Reporters in the press box at Genoa’s Stadio Luigi Ferraris could’ve been forgiven for checking the date on the team sheet ahead of the home side’s clash with Juventus. Much to the dismay of most supporters, Max Allegri had listed 11 players who were all with the club last season and none of his new signings. Yes, despite the Bianconeri spending in excess of €140 million on the transfer market this summer, the coach remained faithful with the players who enjoyed success in 2016/17.
The flaws in that decision are obvious. After all, if last year’s team was so good, the Old Lady wouldn’t have been so active in acquiring additional talent as Director General Beppe Marotta looked to address the weaknesses in the squad. It is not as if the problems hadn’t been widely exposed either, with Real Madrid in the Champions League final and Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana both exploiting them in similar style.
In each of those fixtures, Juve were overrun in midfield. The fact that the team lacks energy and tenacity in the centre of the pitch when Miralem Pjanić and Sami Khedira start in tandem is no secret. That would be the case again at the weekend, Genoa’s up-tempo style seeing them jump out to a two-goal lead in less than seven minutes as Khedira in particular looked way off the pace.
Further compounding the problem was Juan Cuadrado’s continued presence on the right flank, the Colombian winger looking short of confidence as he repeatedly turned the ball over and failed to help provide cover whenever Diego Laxalt rampaged forward.
It must be said that there are caveats here for Allegri. He saw his team draw level before half-time, a spirited fightback that owed much to Paulo Dybala, the new No.10 grabbing an impressive brace to get the champions back on level terms. The coach then made a vital change shortly after the break as he introduced Blaise Matuidi for Khedira, the Frenchman’s tireless running and tenacious tackling giving the Bianconeri a platform on which to build. They would go on to win the game 4-2, but the hole they dug themselves out from was entirely of their own making.
Allegri was also unfortunate in regards to Claudio Marchisio’s latest injury, the Turin native ruled out earlier in the week after making a huge difference in the previous outing against Cagliari. There – paired with Pjanić – his ability to move the ball quickly helped the team look much sharper, and in all likelihood, he would have retained his place next to the Bosnian had he been healthy here.
Yet the reluctance to field new players is nothing new for Allegri. Dybala and Alvaro Morata were both integrated slowly, the Coach rightly cautious with young players as he looks to incorporate them in his plans, and in each case he eventually brought the best from them by doing so. That is fine for someone like Federico Bernardeschi this year as the 23-year-old undoubtedly needs to “earn” his place rather than just be handed it, but the same cannot be said of the vastly experienced Matuidi (30) or Douglas Costa (26).
Signed from Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich respectively, they know what it takes to succeed at the highest level and have won league titles playing in sides who enjoy a similar dominance to Juve. They understand the pressure and the scrutiny that comes with representing a team expected to win each and every week, while their limited cameos thus far have already shown what they are capable of.
Matuidi replaced Khedira after 57 minutes on Saturday, yet won two tackles to the German’s one and made much more of an impact off the bench as he pushed forward constantly yet always recovered to protect the defence. Yes he is a different type of player to the former Real Madrid man, but his attributes obviously appear to be a better fit both in terms of Allegri’s 4-2-3-1 formation and as a foil for Pjanić.
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It was a similar story in the Supercoppa defeat to Lazio when Costa replaced Cuadrado, the Brazilian’s desire and ability to beat would-be markers far superior to that of his fellow South American. Able to confidently use either foot, he terrorised the Biancocelesti and helped spark a comeback that ultimately fell short, a display that showed he was ready to deliver on a regular basis if given the opportunity to do so.
Of course, Allegri deserves the benefit of the doubt, but seeing other coaches install new additions immediately and reap the benefit, Juventus fans are rightly asking why they are not doing the same. One needs to only watch glance towards San Siro to see that, with Inter’s Luciano Spalletti making Milan Škriniar, Matias Vecino, Borja Valero first-team regulars already, while Milan boss Vincenzo Montella fielded no fewer than seven new signings in their opening day victory over Crotone.
Allegri now has a two-week international break to further ensure Matuidi, Costa and others understand what is expected of them, time which will surely lead to a new-look Juventus once action resumes. It’s already overdue.
