Pirlo is still experimenting with betting, could this be Fradi’s chance? –

Andrea Pirlo and Cristiano Ronaldo after defeating Sampdoria in September (Photo: AFP)

Ad

Juventus president Andrea Agnelli stunned the world in August when he announced that he would appoint former midfielder Andrea Pirló, who had no experience as a head coach, in place of Maurizio Sarri, who won only one trophy last season: the scudetto.

The vast majority of the fans were happy with the substitution, the skeptics really only lamented that Pirlo failed every step in his coaching career and the rookies on the bench of a club that has only one goal in every game, in every series: the victory.

As a player, Pirlo never lost the ball, nor did he seem to tremble from the task of coach.

With Juve’s operational directors, Pavel Nedved and Fabio Paratici, he worked from the first moment to design the framework that would reduce the average age and allow the team to dictate an even faster pace, showing a more intense football than the year and previous years. .

This is how Dejan Kulusevski (20 years old), Weston McKennie (22), Federico Chiesa (23) and Arthur Melo (24), who got a contract in winter, but also, for example, Gonzalo Higuaín, 32, four years younger . He was replaced by Álvaro Morata. Add to this the fact that Gianluca Frabotta (21) and Manolo Portanova (20) from their own youth have already played a role this season, you can see that Juventus have embarked on a new journey in the series after of nine league leaders.

In addition to Higuaín, Miralem Pjanic, Mattia De Sciglio and Danielle Rugani, among others, had to leave, of whom the Bosnian midfielder was a regular, the latter two being unable to consolidate their position in the starting line-up for many years. It also took time for the “glass lout” Douglas Costa, who could have helped Juve a lot, he was only wounded almost permanently, and they thought it best to justify an indestructible and vigorous warrior like Chiesa. Although German world champion Sami Khedira did not leave, he was completely off the coast and Pirlo did not even enroll him in the Champions League. The proper routine, however, is still provided by classics like Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Gianluigi Buffon, who has been trampling for 43 years, and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo.

NEW SYSTEM

Throughout the past season, Sarri has stuck to his 4-3-3 system of play, which often seemed easy to spot and extremely static. Although Juve tried to dominate the “Sarriball” relying on a lot of possession and short pass football, the framework was apparently not the right one for it, the tactic hardly allowed for quick attacks based on a single impulse, even based on a long outing. , and the midfielders were not enough. they were creative, they might not have enough freedom to attack, for this style. And as if Sarri had problems with his authority (or lack thereof), of course it cannot be easy to enter a changing room where Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala or just Buffon are sitting every day and convincing the players that everything will work out. as well as he thought. .

The world champion, the champion of the Champions League Andrea Pirló, should not have that problem, because on the one hand he was a think tank in the field as a player, but his habitus and style also predestined him to succeed as a coach in a club star.

Pirlo did not hesitate for a minute as he changed the playing systems and returned to a formation so dear to him, 3–5–2. When he arrived at Juventus as a player in 2011, his career at Milan had just stalled, boosted again by some Antonio Conte converting the Turinians to that system, and as one of the three internal midfielders, Pirlo rose again to the world class ranks. Then, behind his two teammates, he organized from the depths, scooping up the ball from the defenders and then masterfully distributing it, his shots being life-threatening, not to mention his point shots.

With some modifications, Pirlo wants to stabilize this system at Juve with such a difference that one of the three internal midfielders is organized not behind the other two, but in front, in the shadow of the forwards. This role so far has mostly belonged to Aaron Ramsey, but Kulusevski has already appeared here, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Dybala had a role in this vein at some point.

LACK OF PROTECTION

Of course, the basis of this game system is a defense based on a lot of practice and familiarity, in some situations there will be four or five of the three defenders right away, but it also requires suitable subjects. Pirlo has a good frame, it would be difficult to say more percussive than the defensive trio De Ligt, Bonucci, Chiellini, but at the moment almost everyone is injured, Bonucci only plays in pain. Due to the problems, the full back Danilo is the left inside and the Turkish Demiral, who is just recovering from the rupture of the knee ligament, is the right inside, so there are already more points of error. Against Juve, “small teams” like Crotone, Verona or Spezia can currently cause confusion, so perhaps Ferencváros can triumph on Wednesday.

