Maurizio Sarri Talks Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain Trident

Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri refused to reveal whether he will play the attacking trident of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain again when the Bianconeri face Parma on Sunday, per Football Italia:

"We'll see how everyone is doing and then decide.

"It's not because we're in Serie A, as there are times in the Premier League when I wouldn't have used that system either. It depends on the balance of the team and the type of match you want to play.

"Only Higuain has a precise role, whereas the other two are instinctive and bring a lot of quality to every position they take. Dybala has done well alongside everyone, but clearly, when both Ronaldo and Dybala are on the field at the same time, we have to take counter-measures in other areas of the pitch."

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The trio have been in great form of late, and Sarri has started experimenting with systems that allow him to field all three at the same time.

Ronaldo did not play in the 4-0 win over Udinese in the Coppa Italia, in which Dybala and Higuain showed their great chemistry:

The three haven't started together since the 3-1 loss to Lazio Roma in the Italian Super Cup, a match which highlighted the flaws of the trident. Dybala is not a natural winger, and when he plays as an attacking midfielder behind the other two, the Bianconeri struggle for width.

Playing the trident also leaves Juventus short of bench options, with Mario Mandzukic leaving the club during the winter break. Higuain has been used as a super-sub on plenty of occasions this season, with six substitute appearances in Serie A so far.

Regular rotations have been a part of Sarri's approach, per sports writer David Amoyal:

The former Chelsea and Napoli boss is still looking for his perfect setup at the Allianz Stadium, but so far the results have been stellar. Juventus currently lead the Serie A standings, with rivals Inter Milan two points back.

Inter have already added Ashley Young and have been linked with Christian Eriksen and Olivier Giroud, but their transfer activity doesn't scare Sarri:

"Fear is a big word; this is still just sport. I am not following what we are doing on the market, let alone what Inter are doing. We are aware that we can have our journey, and that's all that matters.

"The dumbest thing in football is trying to calculate when and where you might get points or drop them. You have to take it one game at a time, as six weeks is a lifetime in football."

Juventus' top January acquisition so far has been Dejan Kulusevski, who they bought from Atalanta for a deal worth up to €44 million. The Swede is currently on loan at Parma and likely to face his future team-mates on Sunday, but Sarri said he's not yet focused focused on him.

He also said he hasn't been briefed on a possible swap deal that would send Federico Bernardeschi to Barcelona for Ivan Rakitic.