Juventus Analysis: Should Fernando Llorente's Form Concern the Serie A Giants?

There is no denying Fernando Llorente endured a tumultuous debut campaign in Italy, with the striker's reputation swinging wildly from one extreme to another.

By the end of 2013-14, he was held in the same high esteem he enjoyed while in Bilbao, but life on the peninsula had begun very differently.

The 29-year-old joined the Bianconeri in July last year, but by mid-September the Italian press had already firmly rounded on him. "E' Solo Bello?" questioned Turin daily paper TuttoSport above an image of Llorente on its front cover, asking if he was "only beautiful."

An editorial examining his lack of productivity continued to accentuate doubts about his effectiveness, musing as to whether he would struggle to adapt to Serie A. Many of his fellow countrymen—such as Gaizka Mendieta—had performed poorly after high-profile transfers, and Juve's newest signing was clearly out of sorts.

At the time the scathing column was published, the Basque star had yet to make a competitive start for his new side and had remained an unused substitute in the three most recent fixtures. His perceived malaise was accentuated by the blistering start made by fellow summer acquisition Carlos Tevez, already regularly finding the back of the net.

Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

Immediately afterwards, however, Llorente too would begin to score goals, netting just three days later in a win over Hellas Verona. He followed that up with strikes both home and away against Real Madrid, displaying the prowess that made him a firm fan favourite during his eight-year stint with Athletic.

Antonio Conte had given his full backing to the Spaniard, telling BeIn Sport (h/t Yahoo Sport) that the player "wasn't treated well," by his former club and "needed time to become familiar with our system and the intensity of our training sessions."

That view was supported by Llorente himself, admitting to TuttoSport that early workouts under the coach had left him feeling "physically sick," per Goal.com. The hard work paid off, however, and he ended the campaign with 18 goals in all competitions as Juventus lifted the league title once again.

His partnership with Tevez was widely lauded as a major reason for that success, and much was expected of the pair as they headed into their second season. Despite Conte's exit and the arrival of Massimiliano Allegri, the club were seen as favourites to lift the Scudetto and to progress further in the Champions League.

Yet once again, Llorente has toiled in the early part of 2014-15, failing to score in his first eight appearances in all competitions. There are major differences, of course, and where last term he took time to be fit enough to compete, this time it is sharpness on the pitch that he appears to be lacking.

Squawka.com

Already racking up an average of 1.7 shots per game according to stats site WhoScored.com, the above graphic highlights how poor Llorente has been in front of goal.

Squawka figures also show he has managed to get just 38 per cent of his attempts on target and in truth has rarely looked close to getting off the mark.

Despite that, other aspects of his game have remained remarkably consistent across the two campaigns, with his statistics backing up that opinion. Who Scored shows his tackles per game (0.4 last term, 0.5 this season), passes (24.9 compared to 23) and dribbles (0.4 compared to 0.3) are all relatively close once again.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Allegri has chosen not to alter Juve’s style too much, preferring to allow the team to continue as it had under his predecessor, his decision rewarded with wins in all five league games to date. The coach has also not tinkered with the line-up, meaning Llorente should feel at home in familiar surroundings.

Despite that, the technical ability the 6’ 5” striker has always displayed remains ever present. Far more than just a target man, he is a thoroughly modern player, able to influence matches in any number of ways, and only three of his side’s goals have come without him on the field.

It is difficult to imagine a spell on the sidelines would improve the quality of his finishing, and ending his barren spell is likely to bring another raft of goals for a striker who has netted a minimum of 18 times in all but one of the last six seasons.

Fernando Llorente's lack of goals is a cause for concern, but there is every reason to believe El Rey Leon—“The Lion King”—will soon be roaring again for Juventus.