Sassuolo v Juventus
Serie A Week 22 – Sunday, 29th January – 14:00 GMT – MAPEI Stadium
Juventus
The big news of the last two games is the new 4-2-3-1 Massimiliano Allegri has implemented. A very interesting tactic that is based upon a very simple principle: fielding all your best players together at the same time. Of course, it is weak defensively considering that neither Sami Khedira or Miralem Pjanic are particularly strong on that front, however, if you score twice in the first twenty minutes, then the whole team can track back and contribute. Pjanic, Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala, even Kwadwo Asamoah have performed very well with this scheme. Mario Mandzukic deserves a special mention because he is playing way out of position, but he is a winger only on paper because you will see him in the box more often than not: the fact that he is being guarded by fullbacks is a net positive and we have already seen him exploit that with his aerial skills.
The first game against Lazio went swimmingly: the squad toyed with Biancocelesti right from the get go and did not have many problems managing the second half. The Coppa one with Milan was a more problematic, we jumped to a two-nil lead again, but we conceded and had trouble dictating the pace in the final portion, even though the Rossoneri were down to ten men.
A few natural questions arise, an immediate one and some long-term ones. We know Juventus lost four times on the road after midweek matches and they will be on the road on Sunday as well. Basically the same XI played twice in three days: can they all go again at the weekend? The squad is very thin with this formation. Allegri in the pre-game presser admitted that he is undecided between Khedira and Tomas Rincon in the midfield and Cuadrado and Marko Pjaca on the wings. If this was the solution going forward, it would be great news for the Croatian youngster.
Secondly, Allegri came up with this partly because Claudio Marchisio is unavailable and probably because Hernanes, the only other viable option as deep-lying midfielder, might not be in the team in a couple of days, so he ditched his beloved three-man midfield. What happens when Il Principino is back? Are Mandzukic and Cuadrado better than him? That is honestly hard to tell. Will he force a tactical switch or will he just alternate with Khedira or Pjanic? Marchisio is in the squad for the game but will not start, but we will find out soon enough.
More importantly, is this formation usable on the road, where opponents are usually a little more aggressive and a bit less intimidated by Juventus because they are playing on their own turf and not in the daunting Stadium? I am curious to see and I think Allegri is too. Considering the away struggles we have had, the coach will stick with it on Sunday, maybe only to send a message to the rivals.
No suspensions and no new injuries for the Bianconeri as they prepare to take on Sassuolo. Gianluigi Buffon and Alex Sandro are slated to reclaim their starting jobs. The two doubts are related to the potential return of the aforementioned Marchisio, who does not have anything serious, just some physiological muscle fatigue. The other one involves the defence: I think Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Daniele Rugani will be regularly rotated to keep everybody up to speed.
By the way, if the coach decides to use this scheme regularly, we are clearly one winger short. It is not necessary to acquire a world beater, but one more body would be useful. Robin Quaison is a name that has been thrown around, more for the summer and as a bargaining chip than for an immediate arrival though. He is an interesting prospect that has struggled so far at Palermo both because they have stunk in the past two seasons and also because they never quite found the right position for him. He has some very recent success as attacking midfielder and he certainly has some technique and speed in his game. Emanuele Giaccherini is another name being mildly discussed and he would be an ideal reinforcement.
It was revealed during the week that Mario Lemina has a bone edema in his back, which means that there is a big swelling that does not allow to see clearly whether there is something severe underneath it. Allegri minimized the injury and it might very well be just a bruise, but let’s not forget that the whole Pjaca ordeal started with an edema that later on was considered compatible with a small fracture. That would be a big setback for the youngster.
Patrice Evra has left the team to join Olympique Marseille: at first, I did not like his addition, but it was immediately clear that he was a great locker room leader and generally a good and genuine guy. His first and a half year at the club were pretty good in a position where for years we did not have anybody decent.
Probable lineup:
4-2-3-1: Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic; Cuadrado, Dybala, Mandzukic; Higuain.
Injuries:
Lemina (back), Benatia (AFCON), Mandragora (foot).
Suspensions:
None.
