Last Sunday, Juventus spectacularly squandered the chance to kick off their season on the right foot, as Wojciech Szczesny’s two howlers allowed Udinese to return from two goals down and earn a draw.
Following the match, even Max Allegri admitted that he’s still trying to adapt to the new rules whilst the team needs more time to click.
The Old Lady will host Empoli on Saturday, and a win against the Serie B champions is compulsory before heading to Napoli after the international break.
The returning manager will undoubtedly make some changes to his lineup, and here’s our own take on who should start this weekend.
Although a section of the fans is asking for Mattia Perin to start at goal, dropping Sczcesny at this point would be a major hit to his confidence levels. The Pole should be given another chance to redeem himself, as the manager should wait before shaking the scenery in this department.
During the second half against Udinese, Allegri teased the idea of playing with three at the back. However, he doesn’t have enough depth in this position to cover for the main three center backs.
Therefore, the four-man defense that started the opener can be confirmed, with Danilo and Alex Sandro occupying the fullback positions, creating some balance with their different approaches.
Aaron Ramsey’s experiment as a Regista came to an abrupt end due to an injury, opening the door for Manuel Locatelli to make his first start. Rodrigo Bentancur’s encouraging performance should earn him a recall, but with Adrien Rabiot not expected to be fully fit, Weston McKennie facing an uncertain future and Federico Bernardeschi not convincing in the role, who should complete the midfield?
The answer could simply be: None of them. Following his impressive performance at the Dacia Arena, Juan Cuadrado deserves a starting spot on the right wing, and with Federico Chiesa ready to make his first start of the campaign, the Italian can fit on the opposite flank in a hybrid 4-4-2 formation.
Finally, until the Cristiano Ronaldo transfer saga is truly resolved, Alvaro Morata must start alongside Paulo Dybala, in a lineup that should be more than enough to break the resistance of Aurelio Andreazzoli’s men.
Juventus XI (4-4-2): Szczesny; Danilo, de Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Bentancur, Locatelli, Chiesa; Dybala, Morata.
exciting times!
I think the should play 4-2-3-1….the same defender, Locatelli and Bentancur in the midflied. Cuadrado and chiesa on the wings. Dybala as CAM and Morata upfront….Also, Allegri better start thinking about attackintg instead of defending, for me that was when we dropoped the 2 points, after the penalty he wanted to “secure” the win adding another defender, Tha was stupid!!! but is the same f***ing Allegri that left…for me is the worst decition, bringing him back…hope he proves me wrong