Newly appointed technician Massimiliano Allegri has settled in well at Juventus and made some minor but effective changes to a winning system.
It would be fair to say that Massimiliano Allegriai??i??s arrival at Juventus was hardly greeted with any enthusiasm in Turin. The feeling was more of disappointment rather than hostile and around 300 Juventus fans staged a protest outside the headquarters of the club while a group of ultras were allowed to enter the stadium to display their frustrations. The skepticism of the tifosi was understandable. After three years of domestic domination, it would have been a difficult task for anyone to replace Antonio Conte. Add to this the fact that Conte was a Juventino through and through and the fans could connect to the passion he displayed on the touchline for the last three years. Replacing him with an ex-Milan coach who was sacked in January this year was even more difficult to digest for the Bianconeri faithful.
Plus there was also the small matter of Andrea Pirlo with whom Allegri did not enjoy the best of understandings during his time with AC Milan to put it mildly. There was a major concern that the key architect of Juventusai??i?? renaissance in the last three years would re-consider his future in Turin after extending his contract few months earlier. Fast forward three months and the situation stands: Juvenuts are one point clear at the top of the table with 19 points from their first seven games. All the senators in the squad including Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Pirlo have nothing but praise for the new man at the helm. Slowly but surely Allegri has made his own mark without radically changing Conteai??i??s tactical module. The small but effective tweaks have so far yielded the right results except one defeat at the Vicente Calderon in the Champions League.
Less Long Balls From Defence
Leonardo Bonucci was sometimes deployed as vice-Pirlo or a deeper regista when Andrea Pirlo was man-marked by the opposition last season. Against Lazio he did manage not one but two Pirlo-esque assists for Arturo Vidal and Mirko Vucinic but in most of the games like the one against Lyon in France his long balls were frustrating to watch. This tendency seems to have changed under Max Allegri.
Last year Bonucci was averaging nine long balls per game; this year it is five. He is however carrying the ball forward into the opposition territory much more, something which was not evident under Conte. Nothing significant has been achieved due to this change but these thrusts do offer a new dimension to Juventusai??i?? game-play. Firstly, the opposition will have to commit a man on Bonucci to check his forward movement. Secondly less long balls will mean more possession which is a better option in Allegriai??i??s scheme of things.
The New Claudio Marchisio
Max Allegri usually favors a 4-3-1-2 formation which he frequently and sometimes frustratingly used at Milan. He wrote his coaching thesis on the dynamics of a three man midfield which is nothing revolutionary but the analysis is done in a very specific detail. The player in the centre according to the thesis must have charisma, good positional sense and capability to move the ball forward quickly to launch counter-attacks. It seems the role is tailor-made for Andrea Pirlo but the Juventus man suffered an injury in the Trofeo Tim Cup against Milan in pre-season and was forced to miss the start of the season. The fact that Juventus have not felt his absence is a testament to the work done by Claudio Marchisio as a regista this season. Antonio Conte did use him in that position few times last season but this year under Allegri,Marchisio has flourished even more. Marchisio, who is traditionally a mezzala, has shown his versatility in adapting to this new role. He does not open the defence with Pirlo-like passes but so far he has kept it simple and made the game flow quicker. Defensively he has offered more and has averaged around 101 passes per game. His display against Milan was one of his best in recent years and it certainly does not hurt Allegri to have two registas in his squad at this moment.
Paul Pogba Is Playing As A Mezzala(‘Outside’ Central Midfielder)
To the left side of the regista according to Allegriai??i??s thesis there should be a player who is technically better than the other two in midfield and has the ability to take on an opposition and beat him, dribble, pick out the strikers with clever through balls and should have the necessary attributes to score himself. Paul Pogba seems to fit these requirements perfectly. Last season he mesmerized the Bianconeri fans with his skills and thunderbolts. This year he has enforced his physical powers to retain the ball. He is still a work in progress and it is true that his form with the club has not been sparkling so far. He is working on improving his defensive qualities and game reading abilities but these things should eventually fall in place as he gets more mature. Both his club and national team manager feel that he has a lot more to offer and Pogba certainly will be looking to do justice to his immense talent once again this term.
