In this series, we will analyse teams, identify
problem areas, and suggest solutions in the
form of incoming players.
We won’t follow gossip, rumours or conjecture,
we don’t have inside information, and we’re
not considering the brand value of players.
Purely, their on-field performance, and their
suitability for the team in question.
Today’s team is Juventus.
Welcome to sensible transfers.
Juventus are currently undergoing great change.
After eight successive league title wins under
the management of Antonio Conte and then Massimiliano
Allegri, they appointed Maurizio Sarri this
summer.
Ostensibly, this move was made with a focus
on altering the team’s style of play.
However, in order for SarriBall to be realised
in Turin, the club will need to ensure there
are stylistically suitable players in every
position.
Defenders who can play out, as well as midfielders
and forwards that can combine and create,
are vital.
Here, we consider sensible additions they
could make with all of this in mind.
Recent reports have suggested that Joao Cancelo
may leave Juventus this summer, with Manchester
City supposedly leading the race for his signature.
If the Portuguese does move on, the Italian
champions will need to consider signing a
new right-back, with Mattia De Sciglio lacking
the technical and attacking qualities necessary
to fill the void.
Sarri always lines his teams up with a back
four, and likes his full-backs to be capable
of covering the entire flank.
They need to be comfortable on the ball in
build-up situations, even when under pressure.
They must be accurate passers and crossers
who offer overlapping and underlapping runs
down the wing.
They must also have the pace to recover their
defensive position quickly.
One option for Juventus would be Bouna Sarr].
The 27-year-old is a right-back who, due to
his attacking ability, has also occasionally
been used as a winger by Marseille.
He makes excellent forward runs and possesses
great speed, traits that are underlined by
his 2.8 progressive runs, 5.5 dribbles per
90 minutes and dribble success rate of 61%.
However, the more rounded option would be
Napoli’s Kevin Malcuit, who is our pick
for this position.
Malcuit averages 5.3 interceptions for a team
that tends to dominate the ball, which suggests
a solid defensive reading of the game.
However, it is his attacking numbers that
catch the eye.
He makes 49.7 passes on average with a completion
rate of 83%.
He is also a superb crosser, putting in 5.1
per 90 and finding his target 32.4% of the
time.
And while his dribble success is lower than
Sarr’s, his 5.7 dribbles per 90 with 50.4%
success is still highly respectable for a
full-back.
The 27-year-old is a fast, skilful right-back
who contributes well in build-up and in the
final third.
In short, he offers exactly what Sarri wants
on the side of his back four.
Miralem Pjanic is widely considered to be
one of the finest playmakers in the world
today, though he isn’t a ready-made fit
for the Number 6 role in Sarri’s three-man
midfield.
At each of his last two clubs, Sarri has built
his system around Jorginho, an accurate passer
who helps the team to establish control, get
into position, and gradually progress possession.
Pjanic, whose passing range is exceptional,
is used to having fewer restrictions positionally
and being more ambitious with his distribution.
The Bosnian will likely start the season as
Juventus’ first choice at the base of midfield,
but it would be wise to bring in another player
capable of taking on the role in case the
former Roma man is moved into a different
position where his talents can be maximised.
When looking for players who are happy being
heavily involved in build-up, receiving with
their back to goal, keeping the ball moving,
finding their teammates consistently and having
a good understanding of their positioning
within the team structure, two Manchester
City players stand out: Fernandinho and Ilkay
Gundogan.
The recent signing of Rodri from Atletico
Madrid means both could play less regularly
in the coming season, and both could provide
what Juventus are looking for in a Number
6.
Fernandinho is more defensively astute, but
also has good numbers in possession.
He receives the ball 56.1 times per 90 minutes,
averages 70.1 passes and finds a teammate
89.3% of the time.
Gundogan receives fewer times on average and
isn’t so effective in providing coverage
or supporting a high press, though he is more
consistent on the ball.
This is backed up by his playing a higher
number of passes and through passes with greater
completion percentages.
