Juventus, Zakaria towards the derby

The debut with a goal against Verona and confirmation in the Italian Cup with Sassuolo, before staying out in the big match with Atalanta. Denis Zakaria should be back on the pitch from the first minute to the derby: he works hard in training and spares no energy to attract the attention of Allegri, who preferred McKennie to him on the last occasion. More a rotation of the department than an exclusion against the Swiss, supported by a precise strategy: focus more on the insertions without the ball of the Texan and give him a wider field coverage on the right, so as to allow Dybala to concentrate more and mess up frequent man markings of the Goddess.

COMPETITION

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Zakaria can hold several roles in the median, but the first evaluations in training with his team-mates have baptized him as an excellent internal. He could also play in front of the defense, but apparently Allegri has not considered him completely ready for Italian football so far: basically because he does not yet know Serie A well, and even more so because the last matches on the calendar did not allow any smudges. His arrival then crosses the seasonal evolution of Rabiot, who performs better in the median from inside the field and much less from the wide third on the left, unlike McKennie who, however, prefers to do that job on the right. The Swiss remains Allegri’s first choice, but the feeling is that in the middle area it will be difficult to find certainty of continuity for everyone, from now to the end of the season.

DUTIES FROM MEZZALA

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Thinking about a three-man midfield, with Locatelli in front of the defense – and Rabiot from inside on the left – McKennie tends to find an advantage over Zakaria to act as a right midfielder. Something could change with the exclusion of the Frenchman, and with the blue in his place (and Arthur play) or with Bernardeschi in the left-handed lane. This last solution would bring more to a median of two, where the Swiss certainly starts favored over all the others, being able to flank anyone. But with the Juventus twenty still in half service – after the Chiesa’s injury – it is more complex to give continuity to a 4-2-3-1 that would find support only on Cuadrado and the young Aké. It is therefore easier for Allegri to decide to trust the super trident again, making Zakaria rotate (from the right midfielder) like everyone else.