Sassuolo
So far, Sassuolo have had a year from hell and after overachieving last season and taking advantage of the poor performances of the usual Serie A juggernauts, while grabbing a Europa League spot, they were certainly a candidate for regression, but nobody thought it would be this bad. Unfavourable circumstances certainly played a big role. First of all, they really tried in Europe, right from the final week of July and that took a toll. Secondly, and more importantly, they have had so many injuries to key players. Domenico Berardi missed three months with a sprained MCL, Francesco Magnanelli is out for the season with an ACL tear, Matteo Politano and Alfred Duncan were sidelined for weeks by ankle ailments, Paolo Cannavaro had a torn LCL and so on. Eusebio Di Francesco has basically never had the full squad at disposal. Luckily for them, the relegation race has never been this bad in Serie A and I do not think they would have had a shot at one of top seven positions anyway, so the consequences will not be too drastic.
They have won two games in a row against Palermo and Pescara, securing their spot in Serie A for next season, if there ever was a doubt. It is not a coincidence that they have started performing better when Berardi returned: he is not only their best player, but he is also the engine that gets them going. Every action goes through him and when he was not available, it showed. Federico Ricci and Antonino Ragusa are nice complementary players, the first one is a rookie and was not ready for such a big role. They struggled to find new reference points when both Berardi and Politano were out. If it was not for Gregoire Defrel, they would have been in much bigger troubles.
Anyway, that is in the past and they will put up a good fight on Sunday now that the pieces to show their brand of football are almost all available. The only absences will be the oft injured Simone Missiroli, Magnanelli, Davide Biondini and Pol Lirola, the Juventus loanee, who has a strained hamstring. Paolo Cannavaro has been under the weather this week, but has been called up. The Spaniard has had some good stretches and some less positive ones: he looks very tiny so I wonder if he will ever be able to defend at an elite level. However, sometimes his offense has been so effective that this was not a problem. He is set to stay on loan there next season as well: his possible return will hinge on what happens with Stephan Lichtsteiner and Dani Alves. He would benefit from another year at Sassuolo.
Marcello Gazzola is back from a hip contusion, but Di Francesco could decide to go with some more defensive options at right back, like the adapted CB Luca Antei or Timo Letschert. One of the two would replace Cannavaro, so both could end up starting. Aquilani will take Magnanelli’s spot in the heart of the midfield, alongside Lorenzo Pellegrini. The final spot will be taken by either Alfred Duncan, Stefano Sensi or Luca Mazzitelli.
The trident will be formed by Berardi, Politano and most likely Alessandro Matri, who has scored four goals in the last two games. Defrel is dealing with a sore knee and also with Roma’s courtship and the player is reportedly pushing to leave, so right now he is not in the right mind set. We will see if Giallorossi will be able to pull it off. By the way, if they end up waiving Pellegrini’s buy-back clause as part of the deal, I think Juventus should pounce in the summer because he is already pretty complete and can only get better.
Probable lineup:
4-2-3-1: Consigli; Letschert, Antei, Acerbi, Peluso; Pellegrini, Aquilani, Duncan; Berardi, Matri, Politano.
Injuries:
Magnanelli (knee), Biondini (Achilles), Lirola (hamstring), Missiroli (hamstring).
Suspensions:
None.
Formation
Welcome over-view of the way the land lies for both ourselves and our foes as always, Enrico. Many thanks.
I see no reason to change anything, other than to bring Lichsteiner back into the defence at RB in place of Barzagli, who is out of position and not yet match sharp.
Also, I think we have more than enough cover for the wide positions of the 4-2-3-1. Mandzukic, Sandro and probably Pjaca can play in the LM spot, one more defensive minded one more offensive minded. On the right, Cuadrado can swap also with Pjaca. In the middle, Dybala can be replaced (if need be by Pjanic, Pjaca). Up top Higuain can be backed up by Mandzukic, or even, as a member suggested elsewhere…Kean! (Highly unlikely with Mario in the ranks).
Its the central midfield which looks now a little heavy. Marchisio, Khedira, Pjanic, Rincon seem the four most obvious options for the 2. With hernanes and Sturaro able yet further down the pecking order. Even fit, I would have placed Lemina last for either of the 2 CM roles. Though…he may well be useful in one of the 3. His defensive work has always seemed rotten to me, more a natural attacking midfielder I suspect.
If anything, the system will be more effective away from home, as teams have more pressure to come out and attack. We have battered two decent sides in the opening 45 minutes of the last two games. both of whom would perhaps have been more adventurous had they been playing at home.
