How Motta’s Juve is changing: the 3 tactical moves that can solve problems

Cats disguised as Kalulu, that is, in Calafiori version to Bologna, is a sustainable idea. And not the only one with whom Motta is trying to give a fresh imprint to Juve: Weah is the new one who advances from Terzino and McKennie on the trocar can open interesting scenarios. None of the three is improvised in the role: these are only the precautions that find bank on old concepts assimilated in the past, which return good to the current historical moment of the Juventus season.

Cats

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For example, Gatti is an old midfielder who at some point in his career – as an adult and with the passage in Serie D – was adapted to the role of defender to make up for a lack of his team at that time. When the ball at the foot advanced, among the amateurs of Piedmont, it became dangerous and created several interesting situations in the opposing half of the field. What asked him in the last games, having the necessary coverage by Veiga and Kelly, is a greater courage in bringing the ball further on: so far he convinced why, in addition to the usual grit that emerges from his performance, it was also technically good. In the latest releases, it has increased the average of the inputs in the offensive phase (2.81 per game) and above all improved the conversion of great occasions up to 33%.

Weah

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On the right wing, Weah also found an old tactical location. Juve had observed him for a long time in the lilac from the left back, imagining him as a fifth of the right to collect the heavy legacy of Cuadrado: then the player found himself taking the tour to occupy many other roles. Thiago Motta in recent months has proposed it as an attack and central tip, with specific requests that subsequently pushed to choose Kolo Muani as a reinforcement in January. Now, as a full -back, he manages to guarantee push without sinning in the roof. The American recorded a good data on the recovered balls (1.92 per game) without making the medium contribution on the cross (1.50) drop. The development with the three -way defense – formed by Gatti, Veiga and Kelly – allows him to get up to the midfield line and possibly diagrate the ball very high.

McKENNIE

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The other who has returned to the origins, a little out of necessity and a little to optimize the resources available in the squad, is McKennie. That – after the beginning of the mezzala and the emergency period spent from the left back – works again as a midfielder. The Mexican is the only midfielder of the rose who knows how to move well without the ball and who attack the spaces, but he also knows how to give a lot of consistency to the incoming of the ball (3.18 Recuits completed) just as Thiago Motta wants. McKennie sees the door (5 goals) and also in finishing he knows how to do his (3 assists), but above all the improvement on the great occasions created (so far 4) and the projection of the expected goals (XG 2,49) to consolidate the new technical choice. Certainly it can improve, but today – for Juve – this McKennie is a factor to be exploited.