Stefano Sturaro Is an Emerging Talent Both Now and for the Future for Juventus

Finally rounding into form, Juventus’ victory against Palermo on Sunday saw them continue to climb the table, rounding off a fine week in which the Bianconeri notched three consecutive wins without conceding a goal.

But while the likes of Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala take the plaudits for their impact, the past seven days have also underlined the increasing importance of Stefano Sturaro to Italian football’s grand Old Lady.

The 22-year-old played every minute of those last three fixtures, pressed into action following injuries to fellow midfielders Sami Khedira and Hernanes. Playing with a maturity that belies his age, the former Genoa man did not disappoint, filling in superbly and ensuring the side retained its requisite balance and solidity

He may have netted the second goal of the 3-0 win over Palermo, but the performance against the Rosanero was arguably Sturaro’s worst of the season. Indeed, according to statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, he was dispossessed three times and was successful with just 74.4 percent of his 43 pass attempts.

Also making only one tackle and one interception, it was a much worse display than his previous outing, as he shone against Manchester City at Juventus Stadium. There, in a game littered with star names, WhoScored shows that Sturaro led all players with six tackles, and he was unfortunate not to bag another goal as he followed up Alvaro Morata’s attempted lob.

Furthermore, as the graphic in the tweet below highlights, he completed 27 of his 36 pass attempts (74.4 per cent), recovered the ball six times, made one clearance, won the only aerial duel he contested and committed just two fouls.

To manage such an all-action display in Europe’s elite competition should be no surprise, however, as Sturaro made his first Champions League start in the semi-final against Real Madrid last season. It was clear then that Sturaro had the full confidence of coach Massimiliano Allegri, and that has carried over into the current campaign.

It began in the first match of the season, Sturaro playing 90 minutes in the Supercoppa Italiana against Lazio, rewarding the boss’ faith with an assist to Mandzukic for the game’s opening goal. Since helping the club lift that latest piece of silverware, he has made 11 further appearances with only one coming as a substitute.

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Over that time, Sturaro has averaged 2.7 tackles and 0.9 interceptions per game, according to WhoScored, and his coach was quick to praise his effort and skill following that most recent victory over Palermo.

“Stefano put in a great shift in midfield,” Allegri told reporters shortly after the final whistle, adding that “he plays with immense intensity and he has also improved on his technical ability.” The player himself was quick to deflect attention however, preferring to focus on the team’s accomplishments as he took his turn to address the media.

“Winning definitely boosts confidence and the longer we continue to get results we’ll keep seeing improvements in our performances,” Sturaro said, per the club’s official website. “We’re in better shape physically and we’ve become more compact.”

“We’re improving many aspects of our game, but there are still areas we need to work on,” he added, a comment that could have been as much about himself as Juventus in general. While he is performing well now as he supports the likes of Khedira and Claudio Marchisio, it is clear that Sturaro will continue to be important to the club for many years.

“All players at Juventus are champions and champions of the future,” he told Juventus TV just last week (h/t Forza Italian Football) and in his case that is true.

Stefano Sturaro is an emerging talent both now and for the future for Juventus, the kind of dependable squad player all successful teams need if they are to reach their goals.