What do Statics say on the Juventus' midfield dilemma?
Much of the blame was thrown on the shoulders of Coach Massimiliano Allegri.
Yet, despite their failure in Cardiff, there is another problem lurking in the corridors of the J Stadium: after all, stats prove that this was the worst defensive campaign for the Bianconeri out of their six league titles.
A relentless box-to-box midfielder is missing in Turin, as the tactical brilliance of Sami Khedira and the lofty passes of Miralem Pjanic did not provide the solidity needed.
Allegri’s men ended up conceding 27 goals and Buffon failed to keep his sheet clean on 18 Serie A occasions.
The 49-year-old claimed that “we need to try and give continuity to this system of play we started four months ago.” in a recent interview with Sky Sports discussing the 4-2-3-1 formation.
As the Old Lady is casting for a star midfielder, eyebrows were raised after club’s target Corentin Tolisso signed for Bayern Munich, only for managing director Giuseppe Marotta to claim that the only centre midfielder to score fourteen goals in Europe's Top Five apparently wasn't a fit for the Bianconeri.
Now, coach Allegri and the board of directors have a handful of options to pick from until September. We take a look at a few of the main ones.
Steven N'Zonzi
“I was skinny, I was not a player who would tackle and stuff like this, so I had to improve and work a lot.”. This is how Steven N'Zonzi described his move to the English Premier League from France a few years ago.
The 28 year-old moved from the northern city of Amiens, as a technically gifted midfielder with delightful dancing feet. In England, he developed into what his coach Jorge Sampaoli now calls "an octopus”.
Playing at different leagues, under managers like Sam Allardyce, Mark Hughes, Unai Emery and Jorge Sampaoli, N'Zonzi was able to synthesise his sprinkling talent with his physical strength.
Last season N'Zonzi completed 2470 passes in La Liga; more than any other player. Better known for playing in front of the centre backs, the French man completed 1538 forward passes to build up the play for his teammates.
Under Sampaoli, N'Zonzi had a key rolem creating 20 clear chances for his teammates and hitting 159 accurate long balls, more than any player from Los Blanquirrojos.
The fanbase in Turin will certainly enjoy having the Frenchman's tentacles spreading across the Old Lady's midfield.
Blaise Matuidi
The left-footed train always seemed alluring to the directors in the black and white castle. Right after selling the club’s gem Paul Pogba last season, Blasie Matuidi seemed to be what the doctor had ordered for the Old Lady, only for Nasser Al-Khelaifi to refuse to sell the French interntional.
According to his father Faria, it seems his son is not interested in staying in the capital:
"A few weeks ago, Blaise was more interested in staying at PSG. Now the situation is much more mixed. PSG, and in particular their new sporting director, have been slow to reveal their intentions. For that reason we’re listening attentively to the advances of other clubs. There's a feeling, rightly or wrongly, that everything said [by PSG] in the past few months is now part of ancient history."
According to Corriere dello Sport’s headline last week, there seems to be a sort of agreement between the player and Juventus this season. As both Marotta and the player’s agent Mino Raiola confirmed mutual interest, a deal seems on the horizon.
Matudi is used to playing on the left of a three-man midfield, running his socks off up front, tapping in four goals and assisting the same amount in Ligue 1 last season.
Between the Parisian midfielders who played 20+ games this season, Matudi has the worst tackling rate of 1.8, and has only blocked two shots from the opposition.
With the player’s work rate, physical qualities and Champions League experience under his belt, it is believed he could fit both as a central midfielder and a left winger in
Allegri’s plan next season.
The coach might just spend more afternoons reminding Matudi of his defensive burdens.
Emre Can
The former Bundesliga star is known for despatching screamers from outside the box, and the wonder bicycle-kick Carling goal of the season against Watford, but he can do so much more.
Emre Can has the versatility to play as a defensive midfielder, cover up for BBC at the back, or even fill the gap Dani Alves has left.
The German international is not just about building up the offense, but also gives masterclasses in tracking the opponents and destroying their play.
Can committed 70 fouls in this previous campaign, more than any other midfielder in the English Premier League.
At the young age of 23, his charisma on the football turf and his courage to want the ball and make things happen are a great sign, and underline just how much star potential he has.
However, the past few months of speculation and gossip are close to an end. His Coach, Jurgen Klopp, seems determined to keep his player, and a new contract is soon to be on the table, something the Agnelli family won’t be able to crack the easy way.
Rodrigo Bentancur
Juventus secured first option on Rodrigo Bentancur back in 2015 when they sold Carlos Tevez to Boca Juniors. After monitoring the player for the past two years, management decided the player is ready to join the team for this pre-season.
“Bentancur is already ready for Juventus. He’s very strong, he’s a big talent; no loans or intermediate steps are needed," insisted the player’s coach, Guillermo Schelotto.
“In the 4-2-3-1 that Allegri uses, Bentancur can play with tranquility in one of the two central midfield roles," hee continued.
The Boca Juniors coach even mentioned that the 19 year-old Uruguayan has similar features to N'Zonzi, if not better.
Bentancur shined in blocking 43 passes against his opponents in the Primera Division last season, better than any Boca player.
But with his age, lack of experience and inability to score goals are a red flag, an indication that he won't be able to fill “The Superstar” void Juventus are looking to plug.
Ramez Nathan