What Role Should Roberto Pereyra Play for Juventus in Final Months of Season?

Over their past few outings, Juventus have struggled to display the kind of attacking cohesion required in the toughest matches, netting just three goals in their last five fixtures in all competitions.

There are myriad reasons for that consistently poor output, with the schedule perhaps most prominent among them. Encounters with Napoli and Bayern Munich are difficult for any side, but being held scoreless by Bologna surely hints at a more deep-rooted problem for the Bianconeri.

As discussed in a previous post, the tactics of Massimiliano Allegri have certainly played a part, the coach occasionally using a 4-4-2 formation that neutralises their options going forward. However, the 48-year-old has proved himself to be an astute mind on the bench and can be expected to learn quickly from those mistakes.

One factor that may help him adopt a different approach is having Roberto Pereyra available, the Argentina international fully fit again after suffering with injury. Missing since October with a thigh problem, he returned to action in February, and Allegri has already made it clear how important the former River Plate man can be.

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Calling Pereyra a "last-minute signing" at a press conference ahead of the late-January game with Chievo, he added that the 25-year-old is a "very attacking midfielder, so with him we have other tactical options too."

Those undoubtedly include what the coach last season told La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) was his 4-3-and then we'll see formation, a framework that often saw Pereyra line up alongside Carlos Tevez to support Alvaro Morata.

His compatriot may no longer wear the black-and-white stripes, but Paulo Dybala has already begun to establish himself as a fine replacement. If Pereyra can foster a similar partnership with his compatriot, it could unblock Juve's somewhat stuttering attack.

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Pereyra was also bought outright back in June, the club's official website announcing Juve paid the €14 million needed to trigger their agreement with Udinese after his initial 12-month loan deal expired.

Prior to that, the versatile midfielder had proved to be a valuable member of the Juventus squad that won a league-and-cup double in 2014/15, turning in a string of important displays. Making an impressive 52 appearances in all competitions, Pereyra weighed in with six goals and four assists while filling a variety of roles extremely well.

According to statistics, courtesy of WhoScored.com, he netted those strikes while averaging just 0.9 shots per game, contributing far more in other areas, including connecting with 86.3 per cent of his pass attempts.

The same source showed he has created an impressive 2.3 scoring chances per outing this term, a significant rise from last season’s mark of 1.2. Furthermore, as the graphic below highlights, Pereyra completed 56 of the 98 take-ons he attempted, his dribbling certainly adding an extra dimension to the Juve attack.

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That creativity and willingness to beat his marker could certainly prove important in the return match with Bayern Munich on March 16, a Champions League round-of-16 tie he discussed in a recent interview with Juve’s in-house TV channel, JTv.

“It’s not been easy following matches from the sidelines without being able to help my team-mates. Luckily I’m now back with the rest of the squad,” he said (h/t the club’s website). “They’re a top side that plays excellent football. We’re focused on entering that match in the best shape possible.”

With Pereyra playing an important role and allowing far greater flexibility, perhaps that shape will be much less blunt than the one seen in the Old Lady's most recent fixtures.