Juve higher but the midfield doesn’t work: should we insist on Arthur?

The Cagliari match for Juve marked the beginning of a “new” championship. The one that aims to cross the present day goals (fourth place in the standings and victory of the only trophy possible this season, the Italian cup) but with the future-objective in the crosshairs, in the declared intent to anticipate all that is possible, to starting from the market choices that also presuppose choices in terms of the game and setting up the team. And among the many questions that have filled the last 40 days of the Bianconeri season, doubts relating to the midfield fill an important part of the thoughts (and evaluations) of the Turin club.

Rebus midfield

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The midfield is in fact the most unsolved issue of the team, right from the start. Finding the square was the leitmotif of the first season of Allegri.2, and yet the puzzle is not entirely concluded. Some choices were made in January (the renunciation of Bentancur), others will be or will return to topicality as summer approaches. Meanwhile Allegri has tried all the blends and every possible combination. But the final result still did not convince. In fact, having solved the most urgent and thorny problem of covering the defense, the middle department remained asthmatic in terms of the construction of the maneuver and support for the attack. Betraying the initial expectation of the coach who even wanted him to cooperate in the production of the goal. Once this illusion vanished, it would have been enough for the midfield to find its own precise identity and a fluidity of schemes and maneuvers capable of optimizing the transition between defensive and offensive phases, triggering the attack in the best ways and times. And instead, six days from the end, the goal is far from being achieved. And the doubts that hover around individuals continue to make fans and insiders discuss.

Arthur yes or Arthur no?

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The last solution in order of time tried by Allegri to build a more offensive midfield was to raise the center of gravity of the team, both in the 4-2-3-1 against Inter and in the 3-5-2 in Cagliari. The results were in the opposite direction, but the common denominator is that in both races there was a tall and aggressive team, one without Arthur (the only race of the last 6 in which he did not start a starter), the another with the Brazilian in the field from 1 ‘, thanks to the absence of Locatelli. Given a safe start in January, Arthur not only stayed but asked for more space. And in fact of the 18 appearances (with zero goals and zero assists) collected in the league so far, 12 have arrived in 2022. A champion at this point full-bodied to get a balance, also because in these races the Brazilian has juggled in a department now deployed at 3, now at 4 and now at 5, and with all the team mates of the Juventus squad, often “plugging” holes left by injured teammates. But the Brazilian has rarely really convinced, perhaps not for particular demerits, but because his way of playing – made up of frequent and short touches, never a deep verticalization – does not seem the most suitable for the Juve that Allegri has built up to here or even. to the one he will build around Vlahovic. Yet until Locatelli returns, Juve may still need him, or in any case choose to leave him “on display” to attract potential buyers.