3 Ways Massimiliano Allegri Can Make Juventus Better in 2016

It'll be hard to find a better calendar year in the annals of Juventus history than 2015.  The Italian giants cruised to a fourth consecutive Serie A title, won the Coppa Italia for the first time in 20 years and battled their way to the Champions League final, where they lost a hard-fought match 3-1 to Barcelona.

When the new season came around, it looked like 2015 might need to be split in two for posterity.  The team lost three of their first six games and were left in 12th place after 10 rounds—12 points behind the leaders.

Then, in concert with a few important returns from injury, the Bianconeri surged.  Seven consecutive wins have propelled them into fourth place, only three points behind leaders Inter.  With the majority of their big games coming at home, there is a growing feeling that the champions could defend their crown after all.

What can coach Massimiliano Allegri do to make sure that Juve's 2016 is even better?  Let's take a look at three things that will make the coming year just as memorable.

Figure Out the Right Formation

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This has been a constant question for Juve since the departure of Antonio Conte in 2014.  Allegri initially kept the team in the 3-5-2 that the former head coach had used to dominate Serie A for his three-year tenure.

This was a prudent move.  Conte's abrupt departure had been traumatic, and there was little time to try to install an entirely new system.  Instead, Allegri let the team do what it knew.  

While the results certainly came in the league—Juve won its first six games and took 25 of a the first 30 points available in the league—they struggled in the Champions League, losing two of their first three games.

It was clear that while the team could function in the 3-5-2 under Allegri, the new coach didn't quite know how to get the best out of it.  Conte's system was rigorously rehearsed on the training ground and often used pre-set movements to get results.  Tactics made the chances, individual quality finished them.

Allegri, while no tactical slouch himself, is much more a proponent of individual skill being the creative impetus of an attack than Conte—and it was clear that the 3-5-2 wasn't built for that kind of game.

Staring down a must-win game against Olympiakos in the Champions League at the beginning of November 2014, Allegri switched to a 4-3-1-2.  Juve gritted out a 3-1 win and used the 4-3-1-2 as their primary formation for the rest of the year, bringing in Andrea Barzagli for the 3-5-2 late in games to protect leads.

That's what everyone expected would happen this season, but Giuseppe Marotta's failure to bring in a quality trequartista in the summer transfer window (Hernanes doesn't count) and an injury to Roberto Pereyra has limited Allegri's ability to deploy his favorite formation.

He's utilized Juan Cuadrado's ability to play the wing to set up in a 4-3-3 on several occasions. Early in October, he covered for an injury crisis at right-back by lining up the Colombian and Barzagli in an intriguing 4-3-3/3-5-2 hybrid that produced results against Sevilla and Bologna.  While Pereyra has been absent, the 3-5-2 has again become the default—at least for now.

This tactical instability was a major contributor to Juve's early-season struggles.  Their current seven-game winning streak has been mostly achieved in the 3-5-2, showing just how important being stable in the lineup can be.

But the 3-5-2 still isn't Allegri's forte.  Few of the wins in their seven-game string came easy.  The 3-0 victory over Palermo at the end of November was a 1-0 game until Stefano Sturaro and Simone Zaza scored in the 89th and 93rd minutes, respectively.

The tie-breaking goals in their 3-1 victory over Fiorentina on December 13 didn't come until the last 10 minutes, and they spurned several chances to truly put Carpi to the sword before the winter break, allowing the Serie A debutants a golden chance to equalize in stoppage time.

When Pereyra recovers from his injury—or if they acquire another trequartista in the transfer market— the 4-3-1-2 should probably become the default again.  It fits Allegri's style better than the 3-5-2, which will still be valuable in late-game situations.  

Whatever Allegri chooses, it should stay the default, lest the same instability plague them in the season's crucial stretch run.

Get Alvaro Morata Back on Track

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Alvaro Morata was one of Juve's most important players in 2015.  While his goal total wasn't huge in terms of quantity, it was the quality that was impressive.  

Morata scored in five consecutive Champions League games this year.  That tied the club record held by the legendary Alessandro Del Piero, and they all came in massive situations.

The young Spaniard scored the decisive goal in both legs of the UCL semifinal against Real Madrid—his former team—and the equalizer in the final.  In this year's group-stage opener, he scored a stupendous winner against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium and the opener against Sevilla two weeks later, fueling big wins that allowed them to emerge from this season's Group of Death despite their early-season struggles.

The 23-year-old threw in a winner against Inter in the final Derby d'Italia of the year as well.

But Morata has fallen off since then.  Part of his dip in form can be chalked up to his playing out of position when Allegri experimented with a 4-3-3 earlier in the season.  Another can be blamed on the form of Mario Mandzukic, who is finally scoring and keeping himself on the field by doing so.

Fortunately, Morata isn't that far off.  His performance in the return against Sevilla on December 8, while frustrating, was also a good sign.  The forward was getting himself into incredibly dangerous positions, but he fell victim to both rust and an incredible goalkeeping performance by Sergio Rico.

It's clear that he isn't that far off hitting his stride again.  His performance against Torino in the Coppa Italia a week after the Sevilla game was proof of that.  He was again in dangerous spots, and he provided assists on two of Juve's four tallies in the 4-1 demolition of their city rivals.

All Morata needs is some consistent playing time to get his considerable talents in line.  If Allegri gives it to him, the trio of Morata, Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala will be a fearsome one.

Incorporate Alex Sandro More Frequently

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The signing of Patrice Evra in 2014 was always meant to be a stop-gap solution to allow for the Bianconeri to find a more long-term left-back in the summer of 2015.  The fact that the Frenchman played so well—and continues to do so—is a welcome bonus to the move.

But that long-term left-back did arrive this summer in the form of Alex Sandro.  The 24-year-old was signed from Porto for €26 million and is signed with the team until 2020.  He has been eased into the lineup, only playing eight games to Evra's 14.

To be clear, Evra hasn't done anything particularly worthy of a benching.  To the contrary, he's been fantastic, supplying a goal and two assists while averaging 2.1 tackles and one interception per game, according to WhoScored.com.

But Sandro has earned more playing time.  He's a dynamic attacker whether he's playing as a wing-back or a traditional full-back and has performed well defensively as well.  He has also supplied two excellent assists in games against Torino and AC Milan that turned out to be decisive.

Sandro is the future on the left flank, and his crossing ability could be a decisive difference in their attacking play.  

Even with Evra playing well, getting Sandro consistent playing time will make Juventus better.