Why Juventus should bench Paulo Dybala for Napoli clash
- Kaustubh Pandey(@Kaus_Pandey17)
The last time both of these sides met, the Old Lady picked up a compact 1-0 win over Maurizio Sarri's men. An early Gonzalo Higuain saw Juve sit deep and soak the Napoli pressure to impressive grind out the result over the then table-toppers Napoli. Things now though, are pretty different. But tactically, will be quite the same.
Napoli are accustomed to losing concentration in the final third, hence their recent string of below par results against Sassuolo, Roma, Milan and Inter. And a surprise package midway through any game can catch team napping, be it Napoli or anyone.
And Juventus under Max Allegri, have been doing it well this season. Be it against Tottenham in the second leg of the round of 16 Champions League or in the second of the quarter-final against Real Madrid, Allegri made sensible game-changing substitutions that helped the Old Lady do better.
With rumors surrounding as to whether Dybala will start or not, it makes sense for Juventus to bench Dybala and bring him on as a substitute in around the 60th minute to take Napoli out with Dybala's burst of pace and directness. Its not as if the Juve side isn't good enough without him, but bringing a fresh pair of legs on in the 60th minute in a vital game and that too in the form of Dybala can leave anyone rattled.
Considering how careless Napoli have been at the back of late, it seems feasible to not start Dybala and bring him on as an impact sub.