What Is Juventus' Strongest Midfield Right Now?

There is little doubt that Juventus in 2015/16 will be a very different side to the one seen over the previous four campaigns, with Italian football’s grand Old Lady undergoing a tumultuous summer that leaves her with a dramatically altered squad.

Those changes were analysed in depth in this previous column, and it is in midfield where the Bianconeri have been forced into their most significant alterations. The exits of Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal prompted a raft of signings, all of which combines to force coach Massimiliano Allegri to field a decidedly new-look side when Serie A resumes this weekend.

It is also that department which was at fault during the club’s opening two games of this season, looking devoid of ideas and being completely overrun by AS Roma. There were, of course, mitigating circumstances, with injuries to Kwadwo Asamoah, Sami Khedira and Claudio Marchisio chief among them.

Juventus have since added Marseille youngster Mario Lemina and Brazilian star Hernanes from Inter, making it somewhat difficult to understand what combination of players would make up Allegri’s strongest midfield right now.

That will undoubtedly be initially shaped by his choice of formation when everyone is healthy, with the 3-5-2 seen so far this term only deployed due to the absence of so many key figures. The coach is almost certain to revert to what he labelled “4-3-and then we’ll see,” during an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) last summer.

Indeed, it was that framework which brought the Bianconeri their success last season and saw Vidal line up behind a pair of strikers. Dropping deep regularly to link the play, Carlos Tevez has been replaced by Paulo Dybala, with the most advanced role in midfield likely to go to either Hernanes or Juan Cuadrado.

The latter will bring pace and dynamism in matches where Juventus can play on the counter-attack, but the former will be essential in games they are expected to dominate. His vision and passing can be incisive, while at his best he also possesses a deadly long-range shot that could prove to be a valuable weapon.

That view was supported by Marco Tardelli, the hero of Italy’s 1982 World Cup triumph and a man who also played for both Juventus and Inter. “Hernanes can be the right trequartista" for Allegri, he told Tuttosport (h/t Football Italia). “If the Brazilian fits in well in his new environment then he could even be the piece that completes the puzzle.”

A reason for seeing the 30-year-old as the complimentary final solution is the quality that La Madama can now field behind him. Key to that could well be Khedira, with the German able to provide the perfect anchor for the side, shielding the defence and allowing those ahead of him to attack more freely.

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Where Paul Pogba and Marchisio had been forced to display restraint when flanking Pirlo, the former Real Madrid man will not need shielding by them in the same manner. That simple change will make the team very different, much more in tune with modern football and extremely difficult for opponents to plan against.

Marchisio can, of course, be deployed there as a traditional regista and direct the play, but Khedira’s physical presence and defensive prowess make him a more natural holding player. That will in turn give the Italian license to break into the box, where he has already proven to be a superb finisher, and Allegri will also have other weapons at his disposal.

Alex Sandro gives the team an outlet on the left that is a more devastating force than Patrice Evra, meaning defences will be even more stretched than in previous years, either creating space for himself or those in the centre as defences are forced into some difficult decisions.

Asamoah, Cuadrado, Lemina, Roberto Pereyra, and Stefano Sturaro provide depth, but that aforementioned quartet makes for an impressive looking first-choice unit. Therefore, Juve’s strongest midfield would appear to have Khedira in the centre, with Pogba and Marchisio either side of him, pushing Hernanes into the most advanced role.