mangled muttering – Can juve turn the corner?

By tdf, November 10, 2015

I suspect you would have got brilliant odds on Juve finding themselves 9 points off top with 12 games played, having only just managed to scrape together back to back victories for the first time season, in November. Yet does the recent run suggest an upturn in form is on the horizon?

My instinct is NO. As are my thoughts. Because we have improved, slightly, in terms of results almost solely due to the return to the squad of several of our strongest players. Namely Marchisio, Lichsteiner and Big Sami Khedira. Which hasn’t improved our collective form on the field in any noticeable way, it has moreover, raised our technical level.

Against Torino we deployed a 4-3-1-2. The same against Borussia and then reverted to a 4-3-3 in the unconvincing win against Empoli. There has been no settled attacking system, or midfield system. Partly due to injuries, yet that explanation is now drifting away. And will continue to as Pereyra makes his comeback as do Asamoah and Caceres.

With no settled system how are the players expected to find rhythm? Allegri has become the tinkerman. Mitigating circumstances aside, he could still have fielded a settled formation long ago.

It makes sense to start every game with your strongest players. Which in our case are Lichsteiner, Buffon, Chiellini, Bonucci, Barzagli, Pogba, Marchisio, Khedira and Morata. I would also add in Dybala as he is the only front man we have capable of turning a game with a moment of brilliance (presently, as Morata is out of sorts). Cuadrado has performed okay. Looking brighter than he might due to the poor form of those around him, yet to accomodate him into the line-up, we stick Morata out wide and often include misfiring Mandzukic.

To go with the Dybala/Morata combination, which I believe has the greatest potential, Allegri chucks in Hernanes behind the front duet. The brazilian has been a huge disappointment since joining in the Summer as a back-up option to the other trequartistas we were chasing. (I’d love to see us make a serious bid for Cristian Ericksen, yet Levy is such a fiend, no doubt he would demand a ridiculous figure)

At left back we have another problem. Sandro looks wonderful going forward, far more potent in the final third and not at all wretched defensively. However, the team has been lacking leadership. Pirlo, Tevez and Vidal all could lead by example and often raised the game of others around them purely by their presence aligned with world class talents. Big Sami has presence, yet who else? Other than Lichsteiner and Evra. I understand why Patrice is seeing a fair few minutes during this haphazard period, yet it might be for the best to give Sandro the role and leave there for a few games on the trot. See what he can produce with momentum.

Which brings me to the defence…

Schoolboy errors have haunted us this season. I believe we have conceded 6 or 7 goals directly from defensive blunders. Yet Allegri defiantly refuses to offer Rugani a chance. The young defender, who enjoyed a magnificent season with Empoli last term, must be wondering what has to happen to be given a shot in the starting XI. Why is he avoided?

Is Allegri afraid to bench one of the stalwarts? He certainly seems incredibly reluctant to bother the status quo despite the poor form of Bonucci and Chiellini. The lad would have been better off spending another season at Empoli than rotting on the sidelines as our experienced stoppers throw away goal after goal. What is he learning from the experience? I had high hopes of him finding space and earning a place in the azzurri squad for the EUROS next year. Not likely at this stage, although perhaps he will move in January. Or perhaps Allegri will be culled…I hear Mourinho may soon be available!

Error prone centre-backs continue to start whilst the defender widely thought to be the future of the azzurri set-up keeps his coat on.

Last glaring bother is a lack of bite and menace in the middle of the park. No crunching tackles. No warriors. No fight.

Problems facing Juve-

1. No set system for attack.

2. Calamitous errors at the back.

3. Refusal to use Rugani.

4. Too many players bang out of form.

How can these problems be addressed?

Firstly, we desperately need to recover Pereyra.  He has proven a wonderful link up man and last season was truly impressing in the hole behind the two strikers before the Summer break. His movement and tenacity and ability to bring others into play is sorely missed. He returns early December. Until which why not play Cudrado in that same position? Or Pogba? Hernanes simply doesn’t deserve any more chances for now.

Stick with Morata and Dybala and let them mesh, find a natural harmony, in their best roles. The Spaniard was progressing superbly until this season. An injury has passed and yet he now finds himself asked to move out wider to accomodate the attempts to spring Mandzukic into life.

If we must stick with Evra, then aim to give Sandro at least 20-30 minutes per game. Bring him in slowly but consistently. Offering him a start against weaker opposition if/when we recover momentum and form.

I would also like to see Lemina given more opportunities. He is our only midfielder who bears any resemblance to Vidal in terms of box to box scrapper who can also play the ball creatively (or thinks he can). Whilst Allegri seems more interested in meddling with the offensive unit, he must understand that a stronger midfield earns more possession, which helps to tire the opposition more quickly, which opens up space for our attackers.

With Sandro starting, we could aim for a midfield diamond.

With all players fit, I believe we will move towards this formation as the season wears on…

Marchisio proved many times over that he can be quality in a regista role.

The players who could add bite to our midfield are also our most inexperienced; Lemina and Sturaro. I feel it is more wise to get Claudio back in the regista role, stick to two up top – and until Pereyra returns – see who can perform best behind them out of Hernanes and Cuadrado. Perhaps in a 3-5-2 we can include Cuadrado in his favoured RW position, but he is no natural RWB. We could balance him out with Sandro on the opposite flank.

I can see Allegri’s problems. As we all can. We have a squad which should be in the top three let alone top seven. The crisis has struck and its time for both manager and players to combine to find a winning formula. To do this, let us return to fielding our strongest, most in-form players game in, game out. It is the only way to find momentum. Of which we have had none thus far this season.

9 points are not too much to claw back with 26 games ( 78 points) still on offer. Yet we are going nowhere other than perhaps 5th in absence of a set system and more heart, hunger and belief.