Andrea Pirlo has been barely able to catch a break this season. From the positive Covid-19 cases, to some recurring injury problems, and few suspensions, the young boss never truly had an entire squad to choose from.
Whilst the situation looks much more improved than it had been few weeks ago, especially with the return of Juan Cuadrado, Matthijs De Ligt and finally Alex Sandro from their quarantine period, Juve will still miss the injured Paulo Dybala and the suspended Dejan Kulusevski in Saturday’s match against Sampdoria.
Nonetheless, even with these two absentees, Pirlo might just be able to field his strongest side since the beginning of the season.
Some will roll their eyes over the pick of Leonardo Bonucci ahead of Giorgio Chiellini and Merih Demiral, but the vice captain has built a strong partnership with De Ligt throughout the last campaign and the current one.
Anyhow, having all four center backs available for once must feel like a blessing.
Playing Danilo as left back ahead of Sandro would have been an absurd proposition last season, but the former’s ability to turn into a third center back renders him the perfect fit for the role.
On the other flank, Cuadrado has made the right back position his own thanks to his energetic displays, and his ability to switch into a winger whenever required.
In the middle, Arthur is slowly but surely becoming a vital member of the team, as he is obviously Juve’s best technical midfielder.
Rodrigo Bentancur is also improving after a slow start of the season, but the man of the hour remains Weston Mckennie, who has suddenly become a Bianconeri fan favorite for his extraordinary work rate as well as his ability to contribute to the team’s goals.
On the left wing, Federico Chiesa has proven to be the best fit for the role, and is the ideal man to support the two strikers.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence within the ideal lineup is unquestionable considering his status as one of the best players in the sports.
His ideal partner has so far proven to be Alvaro Morata. The Spaniard is the only true center forward in the squad, and his presence allows CR7 to freely roam around the opposition area.
In conclusion, as football fans, we would always argue about which formation would indeed be the perfect one.
However, most of us would agree that the one that is expected to take the field this after noon at the Luigi Ferraris stadium is one the best lineups that we could hope for with the current squad.
Therefore, Juventus can have no excuses if they fail to deliver three vital points from today’s fixture.
Expected lineup: Szczesny; Cuadrado, De Ligt (Chiellini), Bonucci, Danilo; McKennie, Arthur, Bentancur, Chiesa; Morata, Ronaldo.
