Breaking Down What Former Real Madrid Man Sami Khedira Will Bring to Juventus

There is little doubt that this summer began superbly for Juventus supporters, with the signings of Paulo Dybala, Sami Khedira and Mario Mandzukic confirmed almost immediately following the team’s return from the Champions League final in Berlin.

Given that the Bianconeri had also sealed their first domestic double in 20 years, it came as something of a blow when the departure of two hugely important players was then subsequently reported. Losing Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez is a major blow, a matter discussed in depth in this previous column and one which those new arrivals must strive to overcome.

Yet their exits should not take away from the sheer quality of the men signed to replace them, and there are many parallels between the paths Khedira and Pirlo took to Turin. Both tasted World Cup and Champions League glory, and each signed for Italian football’s grand Old Lady on a free transfer after being marginalised by their former clubs.

Though each interprets it in a vastly different manner, they play a similar role, and the presence of Khedira—if he can maintain his fitness—will allow Massimiliano Allegri to play a rather different and more up-tempo style of football should he so wish.

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Pirlo too suffered with injury last term, and in his absence the Juventus coach opted to play Claudio Marchisio in the deep-lying central-midfield role with which the bearded genius is so synonymous. Clearly lacking the same vision, Marchisio instead applied his incredible tactical awareness, making the right pass almost every time, shielding the defence superbly and with remarkable consistency.

Allegri may opt to continue with that, but he could also opt to field Khedira in the middle and return Marchisio to a more advanced role. Freed from the need to drop deep to protect Pirlo—as he was increasingly forced to do over the past two seasons—would allow the Turin native to return to being the devastating attacking force he was previously.

When healthy and in-form, Khedira of course is able to do so much more and it will be up to the coaching staff to recognise when and how to use him, not just for his benefit but for the team overall.

While it may curb his own input to the attack, having the German international at the base of midfield would mean Allegri could field any combination of players ahead of him, safe in the knowledge that the 28-year-old is there to mop up any mistakes.

Fully capable of pushing forward himself, this would appear to be the best position for him in the current Juve squad, allowing Marchisio—as well as Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal and Roberto Pereyra—to maximise their own contributions.

While Khedira cannot replace the creativity Pirlo brought to the side, he may also fulfil the Italian’s role as an experienced leader, something that cannot be quantified in statistics but is every inch as valuable as a perfectly timed assist or precisely delivered set piece.

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“He's a leader – a silent leader, but one who knows how to carry his team through difficult moments,” Juve’s Leonardo Bonucci told the official UEFA website last year. “Outside of football, he's a great man and he's been one of the best central midfielders in the world in the history of football.”

Khedira too is held in the highest esteem, with none other than Franz Beckenbauer having publicly expressed his admiration for the player. "He has become a true leader at Real Madrid. Few players have that talent these days,” he told Spanish newspaper Marca.

"The fans demand that all players play like Messi, but there's only one Messi,” he continued. “Khedira is the kind of player who always sacrifices himself for the team, but players like him are a rare commodity these days.”

“It is my personal ambition to become a leader for this team,” Khedira told As (h/t Forza Italian Football), and if he can do that while returning to prominence on the pitch, Juventus could begin to dream of replicating last year’s success.