Juve-Sassuolo, Allegri and the broken midfield: the solutions

The certainty is that Paul Pogba will miss the first of the championship and will not be the only one absent in midfield, the department that Massimiliano Allegri will have to redesign. In addition to Octopus, who will still be struggling with the first phase of conservative therapy in 12 days, Adrien Rabiot, disqualified, and Weston McKennie, struggling with a capsular lesion of the left shoulder, will also be missing. Wes like Octopus got hurt in training while touring the US and will have to work apart for at least the next three weeks. It means that we will not see him on the field again for a month, maybe even a month and a half. It means that Max, unless there are gifts from the transfer market, will have to manage the emergency, especially in the match of his season debut in Serie A, scheduled for August 15 at the Allianz Stadium against Sassuolo.

Space for Beans

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If Rabiot had not been disqualified it is very likely that he would have been the replacement for Pogba, as the left midfielder is his role. Without the Frenchman, Allegri will have to find another formula for the median. The coach has already tried something during the tour, where he never had Rabiot (who for personal reasons did not leave for America, going into retirement with the Under 23) nor McKennie (who should have played against Real Madrid, but got hurt the day before) and Pogba was only available in the first game. The most logical solution seems to be the median we saw in the last test against the European champions, namely Locatelli in the control room, Zakaria on the right and Fagioli on the left. The boy who returned from the loan to Cremonese (who should sign the contract renewal in a few days) is one of the happy notes of the Juventus pre-season: blows, personality and perseverance that could push Allegri to aim straight at him.

Plan B: Rovella play

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The alternative is to trust another young player, Nicolò Rovella, who has never played with Juventus yet because after being bought he was left on loan to Genoa. Positive signals have also arrived from him in the tour in America: the technician has tested him play with Zakaria and Locatelli on the sides and this could be plan B.

Discovered on the left

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Pogba, McKennie and Rabiot will not be the only defections in the first championship: there are also the suspended Moise Kean and the other injured Marley Aké, who will have to stay out for 2 months due to a fracture in his right fibula. Therefore it will also be an emergency in the left-handed lane, where with Chiesa still out (return expected between September and October) Allegri does not have a high-ranking winger. The solution is to change sides for Juan Cuadrado, who has already played on the left during the tour and has been promoted by the coach.