting wide. Zeman deployed Osvaldo in the central forward position of a front three with Lamela/Destro and Totti. Zemanai??i??s philosophy of direct play that would stem from vertical running and straight passing was wonderfully served by the front three with Osvaldo scoring for fun. (Atleast we thought so at the beginning of that season). Osvaldo usually started as a central forward, had the tendency to drift across the line and made runs in behind the defence, sometimes switching with the wide player.

Now at Juventus he might be used in a front 3 with Pepe and Tevez in a 4-3-3 formation with him playing through the centre.Ai??He can also start wide in a 4-3-3 formation with Llorente and Tevez.

A 4-3-1-2 formation with Tevez playing behind the two front-men Osvaldo and Llorente is another option

Ai??

And finally he can also play with either Llorente/Tevez in a 3-5-2 formation

A man capable of playing wide to create the 4-3-3 formation or talented enough to go through the middle in a 4-3-1-2 formation — Osvaldo isn’t just an added bonus but a strategic option as well. More importantly, he provides the ability to test out a number of theories and ideas. After all, there is no Champions League but only a Europa League to compete in. Secondly, the player is on loan — nothing permanent to contend with here. This is the motive behind the transfer according to the Italian media and one that should wholeheartedly be believed in. Torino await in Serie A, but what the world wants to see most is how Juve will fare and deploy their troops in Europe’s less prestigious competition.

No doubt about the fact that Osvaldo is a loose cannon and his previous antics have proved that he is not a man you can rely on consistently. But Conte has seemingly dealt with ai???difficultai??i?? characters like Vidal and Tevez so there is a sense of optimism that Osvaldo might be tamed under Conte. Last but not the least Osvaldo knows Brazil, 2014 represents his only chance to play in a World Cup (considering the breakthrough of talents like Immobile, Gabbiadini and Destro it is unlikely that he will be considered in 2018). He has less than six months to book a place in the Italian national squad. The fact that he was desperate for this move shows he has the hunger and desire to make an impact-and that will only benefit Juventus. If Osvaldo keeps his head down and focuses on his duties then he might just earn himself a ticket to Brazil and also get a permanent move to Juventus this summer. Only time will tell whether he grabs this opportunity and do justice to his talent.

Osvaldo previously broke Bianconeri hearts when he scored a stoppage winner for Fiorentina in 2008, now it remains to be seen how the Juve faithful welcome their once dreaded nemesis. The goals against Trabzonspor In Europa League was certainly not a bad start to his new journey.

– Written byAi??Devrup Jyoti Gupta.

Categories: Features, Juventus
Tags: Juventus

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