What Will Be Juventus' Strongest Defence in the 2015/16 Season?

This summer has been one of change at Juventus, with a number of surprising signings and shocking exits since the transfer window opened in earnest. The Bianconeri will look to continue their recent success and hope that the arrival of players such as Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic will help cover the loss of Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez.

Also among those leaving the Italian champions was Angelo Ogbonna, the central defender signed from crosstown rivals Torino just two years ago. He opted to move to West Ham United, with Juve’s official website noting the Premier League side handed over €11 million to bring the 27-year-old to England.

Yet the absence of Ogbonna will make little difference to the plans of Massimiliano Allegri, who will perhaps be thankful he can rely on continuity in defence. Goalkeeper Gigi Buffon will return to captain the club once again. He is preparing for what will be his 15th season with Juve and his fourth as skipper.

Deciding who should line up in front of the 37-year-old should be remarkably straightforward for the most part, with a number of players likely guaranteed to retain their places in Allegri’s first-choice XI.

Luca Bruno/Associated Press

While the 3-5-2 remains a viable alternative, it is safe to presume that the coach will continue with the formation he labelled “4-3 and then we’ll see” in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport last summer (h/t Football Italia).

Stephan Lichtsteiner will undoubtedly continue at right-back, a role he has made his own since arriving from Lazio four years ago, becoming one of the best in Europe at that position. Few players in world football can combine energy, passion and genuine quality the way the Swiss international is consistently able to.

According to statistics from WhoScored.com, the 31-year-old averaged 1.4 tackles, one interception and 1.7 clearances in his 45 appearances, while contributing three goals and five assists over that span. “It has been a great season for both me and the team,” Lichtsteiner told me in an interview for the Independent, and he will hope to replicate his impact in 2015/16.

On the opposite flank, Patrice Evra brought veteran leadership and some much-needed Champions League experience to Juventus, but he also made an excellent contribution on the field. Calm, defensively solid and contributing well to the attack, the France full-back can expect to continue despite Kwadwo Asamoah’s return to fitness.

Martin Caceres will hope to overcome his own injury problems and fight for a place somewhere in the back line, with this previous column discussing his expected impact next term. That is unlikely to come at the expense of Leonardo Bonucci, arguably the club’s best defender last season in arguably his best campaign ever.

Figures from WhoScored.com show no Juventus player topped his tally of 3,015 minutes played, and he turned in a string of impressive displays. Always alert to danger, he snuffed out opposition attacks with ease before launching Juve’s own with his incisive passing. He also weighed in with vital goals against AS Roma, Lazio and Fiorentina.

Andrea Barzagli was similarly impressive in the second half of last year, playing a vital role as the Bianconeri sealed their first domestic double in 20 years. Yet the Champions League final perhaps showed that this defensive unit is weakened without the presence of Giorgio Chiellini, the uncompromising Italian international who has been at the club for over a decade.

Robbed of his presence in Berlin, Juventus were much less physical and lacked the intimidation factor Chiellini brings to the field every time he plays. Yet there is much more to the 30-year-old than his uncompromising manner, with WhoScored.com showing he led the team in both clearances (5.1 per game) and interceptions (2.6).

Likely to be protected by Sami Khedira—whose impact was discussed here—Juve’s strongest defence in 2015/16 is an unsurprising combination of Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini and Evra.