Last night against Malmo, Max Allegri decided to stir the pot yet again, applying a whole new tactical formation.
After adopting a 4-2-3-1 formation as of late, the Juventus manger went for what appeared to a hybrid between 4-3-3 and 3-5-2.
The reason behind the change was probably due to the injuries (especially on the wings), while also rotating the formation and allowing some players to rest and others to feature.
The Bianconeri dominated their final group stage fixture from start to finish, but they only scored one goal, courtesy of Moise Kean.
Moreover, the tactician applied yet another tactical switch that was noted by JuventusNews24 analyst Jacopo Azzolini.
The journalist explains how Allegri switched the roles of Rodrigo Bentancur and Adrien Rabiot.
Therefore, the Uruguayan was thrusted in a higher position on the pitch and leaned towards the left flank, while the Frenchman returned to his more natural role in midfield, playing closer to Arthur who acted as the Regista.
However, the source notes that the former Boca Juniors man suffered in his new role, and was unable to offer a decent contribution in the final third.
Juve FC say
Rabiot and Bentancur have their similarities. We’re talking about two players who are primarily box-to-box midfielders.
Both players can pull the weight in the middle of the park, and we’ve seen the Uruguayan putting on solid shifts alongside Manuel Locatelli as of late.
But reminiscently to the former PSG man, Bentancur is technically limited, and thus, he’ll be bound to suffer when playing in a role that requires creativity, dribbling and shooting skills.
It’s hard to blame Allegri for trying this trick in the absence of a host of players (the likes of Chiesa and Kulusevski), but if the manager wants more wing play, then the hierarchy should provide him with more suitable players for the role.
Bentancur will never be a box to box player because, as you said, he is technically limited and is absolutely hopeless in the final third. Locatelli is our best box-to-box midfielder – technically gifted, able to find space and make runs into the box, and able to score goals. We need a defensive midfielder (Zakaria) who can free up Locatelli to play further forward – this will make a huge difference to the sides’s performances and better link the midfield to the forwards.
Then Allegri changed to a 4 3 1 2 with Bernardeschi playing between Morata and Kean and Arthur between Rabiot and Bentancur. It might be an option with Dybala alongside Morata/Kean and Locatelli in the left side of midfield or as a regista. The question might be where can Chiesa play? as a CAM or second striker?
Thank you so much for this contribution/comment. We need to DM’s please Zakaria and someone else