Juventus Midfielder Hernanes Thriving Despite Fan Apathy

Discussions of Juventus’ subpar performances this season generally return to one overarching solution: the return of Claudio Marchisio. Poor passing? Marchisio is missing. No creativity? Marchisio will fix it. Change of formation? Wait for Marchisio. You get the picture.

The Italy international has been sidelined since April with a knee injury, but the Corriere dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) said he could be back in the squad for this Saturday’s Serie A clash with Udinese.

There is no doubt his absence has hindered the Bianconeri and has led to a lack of cohesion in the team—his role as the anchor of coach Massimiliano Allegri’s three-man midfield provides a near-perfect balance between attack and defence.

A number of players attempted to cover for the Turin native as he recovered from surgery, but an experiment with Miralem Pjanic in that central berth did not go well. As discussed in this previous post, the former AS Roma man’s essential attacking qualities were neutralised in the loss to Inter Milan.

The previous option was Mario Lemina, and the team fared much better with the Gabon international there. He looked an ideal fit, helping the Bianconeri notch victories over Fiorentina, Lazio and Sassuolo to start the campaign, but he struggled in matches that Juve were expected to dominate.

He was able to protect the defence and allow those around him to shine in tough clashes, but against weaker opposition, Lemina’s limitations were exposed. This was most evident in the UEFA Champions League meeting with Sevilla, a game where the Spanish side never came close to troubling Gigi Buffon’s goal.

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Yet in possession, Juve looked laboured. Lemina was unable to provide the cutting edge Allegri’s men so sorely needed, and that problem resurfaced when he featured in the same role against Palermo.

That Serie A fixture saw the Old Lady grind out a 1-0 away win when they should have coasted, and a closer look at Lemina’s performance highlights just why he was unable to make a difference.

They may lack talent, but Palermo—like many smaller sides across the peninsula—are well organised, and coach Roberto De Zerbi had them prepared to deny Juventus.

As the FourFourTwo StatsZone graphic in the tweet below highlights, Lemina’s sideways passing was never going to open up the Rosanero.

Each of his attempts to make a telling pass went astray—the longer and more direct red arrows show the balls that failed to find their intended target. Allegri noticed, and he decided to go in a different direction against opponents he believed would sit back and defend.

Enter Hernanes. The Brazilian has endured a tough time since his move to Turin in August 2015, with his time at Inter undoubtedly a factor as supporters at Juventus Stadium jeered his every touch, and some woeful displays only added to their displeasure.

"I know very well that my performances last season cannot be compared to what the people here are used to from previous seasons," a remarkably candid Hernanes told Sky Sport recently (h/t Goal's Stefan Coerts)."I would have whistled myself as well had I been a fan.”

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Having looked set to sell the Brazilian to Genoa this summer—a deal that Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia) said collapsed when Juve failed to sign Axel Witsel—Allegri instead decided he could be the man to make a difference in the centre of the park when Juve hosted Cagliari last month.

With just two brief substitute appearances to his name in 2016/17, Hernanes was surprisingly handed his first start. He turned in a quiet but effective performance—WhoScored.com figures showed that he completed 92.9 per cent of his pass attempts as he continually kept the ball moving when his side were in possession.

The same source indicated the 31-year-old also recorded a game-high six tackles, ensuring the Sardinian visitors posed no threat to the defence behind him as Juve ran out 4-0 winners.

Hernanes would be an unused substitute in that aforementioned win at Palermo, but he was recalled to the starting XI just days later as the Bianconeri returned to Champions League action with a trip to Dinamo Zagreb.

In a thoroughly one-sided fixture, Juventus once again dominated. Post-match statistics showed that they enjoyed 71.9 per cent of possession despite being the away side, and Hernanes again played a vital role.

He connected with 94.1 per cent of his 85 pass attempts, with his impact helping dismantle the Croatian side in another 4-0 rout, and as they prepared for their next outing, Allegri could not hide his delight at seeing observers praising the Brazil international.

“Hernanes also did well in midfield as the playmaker last season but was always murdered in the press by critics, so it makes me smile that suddenly the same people see him as indispensable for Juventus,” the coach said at his press conference ahead of the Serie A clash with Empoli.

The much-improved midfielder would retain his place, delivering perhaps his finest all-round performance since joining Juventus. As the FourFourTwo StatsZone graphic in the tweet above shows, he registered two tackles, two interceptions and one clearance over his 90-minute display.

He also connected with 59 of his 65 pass attempts (90.8 per cent), but more than the volume of efforts he converted, it was his vision and range of passing that most caught the eye.

One such effort came with the score still at 0-0, as Hernanes spotted a well-timed run from Juan Cuadrado as he cut in from the right flank. The former dispatched an inch-perfect ball that hit the latter in mid-stride (see above), only for the Colombia international to waste the one-on-one opportunity it created.

It was far from an isolated case, however, with Hernanes’ speed of thought repeatedly causing problems for Empoli, as the Tuscan side were unable to prevent the Juve man from picking out his team-mates at just the right moments.

Hernanes’ ability to switch play quickly from one flank to the other was vital in helping the Bianconeri eventually run out 3-0 winners, with the pass below—again to Cuadrado—illustrating a tactic he repeated throughout the game.

Perhaps the most underrated but most important piece of that passage of play is the intelligence and awareness he showed while Alex Sandro was still in possession. With the full-back’s route forward blocked, Hernanes instinctively backpedalled to create space while also spotting Cuadrado’s position—both key factors in his ability to then fire the ball out wide.

What appeared to be little more than drifting a couple of steps away from would-be defenders is instinctive, preventing him from being caught in possession, and it is an ability that was continually on show in all three of his recent outings.

As highlighted in the image below from the Zagreb encounter, no matter which of his team-mates has the ball, Hernanes is always on the move, ensuring he is available for a pass while monitoring the movement around him.

Adam Digby via Wyscout

His skill set is ideally suited to playing against weaker sides, but he has benefited from starting the last three games—a matter the Recife native discussed in an interview with JTV and the Juventus website:

"

I’m very pleased with the way I have grown into my new role in the team, playing in front of the defence, and that is the result of a greater understanding of the coach’s demands and a decent run in the side. When you arrive at a new club it’s natural that you need a bit of time to start producing your best form.

"

Tougher tests will follow for the Bianconeri and their Brazilian midfielder, but by then, Marchisio will also be available. With the local boy ready to deliver in key matches, his in-form team-mate has overcome those initial struggles and now provides a steady alternative when Allegri needs to rotate the side.

Whisper it quietly, but after being widely criticised, Hernanes has now become a useful member of the Juventus squad.

All statistics provided by WhoScored.com unless otherwise stated