It’s also a major drawback that right-winger Chiesa is currently on the far left, as Brazilian Alex Sandro is also corrosive and hasn’t played a single minute of the season, although this system and role would be perfect for him. On the other hand, Juan Cuadrado honors the line with honor and Kulusevski can play on both sides if necessary, but for now his outfields are not convincing Juve either, perhaps because now the players have a much larger area than the line, since the two forwards very often move out of midfield, and this has not yet gotten used to.

RONALDO IS THE SAME

And here we come to the attackers, who obviously have to start the line with Cristiano Ronaldo. The role of the five-time ballon d’or also changed with the arrival of Pirlo, as while he had previously started inward from the left wing in the past, his position in the two-player game was not so close, he had to present himself with much more often elsewhere.

When the Portuguese is not coronavirus, it is seen that it does not bother him at all, in fact … If he manages to perfectly adapt everything that Pirlo expects of him in this post, he can appear in the sixteen more often than before, the defenders can finding more corridors between jumps, and that doesn’t mean much to opponents. In addition, Álvaro Morata achieved a classic playful center, well trained, well developed, relatively fast, which can serve him with passes, but also opens a space for him with his movements, so the cooperation between the two can be generous in the long run.

What’s more, Pirlo also has a lot of variation on the strike line, because while Dybala is still far from being in good shape after a long muscle injury, we can be sure that he will be life threatening as a wedge or against all four midfielders in a very near future. If all the strings break, Chiesa and Kulusevski can also play a classic attacker, so there is a lot of variation.

THE TEMPO IS DIFFERENT

What is visibly changing is Juventus’ pace of play. Like Pirlo Sarri, he likes to have the ball with his team, but in no way prevents his players from trying to reach the opponent’s goal in the shortest possible way after receiving the ball. The coach adapts his tactics to the demands of modern football, the Turinians are experimenting with a uniform and determined attack from the beginning of the season, which requires astonishing discipline and precision, and due to the short time elapsed so far, it does not even work perfectly . To delay the attack, a player is late, in a bad position, and in high-level European football, the opponent is already released from the grip, which can easily lead to a dangerous counterattack. Juve still have free-kicks now, and it is not certain whether the defense controlled by Bonucci lies due to their high speed if they defend high, obviously with the return of De Ligt it will be possible to be more courageous in this area as well. Or it will be interesting to see in the long run if, say, Cristiano Ronaldo will be willing to chase the ball for the sixth time after the fifth chase and waste the energy that may be required to achieve his trademark accurate shots.

What is certain, however, is that Pirlo is trying to put together a set with very strong style cues that will presumably come together week after week and get better, especially if the injured gradually return and the maestro will have even more variation.

Ferencváros faces a big task, and Juventus’ currently perceived weaknesses have certainly been mapped out by Serhiy Rebrovs, and they are trying to take advantage of them through their fast, ball-savvy players. Still, it would be a great miracle for Fradi to score, as Juventus remains the only monarch in Italian football, world-class in every position and led by a brilliant former midfielder, Andrea Pirlo, who promises to start as coach.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2020–2021
GROUP G, ROUND 3
Wednesday 4 November
21.00: FC Barcelona (Spanish) –Dinamo Kiev (Ukraine)
21.00: FERENC CITY – Juventus (Italian)

ADDITIONAL SCHEDULE
ROUND 4
Tuesday, November 24
21.00: Juventus (Italian) – CITY OF CONFERENCES
21.00: Dinamo Kiev (Ukraine) – FC Barcelona (Spanish)

ROUND 5
Wednesday, December 2
21.00: Juventus (Italian) –Dinamo Kiev (Ukraine)
21.00: FERENC CITY – FC Barcelona (Spanish)

ROUND 6
Tuesday December 8
21.00: FC Barcelona (Spanish) – Juventus (Italian)
21.00: Dinamo Kiev (Ukraine) –FERENCE CITY

RESULTS UP TO NOW
ROUND 1
Tuesday, October 20
Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) – Juventus (Italian) 0-2
FC Barcelona (Spanish) – CONFERENCE CITY 5–1

ROUND 2
Wednesday October 28
Juventus (Italian) –FC Barcelona (Spanish) 0-2
FERENC CITY – Dinamo Kiev (Ukraine) 2–2