Kwadwo Asamoah Continues Impressive Summer as Juventus Beat West Ham

Sunday afternoon saw Juventus once again involved in pre-season friendly action, eventually emerging as 3-2 winners against West Ham United. The Bianconeri were the visitors for the official inauguration of the Premier League club’s new London Stadium. Goals from Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Simone Zaza sealed their victory.

After Enner Valencia hit the post to almost put the home side ahead, it would be Juve’s two forwards who began to control the game as Mandzukic nodded down a ball for Dybala who neatly slid it into the net.

The duo proved throughout last season that they work superbly well together, and just three minutes later they would link up again. This time it was Dybala taking the role of creator-in-chief, easily beating Winston Reid then playing Mandzukic through on goal, allowing the Croatian to double his side’s advantage.

Andy Carroll would net twice as Juve wasted chances from Medhi Benatia, Alex Sandro and Mandzukic again, with a flurry of substitutions resulting in a lack of cutting edge throughout the second half.

Even the introduction of Gonzalo Higuain failed to spark a reaction from the Turin giants, but Hernanes would hit the crossbar with a well-struck free-kick before West Ham were finally beat as Simone Zaza raced onto Luca Marrone’s incisive pass.

While the result saw coach Massimiliano Allegri’s men record a third successive victory as they prepare for the forthcoming campaign, the match was undoubtedly overshadowed by Paul Pogba.

All summer the French midfielder has been dominating the headlines, talk of a return to Manchester United a constant topic of speculation. That finally came to an end as the game progressed with the Old Trafford club announcing the 23-year-old is set to complete that move in the very near future.

A brief statement on their official website revealed that Pogba would visit their training completed as he “has been granted permission to have a medical in order to finalise his transfer from Juventus to Manchester United”

While fans of the Old Lady will undoubtedly be sad to see such a fine player depart, there is little doubt that their club have still enjoyed a fine summer transfer campaign. The additions of Higuain, Benatia, Miralem Pjanic, Marko Pjaca and Dani Alves should soften the loss of Pogba, while Allegri may now have more tactical freedom to shape his side.

That matter was discussed in this previous post, as the Frenchman showed with his national team at UEFA Euro 2016 that he needs to be deployed in a very specific role in order to best utilise his talents.

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Seen in the above picture, Pogba occupies a position on the left of a midfield three where his passing, shooting and running with the ball are all excellent weapons that clearly benefitted the Bianconeri over the last four years.

Without him however, Allegri no longer needs to worry about hindering Pogba’s impact, with his squad containing a plethora of other options that may well see Juventus improve and evolve during 2016/17.

At the London Stadium against West Ham and indeed throughout pre-season, one player who certainly looks ready to capitalise on Pogba’s exit is Kwadwo Asamoah. Injuries over the past two years have seen the Ghanaian become somewhat marginalised, but he seems back to his best so far this summer.

The presence of Patrice Evra and Alex Sandro means there has been little chance of Asamoah featuring in the left wing-back role that had once been solely his, but a return to midfield could now be on the cards.

A series of knocks limited him to just six Serie A starts in 2015/16, featuring for just 567 minutes of league action and making just 13 appearances in all competitions. That was a figure affected in no small part by the decision to omit the 27-year-old from the UEFA Champions League squad last term.

Yet while he was forced to look on as the likes of Mario Lemina and Stefano Sturaro moved ahead of him in the pecking order, this summer saw him handed the captaincy as the Bianconeri began their programme of friendlies.

Donning the armband for the trip to Australia and Hong Kong, he only relinquished it when Gigi Buffon returned to the starting XI against West Ham. Even here however, Asamoah continued to look sharp, his powerful running and defensive awareness evidently on show until he was withdrawn in the second half.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia), he had emerged as a potential target for former Juve boss Antonio Conte. The Italian newspaper reported that the new Chelsea coach was willing to spend €20-25 million on the ex-Udinese star.

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Yet he has repeatedly spoken of his desire to remain in Turin, telling Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia) back in May that “these four Scudetti I was involved in are the best things in my career and I’m very pleased to be a part of this group.”

He also appears to put great faith in Conte’s replacement, as he went on to say in that same interview that he was willing to play in any role under the current coach and stated his belief that more trophies will follow:

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On a personal level I can say that I want to continue winning and I’m happy to do it with Coach Allegri. I am fine anywhere he wants me to play.

He is very good, is always close to the players both on the field and off. He helps those who play and those who are on the pitch less often. I am convinced that with him we can go a long way still.

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That was a theme which Asamoah has also continued this summer, as he explained in an interview with JTV last month. “We’re gearing up for Serie A, which we want to win, but also for Europe, where we want to show our strength,” he told them per the club’s official website.

“I feel in excellent shape and hope I can enjoy a good season, which, by working hard, I’m sure I’ll manage,” Asamoah continued. “The team’s even stronger than it was last season. We’ve brought in players with quality and experience who will be able to make a strong contribution.”

He will look to prove that once again when the Bianconeri take on Espanyol in their next friendly, while the expected departure of Paul Pogba will undoubtedly provide him with many more opportunities once Juve return to competitive action.