Why Attack Is Juventus' Biggest Area of Concern Ahead of New Serie a Season

Just two weeks remain before the 2016/17 Serie A campaign gets underway, preparations for the new season now entering their final stages for clubs across the peninsula. Having made a dreadful start last term, Juventus will be looking for a vastly improved showing this time around.

Indeed, the Bianconeri failed to win any of their opening three games of 2015/16, with a number of issues hindering their progress. Foremost among them was a lack of quality in midfield, with key players Claudio Marchisio and Sami Khedira both absent through injury as the summer came to a close.

That same problem looks set to affect the team this time around, compounded by Paul Pogba's high-profile return to Manchester United.

According to their own official website, Juventus received €105 million for the 23-year-old Frenchman, but they have yet to invest any of that world-record fee in a replacement.

Miralem Pjanic has already arrived, while Mario Lemina is a much more well-rounded player than he was 12 months ago. The Gabon international is undoubtedly ready to play a much bigger role, but the Bianconeri must work quickly to boost the options available to coach Massimiliano Allegri in that area of the pitch.

The former AC Milan boss has also expressed concerns about the defence, which is perhaps surprising given the sheer depth of talent Juve possess in that department. The 3-2 win over West Ham United showed that there is much work to do there, as Allegri told reporters at his post-match press conference.

“One aspect of our game, however, that we need to put right between now and the start of the campaign is that of tightening up at the back," he said, also noting that his team "have now conceded in all four of our pre-season friendlies.”

That poor record is obviously due to the manner in which his players have returned to training, with his contingent of Italy internationals only just back from their extended break. That should rectify the lack of solidity, and it is arguably at the opposite end of the field where the real problem is to be found.

That may be an odd conclusion given the arrival of Gonzalo Higuain and the continued presence of Paulo Dybala, while Allegri—having seen a trio of strikers net against West Ham—seems content with the weapons at his disposal at this time.

“It was pleasing to see three of the frontmen get on the scoresheet this afternoon," the coach continued in that aforementioned press conference. "In Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic, Simone Zaza and Gonzalo Higuain, we boast four top-class strikers plus there’s Marko Pjaca, who can play both as a forward and a midfielder."

On the surface there seems little reason to doubt that assessment, but a closer look reveals flaws in the logic of the 49-year-old. Firstly, Juventus may yet lose Zaza, with rumours of him heading for the exit growing stronger as the summer has progressed.

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Having been linked with both AC Milan and AS Roma, Wolfsburg have been prominent among the sides chasing the striker, with Premium Sport (h/t Football Italia) going so far as to say Juventus have accepted their offer.

According to a report by Gianluca Di Marzio’s website and translated by David Amoyal, the Bundesliga outfit have made a bid of around €25 million, with Zaza seemingly ready to consider moving abroad to improve his prospects.

That would leave the Bianconeri even lighter in attack, with Pjaca's role also another question mark as he has yet to represent the Old Lady in competitive action. Yet when he spoke to reporters this week, he expressed a willingness to be a flexible and versatile member of the side whenever possible.

“I’ve recently been playing as a left-winger, but when I was younger I operated as an attacking central midfielder," Pjaca said at his first press conference with the club. "I think I can play every role in the final third of the pitch. Wherever the coach decides to use me, I will give my best and help the team.”

That adaptability could be vital even if Zaza remains, as he, Mandzukic and Higuain all ostensibly fill the same position. It is difficult to imagine a starting XI containing two of that trio enjoying much success, placing huge pressure on Dybala in only his second campaign with the Turin giants.

The Argentina international's quality cannot be questioned, however, and he proved just how effective he can be throughout last season. Finishing behind only Higuain in the race to be Serie A’s leading scorer, Dybala’s 19 goals came from just three shots per game in comparison to the Napoli star's Serie A-high mark of 5.2, per WhoScored.com.

Furthermore, according to statistics provided by Squawka.com, the 22-year-old found the target with 55 percent of those efforts, and the video above showcases the impressive variety of his goals.

Yet it was arguably his dribbling and creativity which made him such an important weapon for the Bianconeri. Recording nine assists, WhoScored figures show that the number of scoring opportunities he made rose from 1.7 in 2014/15 to 2.1 last term.

Meanwhile, Squawka figures show that Dybala also completed 92 of the 152 take-ons he attempted last term, a 61 percent success rate that highlights just how effective he was in this department.

Such was his importance to Juve that he featured in 34 league games last term, plus seven of their eight UEFA Champions League fixtures. Indeed, the one European outing he missed was the second leg against Bayern Munich that resulted in the Bianconeri being eliminated from the competition.

With Alvaro Morata and Juan Cuadrado no longer at the club, resting Dybala becomes increasingly difficult, meaning that Pjaca’s versatility translating to Serie A will be even more vital to Allegri.

He may be helped by the presence of his compatriot Mandzukic, explaining to reporters at his introductory press conference that he had discussed his move to Turin extensively with his Croatia international team-mate.

“We talked about it, and he said some very positive things about the club,” Pjaca said per Football Italia. “He spoke very well of his team-mates and that’s one of the reasons I chose Juventus. I wanted to be part of this team from day one, and Mario helped me to make this choice.”

Also expressing his hope of winning both Serie A and the Champions League, the grand Old Lady of Italian football will be relying heavily on her newest recruit to bolster an attack that could otherwise be her biggest problem in 2016/17.