Federico Chiesa is one of Juventus’ most reliable players and it was a surprise that Max Allegri benched him for the match against Inter Milan at the weekend.
However, like most of us would have predicted, the gaffer says he took the decision because he wanted to rest the player and avoid burnout.
“Chiesa is a top player, he’s played many games already. On Sunday, I was wrong, but I had read the game in a different way, with Kulusevski man-marking Brozovic,” the Italian tactician said as quoted by Football Italia.
“It’s not a problem if a player starts on the bench, there are many games. Chiesa didn’t go on the bench because he deserved it. I had read the game in a certain way. Eventually, when he was introduced, we needed more quality and he had a great impact.
“Federico is a reference point for the national team and Juventus, but if I use the same players all the time, I’ll need 20 new players in January.
“We hope we’ll play 57 games this season and sometimes players must rest. They can benefit from it, physically and mentally.”
Juve FC say
Because of the pace at which the matches are being played, it is sometimes hard to know that we haven’t even reached the halfway point of the season yet.
Chiesa has played so much football in the last year, considering that he was also with the Italian national team that won Euro 2020.
The attacker is human and needs rest, which makes Allegri’s decision a smart one.
With enough rest, he should be able to play an important role for the Bianconeri until the end of the season and it would also reduce his risk of suffering a serious injury.
Juve has some squad depth with the likes of Dejan Kulusevski and Kaio Jorge able to deputise in attacking roles when Chiesa isn’t playing, and they should take advantage of that from time to time.
