Roberto Pereyra Is the Juve Player with Most to Prove in Final Weeks of Season

Roberto Pereyra arrived at Juventus this summer as a consolation prize after the team's pursuit of players like Alexis Sanchez and Juan Manuel Iturbe ended up producing no fruit.

Versatile and talented, the Argentinian has played several roles this season, first as Stephan Lichsteiner's backup on the right in the 3-5-2 formation.

Since Massimiliano Allegri transitioned the team to a 4-3-1-2, Pereyra has transitioned as well, becoming the primary backup if any of Juve's vaunted starting midfielders need a rest due to injury or fatigue.

It's been in this role that he has shown the best of his game. Whether as one of three in the 3-5-2 or as the point of the diamond in 4-3-1-2, his talents have been on full display. His passing has been excellent—an 86.5 percent completion rate according to WhoScored.com.

Equally excellent is his play on the run. He can break down a defender on the dribble even at pace, and his distribution on the counter has been the key to unlock defenses.

While Pereyra has shown great promise, and his skill set seems to make him the best fit on the team for the trequartista role in Allegri's 4-3-1-2, there are still some questions about him, however.  

Of particular concern is his finishing, which has been pretty woeful. He's scored only twice this season—once in the league and once in the Coppa Italia—but he has had the chances to add more to his tally and has missed some fairly easy chances.

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Most prominent amongst his misses came in the Champions League round of 16 against Borussia Dortmund.  

Charging down the field in the game's dying moments, Pereyra was presented with a wonderful look at goal and beat the 'keeper, only to have the shot that could have made the second leg so much easier ghost past the post.

Pereyra has been impressive in his debut season, but the next stretch of the season is about to put him under a powerful microscope. How he responds could go a long way to determining how long Juve's Champions League run will last.

When Paul Pogba pulled up with a thigh injury 27 minutes into the second leg of the tie with Borussia Dortmund, the hearts of Juventini everywhere sank.

Over the last two years, the young Frenchman has developed into one of the best players in the world. His presence was considered critical to Juve's advancement in Europe this season, but in the days after the game in Dortmund, it was confirmed that he would miss close to two months.

With Pogba out for both legs of the quarterfinal against Monaco and perhaps beyond, Pereyra will now take his place in the starting lineup.

With Andrea Pirlo on the verge of a return from an injury of his own and Claudio Marchisio's prognosis mercifully better than initially believed, Pereyra is likely to slot into the trequartista position he played in for most of the tie against Dortmund.

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That arrangement would put the midfield at peak effectiveness. Arturo Vidal was the first man Allegri tried out behind the strikers, and it's clear that he's not suited to it.  

It's not a coincidence that some of Vidal's best games of the season have come after the injury to Pirlo saw Pereyra installed in the trequartista role. It's allowed the Chilean superstar to move back to his natural box-to-box position, where he can help out defensively and run the channels in support of the attack.

It's the optimal arrangement, but much depends on how Pereyra responds to the pressure.

It's unlikely that Pogba will be able to play in a European game again this season unless Juve reaches the final. Pereyra's play behind Carlos Tevez and Alvaro Morata will be critical to Juve's efforts to pull a surprise and reach that stage of the competition.  

If he can produce the final balls to unlock a stubborn Monaco defense—or better yet, produce the finishing ball himself—then Juve can reach the semis. At that point, all bets are off.

Barring something catastrophic, Juve's fourth consecutive Scudetto is now a formality of mathematics. The team's primary focus now should be setting up the lineup for the Champions League.

Juve's midfield is their biggest strength, but Pogba leaves a huge hole. It is up to Pereyra to fill that hole until he returns. If he succeeds, he could find himself a place in Juve lore. If he fails, Juve's European ambitions could come to an abrupt end.

Pereyra has been great this season, but he still has to prove that he is the kind of top-level player who can make a difference in Champions League play. He now has a golden chance to do it. The Juventini of the world are hoping he succeeds.