Fringe Role or Starting Spot, Mario Mandzukic Must Consistently Deliver His Best

In their last match before the November international break, Juventus travelled east to Verona to take on a Chievo side renowned for its defensive solidity at the cavernous Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi.

They knew they were in for a tough test, with coach Rolando Maran making his intentions clear from the outset. The 53-year-old abandoned his usual 4-3-1-2 formation for the Serie A clash, instead lining up with a five-man defence, happy to protect them with four midfielders and leaving Antonio Floro Flores as his only out-and-out striker.

With an obviously negative and resilient opponent waiting, Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri gave his side more freedom, continuing with the back four rather than reverting to the usual 3-5-2. That switch has seen much greater attacking impetus from the Bianconeri, as discussed in detail in this previous post, and clearly he hoped to see that continue here.

The coach still had a plethora of injury problems, however, with Giorgio Chiellini, Paulo Dybala and Marko Pjaca all still missing. Claudio Marchisio was only handed a place on the bench as he continues to recover from knee surgery, meaning Stefano Sturaro, Hernanes and Miralem Pjanic were deployed in midfield.

History was certainly on the side of the visitors, with Chievo having beaten Juventus just once in 26 previous Serie A attempts, but the Bianconeri would suffer another major loss in the opening moments.

A heavy fall saw Andrea Barzagli immediately substituted, with Juve’s official website later revealing the defender had dislocated his shoulder. Medhi Benatia replaced him, but it was in attack where the Old Lady needed to perform, as the continued absence of Dybala remains a major issue.

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Without the skilful and creative Argentinian, Allegri has persevered with Gonzalo Higuain and Mario Mandzukic in attack. They are an odd pairing, but the lack of alternative options in both tactics and personnel has left them forced to work side-by-side with extremely mixed results.

Higuain remains deadly, averaging a goal every 113 minutes played before the Chievo fixture and with Squawka.com showing he has hit the target with 57 per cent of his shots in 2016/17.

As can be seen in the video below, he created a stunning solo chance for himself in the first half in Verona. Collecting a pass from Alex Sandro, Higuain burst beyond a defender and created space for a shot, only to see goalkeeper Stefano Sorrentino deny him with an excellent save.

However, despite Higuain’s obvious brilliance and the cutting edge players like Juan Cuadrado, Sandro and Dani Alves can provide, there are going to be matches where that is not enough.

It is games like that—and against opponents like Chievo—where Mandzukic must deliver. The former Bayern Munich man is now undoubtedly the third-choice striker behind Juve’s Argentinian duo, but these are the moments where the responsibility of winning three points falls upon his shoulders.

He arrived in the summer of 2014, with the club’s official website revealing the Old Lady paid €19 million to sign him from Atletico Madrid. Mandzukic’s first season saw him and Dybala form a superb partnership, and the Croatia international weighed in with 13 goals in all competitions and helped Juve clinch a league-and-cup double.

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The signing of Higuain clearly relegated him back into the supporting cast, however, and he has struggled for playing time this term. Making just five starts before Dybala’s injury, he had gone without a goal in 763 minutes of action in all competitions, looking somewhat lost in his new reduced role.

Yet after Dybala was ruled out with injury following the defeat to AC Milan last month, Mandzukic scored in his next outing against Sampdoria after being handed a starting berth. Cuadrado picked him out with a sublime cross, and the 30-year-old headed the Bianconeri into a lead after just four minutes.

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Juventus Vs. Sampdoria (Eng) 26 Ott 2016 (04' PT ⚽️ 1 - 0) @MarioMandzukic9 #Mandzukic #JuVideo #JuveSamp pic.twitter.com/C1fT0NAI54

— Ex {Dep.vo LaCaroña} (@ExAuter) October 29, 2016"

It was his only shot of the game, but as always, he turned in a high-energy display. Statistics from WhoScored.com show that he also won two tackles and created one clear scoring opportunity for a team-mate.

The Chievo match represented his fourth consecutive start, including appearances from the outset in the games with Napoli and Olympique Lyonnais. According to WhoScored.com’s figures, he attempted no shots against the former and three against the latter, failing to find the back of the net in either fixture.

His struggles in front of goal are only part of the problem, however, with the information in the tweet below showing just how ill-suited Mandzukic and Higuain are to play together and how few passes they actually exchange.

Yet even with that knowledge and having watched their lack of chemistry in the three previous fixtures, Allegri really had little option but to field the duo together at Chievo.

Shrugging off the doubts, Mandzukic almost scored a stunning solo effort when he nodded on a long ball, flicked it over defender Nicolas Spolli and cut back at the byline, but he blazed his finish over the bar from close range (see video below).

He also headed wide at the back post after another good cross from Sandro and had a valid shout for a penalty after Spolli clattered into him, but the referee waved play on. Yet it would be Mandzukic who finally did break the deadlock, with Cuadrado creating for his team-mate again.

The Colombian winger stole the ball in midfield and fired a superb pass through to Mandzukic, who steered his shot perfectly into the bottom corner to hand Juve a 1-0 lead. Chievo fought back on to level terms only for Pjanic to seal victory for the Bianconeri courtesy of a well-struck free-kick

Mandzukic certainly put in the work to help earn that win, with statistics from WhoScored.com showing he registered three tackles and one interception while also completing one dribble and drawing two fouls.

Yet his uneasy partnership with Higuain continued, with the FourFourTwo Stats Zone graphic in the tweet below showing that the former Napoli man completed just one pass to his strike partner, the same number as Gigi Buffon managed.

With just three passes going in the opposite direction, it is clear this pairing is never going to be a fluid one, but this was exactly the kind of showing Mandzukic needed if he is to convince Allegri to play him more often.

“Today’s match could have ended with a margin of many more goals,” the coach lamented at his post-match press conference. “I asked Higuain and Mandzukic to show sacrifice, and they did it well.”

They certainly did, and it bodes well that the Bianconeri won even without the forwards linking too well. Even when Dybala returns, Juventus need Mandzukic to be at his best every time he steps on the field, no matter when, where or how often he is given the opportunity to do so.

The circumstances cannot and will not always be ideal, and he may repeatedly find himself back on the bench. Mandzukic can see that as unfair and sulk, or he can accept the challenge and win three points for the Old Lady like he did against Chievo. It’s his call.