Changing the coach’s tactics to get the best out of Chiesa as a second striker, Vlahovic more involved with Rabiot’s making forward runs: this is the new face of the Bianconeri.
According to Jim Rohn, the American entrepreneur and bestselling author, as well as an effective motivator, people usually embark on the path of change for two reasons: inspiration or desperation.
We don’t know whether Massimiliano Allegri was driven by the first or the second, but the only indisputable fact is that the 2023-24 Juventus bears little resemblance to the faded and apathetic version of the last season.
This transformation is so decisive that the occasional new arrivals (Cambiaso and Weah being the only debutants in the Juventus shirt) are not enough to justify it.
It’s a bit like those artists, who disappear for some years and then suddenly create a masterpiece out of nowhere.
Juventus hasn’t changed its coach, as most fans would have wished, frustrated by two seasons without titles and also without any entertainment. Instead, perhaps its coach has revisited himself, letting different intuition to guide him.
This is how the almost impeccable Juventus was born in the first half, a mix of charm, practicality, and balance that crushed their opponent and silenced, at least for the moment all the haters.
Federico Chiesa, is way more involvement in the team’s play, very active central midfielders, a thing that was sorely missed last season, to the great performance by the bianconeris ‘under pressure’ striker Dusan Vlahovic
This is how our artist Max has redesigned and reshaped Juventus, finding new ways to make the offensive phase more productive, while retaining that good old defensive solidity.
Chiesa All Over the Field
“According to me, Chiesa is a forward/striker; he isolates himself too much from the game as a winger and becomes just a counter-attacking player. He needs to score 14-16 goals a season, and I believe he will achieve that this year” said the Bianconeri coach in his post-match comments about his number 7.
The most challenging part was probably convincing the player himself, who has always been happier to operate on the flank as if to sprint, beat his man, and then aim at the goal.
During an open training sessions in the US (In pre-season), there were moments when Federico shook his head when Allegri asked him for certain movements different from what he wished and was used to.
Judging by his performance against Udinese, he must have convinced himself gradually to believe that he can play as a second striker and operate more in the middle.
Last year, he tended to isolate himself and get stubborn, often starting with the idea of doing everything on his own, which often resulted with a lot of lost balls. On Sunday however, we saw much more interaction between him and his teammates. A completely new and fresh Chiesa.
He was freely roaming across the entire attack, a freedom that the coach often grants to his most trusted forwards, allowed him to have more options and be less predictable. Likewise, getting into the penalty area more often provides more opportunities to score goals.
Less Linear Approaches
Chiesa and Cambiaso have created a perfect synergy on the left, causing a lot of problems for Udinese. It’s no coincidence that much of the Juventus game-play was developed on that side.
If the versatile player who arrived from Bologna has overtaken Kostic in the pecking order (the Serbian remained on the bench for the entire game), it’s also for tactical reasons.
Compared to Kostic, who is a more linear winger (attacking only the wing), Cambiaso is more accustomed to adapting to different game situations. Intelligent and versatile that’s how he seemed on his first game. When Chiesa widened his position, Cambiaso moved inside the field to create numerical superiority.
More involvement and more sacrifice by the midfield
More players in the penalty area mean more chances to score: Allegri often complained last season about the lack of involvment by the central midfielders, which also proved disadvantageous for Vlahovic, who was consistently marked and forced to play one-on-one.
The 3-0 against Udinese came from a cross by Cambiaso, who skillfully found Rabiot, unmarked inside the penalty area. The Frenchman, who scored in double figures last year (11 goals), with his attacking involvement can be the key to providing more freedom to Vlahovic.
The new Juventus is being built on these small but significant changes and details, but will it be enough, will Juventus crumble anyway? We don’t know but we will have to wait and see week by week.
Allegri’s team will face Bologna this Sunday in Serie A. A win is a must for the ‘Bianconeri’ who surely would like to show the world that their first game wasn’t just an accident and that their new face is here to stay.
