Earlier this week, the sixteen teams who remain in the Champions League submitted their squads for the knockout rounds, as per UEFA rules. With the transfer window now closed, clubs were permitted to make up to three changes from their group stage selections, allowing space for January signings within strict guidelines surrounding their eligibility.
Those rules meant that Lucas Moura of Tottenham, Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sánchez of Manchester United could all be added to represent their new sides, but – with Liverpool still in the competition – Philippe Coutinho was unavailable for Barcelona. Around Europe there were minimal other changes made to these lists, such as Roma being forced to name only 21 available players after the departures of Abdullahi Nura, Héctor Moreno and Emerson Palmieri.
When it came to Juventus, there was not really very much to consider. The Bianconeri did very little business over the last month, with Marko Pjaca’s departure not affecting the matter as – like Emerson at Roma – the Croatian winger was left out of the group stage squad due to a long-term injury. The club has already begun to see him shine for Schalke 04, but it must be noted that the only change the Turin giants made to their UEFA list also centred around a player they received on loan from the Bundesliga outfit.
A 2014 World Cup winner, Benedikt Höwedes arrived the summer from the Veltins-Arena, Juve paying €3.5 million (plus a further €3 million in potential bonuses) and setting an option to buy the 29-year-old at €13 million. However, his adventure in Italy has so far been limited to just 68 minutes, earning his solitary start in the 3-0 win over Crotone back in November when he needed to be substituted in the second half. Aside from that appearance, Höwedes has been plagued by injury and has only been deemed healthy enough to be named as a substitute four times, making his name very easy for Max Allegri to cross off his Champions League squad list this week.
That it is Stephan Lichtsteiner who takes his place could not be more fitting, the Swiss full-back proving himself to be durable, reliable and ultra professional ever since joining the club back in 2011. The €10 million fee handed to Lazio to sign the former Lille man has been repaid countless times over, his impact upon Juve almost immeasurable during his first few seasons with the Bianconeri.
Now 34 years old, time has obviously taken its toll on Lichtsteiner, no longer the tireless force he once was. He has slowed down somewhat, becoming a little more hesitant both in possession and in conserving his energy, yet when called upon he rarely disappoints, capable of shutting down even the trickiest of opponents and always fully committed to the cause.
Mattia De Sciglio – a favourite of Allegri from their time together at AC Milan – has surpassed him in the pecking order, but Lichtsteiner did not truly deserve to be axed from the squad at the start of the season. "My exclusion from the Champions League list? This is obviously a hard blow and a huge disappointment," the defender wrote in a social media statement last September. "That’s life - the important thing is not how often you fall, but how many times you find the strength to get up, roll up your sleeves, keep fighting and never give up. Now, more than ever, I will keep on giving my all to honour this jersey!”
He did just that, making 19 appearances in the first half of 2017/18, contributing two assists while averaging two tackles and one interception per 90 minutes. He has been helped by Allegri opting to almost exclusively use a four-man defence, meaning Lichtsteiner is no longer required to man an entire flank as he did when the Coach used a 3-5-2 formation. That allows a more creative player like Douglas Costa to line up ahead of him, safe in the knowledge that the veteran full-back will not leave space behind him for the opposition to exploit.
Last season, Lichtsteiner was also left out of the group stage squad by Allegri, a decision somewhat vindicated by his use of Juan Cuadrado and Dani Alves as wing-backs while Andrea Barzagli could cover as an orthodox right-back. This term, with the Brazilian in Paris, De Sciglio injured and Barzagli ageing rapidly, opting not to have a man who has captained Juventus available for selection always seemed erroneous.
That mistake has now been rectified, and it has been done so on merit. Allegri knows he can rely upon the Swiss defender, and Stephan Lichtsteiner fully deserves his place in the squad, just as he always has.
