Analysing What New Signing Alex Sandro Brings to Serie A Giants Juventus

For most of the summer, Juventus were busy replacing the stars who had departed, bringing in the likes of Sami Khedira and Mario Mandzukic in the hope of continuing their run of dominance atop the Serie A table.

One lamentable point is that Paulo Dybala—signed from Palermo—will not get to learn from Carlos Tevez. If the latter had remained in Turin for the final year of his contract, the impact his tutelage could have had on the €32 million acquisition would be almost immeasurable.

However, last week the Bianconeri made another addition who will reap a similar benefit, bringing in Alex Sandro from FC Porto. According to their official website, the Italian champions paid €26 million for the left-back, and he will undoubtedly enjoy the veteran presence of Patrice Evra.

Sandro’s career began in the youth sector at Atletico Paranaense, making his first-team debut in 2008. Within a year he had established himself as first-choice, and caught the attention of Santos who would help him develop into a fearsome attacking force, highlighted by the spectacular goal shown below.

During that time he would also cement his place within the country's youth sides, and was part of the under-20 squad which won both the South American Youth Championship and FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2011.

The same year also saw him help his club side lift the Copa Libertadores, and he was on the move again, joining Porto at the same time as his team-mate Danilo. His first season would see him make just seven appearances, but when Alvaro Pereira moved to Inter at the end of that campaign, Sandro would begin to make his mark.

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Over the following four years, he would steadily improve the defensive side of his game, and arrives at Juventus a much more well-rounded player than most would expect of a pacey Brazilian full-back. Defensively, he is strong enough to compete when the game becomes physical, while his speed and ability to recover allow him some margin for error if he is ever caught out.

Indeed, those attributes were identified last summer by Portuguese football expert Tom Kundert, who said the following in his column for Mirror Sport:

"

Sandro combines a willingness to bomb forward in the best Brazilian traditions with the innate sense of when to do so and when to hold back.

A tenacious defender who combines well with his team-mates when venturing upfield, any potential suitor will have to pay big to get him, but will have the length of their left flank well patrolled as a result.

"

That opinion is supported by statistics from WhoScored.com, their figures showing the 24-year-old averaged a staggering 4.1 tackles, 4.3 interceptions and 3.2 clearances in his nine Champions League appearances last term.

The same source shows that Evra recorded averages of 1.8 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 3.2 clearances per game in the same competition, the comparison showing just how much impact Sandro now has.

The impressive numbers continue, with Squawka.com highlighting that the Brazilian—who stands 1.80 m (5’ 11”) tall—won 70 percent of the aerial duels he contested. That will be important in Serie A, where strikers often target full-backs on crosses to the far post, an area of the game where Evra himself excels.

“Roberto Carlos and [Patrice] Evra who is here at Juve are the players who have most inspired me,” Sandro said at his inaugural press conference this week (h/t Football Italia). “I imitated them, and I’ll continue to do that.”

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While the opportunity to learn from the latter will be vital, it is the attributes he shares with his compatriot that will most excite supporters. Like the former Real Madrid star, his style retains that recognisable Brazilian flair, able to entertain fans with his superb footwork and close control.

Difficult to knock off the ball, he is adept at beating opposition defenders one-on-one, with WhoScored showing he averaged 4.7 dribbles per game in the 2013/14 season, and at full speed he is almost impossible to stop.

Once there he either clips the ball into the box or drives it in low just as Carlos used to, a tough situation for defenders and goalkeepers but a joy for predatory strikers like Mario Mandzukic, who is likely to thrive on such service.

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Indeed, while Sandro has notched few assists—a single one in last season’s Champions League—he has provided a steady stream of scoring opportunities, averaging 1.2 key passes per game last term, according to WhoScored.

While he won a silver medal with Brazil at the London Olympics in 2012 and has six full caps to his name, Sandro was not part of his country’s squads for either the last World Cup or this summer’s Copa America.

Losing out to the likes of Paris Saint-Germain’s Maxwell and Marcelo of Real Madrid, the man in charge of the Selecao believes his move to Italy could improve his chances. “Competing in the Champions League with a big club like that will help him mature in terms of the national team,” Dunga said recently, per PortuGoal.net.

“Alex Sandro is a player worthy of Juventus, and I think an experience with a top Serie A club will make him even more complete,” the coach continued, and it is a view the player clearly shares. Speaking at his first press conference in Turin, Sandro gave reporters his opinion on the move and what it means for him personally:

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Juventus was the perfect choice for me. Coming here will help me to grow as both a person and player. As a team, we're working hard and will strive to win all the competitions we're involved in this season.

Serie A is a tough league and the most tactical in the world. I am sure that the experience will improve me as a footballer. I always give 100% to win. I'm confident I'll be able to show my qualities both during games and on the training pitch.

"

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The tactical variety he will now be faced with was an important point to make, particularly given the flexibility Massimiliano Allegri has displayed during his time with the Bianconeri, switching between 3-5-2 and what he told La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) is best described as “4-3-and then we’ll see.”

Sandro appears unfazed by that regular change however, telling the club website (h/t Football Italia) that he is “used to playing in both a back-three and a back-four,” in a short video. “Obviously in a three-man defence the left-sided defender has to push harder to join the attacks, but as I say, I can play in either a three-man or a four-man backline.”

That kind of incisive push was sorely lacking against Udinese last week, and Juventus face a difficult trip to AS Roma on Sunday, a game that might see his debut. When he does take to the field, it will be the beginning of what the Old Lady hopes is a bright future, clearly investing in Alex Sandro to inherit the role from Patrice Evra.