Unless Asamoah needs a break, there is no way he should be benched. When players have been out so long, why interrupt their progress in terms of building stamina and the Inter game is a fair way off. Kwadwo was easily MoM against AC. What incentive is there to play your heart out if all you achieve is the bench? Sandro can wait for his chance, come on in for the final 30-35 and remind us of his value, and also, show he can play in this system. He was wretched when he came on mid week.
I love how your previews always give such a wholesome view on the game to come, keep up the good work!
On topic, I dont think their ranking shows their true value. They had a scintillating start to the season and, imo, dropped only due to an injury crisis, especially counting Berardi. They should have been much higher on the ladder
(A bit of fantasy football incoming)
Going for my personal 4-2-3-1 formation, without looking at injuries or form/fitness issues:
Striker: Higuain. Obvious pick, he is by far the best finisher we have in the squad and he works best as a pure striker. He can score so easily on the tiniest of chances.
Right/left wing: Mandzukic and Dybala. Dybala can pretty much play anywhere up front without harming his effectiveness. I would put him on the wing, simply because it allows me to put another in the AM role, which is the role I would otherwise have put Dybala in.
I chose Mandzukic on the other wing because he has that tremendous workrate going for him. He doesn’t have the speed you would usually expect from a winger, but he makes up for it by pretty much being all over the pitch. It also means we don’t rob ourselves from a target point when we are soaking up pressure and try to clear the ball from our own half, since Higuain is there to collect long passes.
AM: Pjanic. He has worked wonders in that role in his Roma days and it still seems the most natural position for him. Yes he is doing well in the middle right now, but by moving him forward, I think we can expect even more from him and at the same time, make room for another player in midfield.
CM/DM: Marchisio and Khedira. Both are pretty complete footballers. They can both act as a deep regista and form a strong shield in front of the defense. Khedira has that more physical aspect, where Marchisio has a great eye for passing and seems to always be at the spot we need him in. They both possess a good long shot, which can be useful to break down a stubborn defense.
LB: Sandro. Sorry Asamoah, but Sandro is too good not to use. He has beaten Evra for a starting spot and rightfully so. Sandro has everything a good LB needs and is effective in both defending and attacking. Will link up great with Dybala on the left side, both are technically gifted and agile players.
2CB: Bonucci and Chiellini. The beauty and the beast! For me, they should be starting centrebacks in a 4-man defense. Bonucci is in my eyes the finest CB we have, for he lacks nothing. He has strength, he has physical prowess, he has fine ball control and self control – he won’t go berserk for nothing. On top of that, has some playmaking skills too and a knack for popping up at the other side of the field and score a header.
Chiellini is the beast every defense needs. A true fighter with enormous physique and stamina, one to fear for the opposing team. It does not matter whether his opponent is called Ibrahimovic, Cavani or Ronaldo, Chiellini eats him alive. What he lacks in speed and ball control is all amended with the sheer power he brings.
RB: Alves. My heart says Lichtsteiner, but for the sake of the team I opt for Alves. Most of all because Alves is very offensive minded, thus contributing with excellent passing, crosses and deep runs in the final third. He would share his flank with the – perhaps odd to say of a striker – defensive style of Mandzukic, meaning they form a nice balance of attacking and defending. He also has that CL pedigree and knows what it takes to win, even if he is often dislikable on the pitch with his theatrics. (Which is a trait he actually shares with Lichtsteiner)
GK: Buffon. I mean, who else? If there is a God out there, his name is Buffon
Line-up in short:
Higuain
Dybala Pjanic Mandzukic
Marchisio Khedira
Sandro Chiellini Bonucci Alves
Buffon
A fine secondary team, using none of the players from above would look like this:
Kean
Pjaca Hernanes/Lemina Cuadrado
Sturaro Rincon
Asamoah Rugani Barzagli Lichtsteiner
Neto
Another win for Juve and Roma lost to Sampdoria, thus the gap has been increased again. Napoli can jump to second tonight though
Good away win all played well, sincerly Sassoulo did not provide any resistance they were overplayed from start to finish. We seem to have found the right formation. I prefer a 433 away from home but as long as there is no 352 im ok. Would like to see Dybala having more cracks at goal as well.
Dybala should shake the coach hands.
Little diva. Spend your power for the next game and give your teammates a chance.
Very well said it is not just the coach but teamates as well.
Exactly!!