Reminiscently to his first stint at the club, Max Allegri started his second tenure at Juventus where his predecessor left off.
In 2014, the Livorno native initially maintained Antonio Conte’s 3-5-2 formation before gradually inserting his own brand of football and reverting towards a 4-3-3 formation.
The 54-year-old is a major advocate of the three-man midfield. Even if he had applied a double-pivot at some instances, he would often convert back to his midfield trio.
This season, Max started the campaign using a hybrid 4-4-2 formation, similar to the one adopted by Andrea Pirlo last season, with one natural midfielder acting as a winger – mostly Adrien Rabiot.
Nevertheless, that formation never truly inspired, with the Frenchman struggling to make an impact on the match.
But when the manager decided to deploy Federico Bernardeschi and Chiesa on the wings against Zenit, with Paulo Dybala almost operating in a free role behind Alvaro Morata, the Bianconeri enjoyed their most convincing display thus far this season.
That formation was 4-4-2 on paper, but it could also be interpreted as 4-2-3-1 since Dybala decided to drop deep at times.
So here are three reasons why 4-2-3-1 might just be the ideal formation based on the characteristics of the players at Allegri’s disposal.
Lack of Quality Midfielders
Allegri would love to deploy a three-man midfield, and we can bet that he will do so in the future once he gets the type of central midfielders that can lift the quality of his team.
However, the tactician is currently struggling to pick three midfielders who can do the job.
Manuel Locatelli is obviously the pick of the bunch, and Weston McKennie is showing improvements recently. But the likes of Rabiot, Bentnacur and Arthur are yet to display the type of performances that warrant them a regular spot.
Therefore, the less would be the better in this case, and picking only two midfielders would be better than adding an unconvincing player to the equation.
Stretching the Oppositions Defense
Bernardeschi might not be a world class player, but having him or Juan Cuadrado playing on Chiesa’s opposite flank could allow Juventus to stretch the opposition’s defenses as we saw against Zenit.
If the opponents decide to overcommit in their quest to stop Chiesa, then the second winger could be granted with additional space to make damage.
Maximizing Dybala’s Potential
As we mentioned above, outside of Locatelli, the midfield might lack quality and creativity, which is why Dybala can be seen dropping back at times to help in the buildup.
The Argentine operated in a similar role within a 4-2-3-1 formation back in 2016/17, and this was arguably the most inspiring and progressive version we’ve seen of Juventus in recent memory.
Allegri intends to build his lineup around Dybala’s impeccable talent, and this would be the formation that would allow him to maximize on his star’s potential.
Good points and generally valid arguments. I just think Weston McKennie is simply not good enough and I don’t think he even improved. Just having Dybala and Locatelli doing most of buildup covers for his lack of technique and positioning and that makes him look better.