Arturo Vidal Is Still Not At His Best
Arturo Vidal is the Il Centrale or the box-to-box midfielder in Allergriai??i??s tactical module. The Chilean needs no introduction but the phase which he is going through now is something abnormal. A knee injury sustained last season forced a surgery which threatened to keep him out of the World Cup in Brazil. He recovered in time to play but this summer was unsettling for him personally as he struggled to regain his full fitness while constant rumors of his move to Manchester United refused to go away. His performances on the field so far suggest he is not at his best but is slowly getting better. With 42 goals in 132 appearances and keeping in mind his ability at both ends of the field, Vidal is an almost irreplaceable player in the team. He is one of the most complete midfielders in Europe and a leader on the pitch. Everyone at the club is helping Vidal recover from this tough phase and Allegri feels it is just a matter of time before he is back to his brilliant best for the Bianconeri.
Carlos Tevez Dictating The Play From Deep
Perhaps the most noticeable modification in Allegriai??i??s system is the role of Carlos Tevez. His evolution has seen him play a bit deeper, come short and start moves. His average position in the field is exactly where a number 10 should be playing: in the hole behind Fernando Llorente but also behind the ‘volante’ which in most of the cases this season has been new signing Roberto Pereyera. Tevez has provided a touch of fantasia to Juventusai??i?? gameplay in Pirloai??i??s absence.
His goals against Malmo and Milan have all come from him dropping deep to collect the ball and then combining with his team-mate to find the back of the net. Tevez is maximizing his strength this season and Juventus fans will be hoping that ai???Jugador del Puebloai??i?? is just flexing his muscles.
Fernando Llorente Has Not Scored Yet But Is Vital As A Sponda(Frame) In This Module
Fernando Llorente had a difficult start to his journey in Italy last season but he came back strongly to score 18 goals which was a very good return in his first season in the peninsula. He looked sharp in pre-season but has struggled, failing to find the net even once in nine appearances for the club. Nor has he provided an assist. The circumstances are different from last season. This time Llorente seems lacking sharpness on the pitch.
With Tevez playing a bit deeper, Llorente looks isolated up front with his back to goal. A closer look at his stats reveals Llorente has 38 percent of his shots on target compared to 64 last season. Allegriai??i??s system has largely benefited Tevez but the same cannot be said about Llorente. Conteai??i??s system was built around the Basque striker with the wing-backs encouraged to swing in crosses for Llorente to feed on but this year the approach has been a bit different. His passing stats and hold up play has improved and has played a big part in Tevez scoring so much. Llorente would be looking to end his barren spell soon but there is every reason to believe ‘El Rey Leon’ will roar again for Juventus.
Bench Strength Looks Impressive
The fact that Juventus have not felt the absence of two stalwarts like Andrea Barzagli and Andrea Pirlo is enough to suggest the bench strength they have. Martin Caceres has ably deputized for Barzagli but surprisingly Angelo Ogbonna deserves even more credit. After a mediocre season last year in which he failed to justify his hefty price tag, the ex-Torino captain has looked more confident this term and has actually done admirably even when played out of position on the right side of defence. Roberto Pereyra is no vice-Vidal but he has carved out his own identity in this team. He does not have the tackling, stamina, ability to break plays like the Chilean but he is a better passer and links the midfield and attack.
Alvaro Morata and Kingsley Coman have already demonstrated that they are capable of making a decisive impact. Morata is a hardworking striker who can play out on the wings as well while Coman has shown flashes of skills to suggest that he can do a good job as the seconda punta. Both of them have qualities to be grouped as a Velocista(players who use pace as their primary attribute) and that can be a dangerous weapon against tiring teams during the course of any game.
The differences or the signs of evolution are based on nine games only; maybe there will be even more as the season progresses. Change is the only constant and Juventus are doing that. They have definitely added quality to their gameplay but whether that will be enough to win them titles cannot be determined at this point. But one thing that can be certainly concluded is these improvisations are laying a solid foundation for the future of Juventus.
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