Our pick for this position would be Leandro
Paredes.
When Sarri became Napoli coach four years
ago, Marco Giampaolo succeeded him at Empoli.
Tactically, few major changes were made, and
Paredes became the Number 6 of choice for
Giampaolo.
The Argentine is stylistically extremely suitable
to what Sarri wants from his base midfielder.
He makes 82.5 passes per 90 at a completion
rate of 92.2%.
He receives the ball 68.3 times on average,
and he is also capable of opening up the opposition
on occasion.
This is shown through his 2.1 through passes
per 90, of which 33.3% found a teammate.
Sarri likes to have balance in his midfield
three, so usually fields one forward-thinking
player on one side with a more defensive operator
on the other.
For the latter role, he is spoiled for ball-winners
who get stuck in and energetic box-to-box
players, with Blaise Matuidi, Emre Can, Rodrigo
Bentancur and Sami Khedira all capable of
performing those duties.
However, he could do with more creative options.
New signings Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot
are expected to help in this area, though
neither is the complete package Sarri needs.
At Napoli he could call on Marek Hamsik to
aid in progression through penetrative passing,
combination play, forward runs and dribbling,
while also chipping in with goals and assists
in the final third.
Neither Ramsey nor Rabiot provide this combination
of creativity and dynamism.
Giovani Lo Celso (is/would have been) an option
worth looking at, though he (is on the verge
of signing for/has signed) for Tottenham.
He starred for Betis last season while playing
as an attack-minded central midfielder, showcasing
good positional intelligence, movement and
passing.
His 2.5 through passes and 3.3 progressive
runs per 90 are noteworthy, as are his 5.4
dribbles.
But our pick for this position is Lazio’s
Luis Alberto.
The Spaniard is more creative than Lo Celso,
averaging 0.2 goal assists and 2.8 shot assists.
He also plays more passes to the final third,
finds teammates more often with those passes,
and looks to penetrate more often with 3.5
through balls per 90.
Like a prime version of Hamsik, his skillset
allows him to play behind a striker or in
a slightly deeper midfield role, and his presence
would significantly bolster Sarri’s midfield
trident.
Whether or not Sarri does strengthen in this
area is yet to be seen, but we think it would
be a wise move.
Sarri’s front three is usually made up of
one striker who can both finish and drop deep
to link play with their back to goal, and
two wingers who come inside, exchange passes
with teammates, and create chances.
He doesn’t like his wide men to be too individualistic,
and prefers them to focus on clever movement
and combination play as opposed to dribbling
beyond opponents.
It is probable that Sarri will use Cristiano
Ronaldo and Mario Mandzukic as strikers rather
than playing them in wider areas, while Paulo
Dybala, Douglas Costa and Juan Cuadrado are
not natural fits for his system.
Federico Bernardeschi could take up one of
the wide berths, but that leaves one vacancy
to fill.
Ousmane Dembele is a wonderful dribbler who
benefits from the unpredictability of being
able to play on either side and with either
foot, though he is also a combinative wide
man.
He averages 0.2 goal assists and 2.2 shot
assists, and he completes 88.8% of the 4.7
passes per 90 he plays to the final third.
Our pick for this position, however, is Alejandro
Gomez.
A key player for Atalanta in recent seasons,
Gomez averages 0.4 goal assists, three shot
assists and 2.2 through passes.
He also gets 3.1 shots off per 90.
Often cutting in from the left onto his stronger
right foot, he combines well in the final
third and works shooting chances for others
or himself frequently.
With an attack-minded right-back, a positionally
disciplined number six, a creative midfielder
and a combinative winger, Sarri would have
good options for all positions in his 4-3-3.
Here is how our Juventus team would look:
Juventus are highly strategic in the transfer
market, and often look to weaken their rivals
whilst strengthening their own hand.
Therefore, we think these four signings – three
of whom come from Serie A teams – are sensible
transfers.
