Why It Is Vital Juventus Resist All Offers for Leonardo Bonucci
There is little doubt Italy outperformed expectations this summer, progressing to the quarter-final stage of UEFA Euro 2016, where they eventually lost to world champions Germany after a prolonged penalty shootout.
Having dispatched the heavily fancied Belgium with ease in their opening game of the tournament, the Azzurri then notched a victory over Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sweden before eliminating Spain in the last 16.
After completely outplaying La Furia Roja, coach Antonio Conte’s men return from France with their reputations thoroughly enhanced both as individual players and as a team. Coming together to form a formidable and cohesive unit, their performances were a testament to the efforts of the former Juve boss. The members of his 23-man squad did themselves proud.
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Perhaps nobody embodies that more than Leonardo Bonucci, who enjoyed a fine tournament and was able to showcase his entire repertoire of skills on one of the most high-profile stages the game has to offer.
Playing all five matches for the Azzurri, he was solid in defence and contributed to the attacking play whenever possible, with the Belgium clash exemplifying everything positive the 29-year-old has to offer.
As shown in the FourFourTwo StatsZone graphic below, Bonucci recorded one tackle, four interceptions and five clearances, recovering the ball three times and playing a key role as Italy neutralised the likes of Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne.
While maintaining that clean sheet was vital, Juve and Italy's No. 19 also connected with an impressive 27 of his 34 pass attempts (79.4 per cent) and broke open the resistance of coach Marc Wilmots’ side with a wonderful long ball after 32 minutes.
From inside his own half, Bonucci picked out the run of former Juventus team-mate Emanuele Giaccherini perfectly, the midfielder taking a touch before firing a shot beyond Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
“I always did try that kind of pass and doing it regularly leads to improvement, as I’ve done it quite a few times at Juventus and now for Italy,” the defender told Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) shortly after the 2-0 victory. “Fortunately, Giaccherini had that fantastic first touch for a great goal.”
Bonucci added: “We hope this is just the beginning, because we came here to amaze.” Italy would not disappoint. In their next outing against Sweden, faced with Ibrahimovic—who may have enjoyed the finest season of his career in 2015/16—the Azzurri defence shut him out completely.
Statistics from ESPN FC show that despite Sweden enjoying 53 per cent of possession, Gigi Buffon did not make a single save thanks to the efforts of those in front of him. Bonucci played his part superbly, with WhoScored.com showing he registered one tackle, two interceptions and five clearances.
The same source showed he also connected with 75 passes—more than any other player on the field—but Italy’s next outing arguably demonstrated something even more important.
When Bonucci first arrived at Juventus in the summer of 2010, he was prone to lapses in concentration, but he would prove against the Republic of Ireland that he is no longer blighted by that issue.
Having been booked against Belgium, he started the final group match knowing a yellow card would rule him out of the first knockout tie. Despite featuring in a heavily rotated lineup, Bonucci was impeccable and never gave the referee a reason to reach into his pocket.
That meant he could take his place alongside Juve team-mates Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini—a unit known as the BBC—once again, much to the chagrin of Spain striker Alvaro Morata.
“The BBC guys are the best defenders in the world and opposition teams don’t want to play against them,” the 23-year-old told Marca (h/t Football Italia) before the two teams met on June 27. “When those three and Buffon are back there, it is almost impossible to score past them.”
That would prove to be the case again, as Italy notched a fine 2-0 victory over the holders and ended their eight-year monopoly on the Henri Delaunay Cup. As discussed in this previous post, Chiellini—who opened the scoring—was the undisputed man of the match, but Bonucci played his part, too.
According to WhoScored.com, he recorded five interceptions, five clearances and a blocked shot. He was even more influential in the quarter-final meeting with Germany.
Helping keep the world champions at bay, he again found Giaccherini with a delightful pass, only this time the Sunderland midfielder could not take advantage. Bonucci took matters into his own hands after Germany took the lead, however, coolly dispatching a penalty after Jerome Boateng was punished for handball.
After the game ended in a 1-1 draw following extra time, he didn't repeat the feat during the ensuing shootout, as Germany emerged 6-5 winners on penalties. Bonucci remained pleased by his side’s accomplishments, however, as he explained to Rai Sport (h/t FourFourTwo) shortly after the final whistle:
"Penalties are a lottery and they made one fewer mistake than us.
Manuel Neuer did well to read me but I could have done better. We had said at the start of this adventure that if we went out, we had to do it with heads held high.
Over 120 minutes I think we went toe-to-toe with the World Cup winners. We are leaving with our heads held high and I'm proud to have been part of this group.
"
It was the last outing of a fine tournament, one that sees him emerge as a wanted man on the transfer market, with both Manchester United and Manchester City interested—Michael Butler of the Guardian reported Bonucci is in Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho's "crosshairs."
When Juventus lost to Bayern Munich back in March, Pep Guardiola felt prompted to tell reporters at his post-match press conference that Bonucci is “one of [his] favourite-ever players,” which makes City’s interest easy to understand.
They have had one bid rejected, but Gianluca Di Marzio said the Premier League side will not give up. Writing on his own website, translated by David Amoyal, the Italian journalist said City will meet with the player's agent, Alessandro Lucci, before offering around €50 million (£42.5 million).
Juventus must resist the temptation to sell Bonucci, with the elegant but rugged defender an essential figure in coach Massimiliano Allegri’s team thanks to his huge influence at both ends of the pitch.
The 29-year-old has become a vocal leader for the side, marshalling the best defensive unit in Serie A and helping them to show tangible progress in the Champions League. There are a number of factors that will help them keep him in Turin, with the player’s own desire undoubtedly foremost among them.
“What motivates me is the thought of becoming a Juventus legend,” Bonucci told a press conference after a win over Palermo back in April. He also extended his contract with the club until 2020 last summer.
That would indicate the man himself has little interest in a move away. It would also make trying to buy him a highly expensive option, one that all but a select few clubs would have the means to accomplish.
His defensive ability, passing, intelligence and drive make Bonucci a central figure for the Old Lady, and she must hold on to him this summer, no matter who comes calling.
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