JUVENTUS’ NEW LOOK MIDFIELD TRIO

There have been lots of changes of late in Turin, none grabbing more headlines than the Old Lady securing the services of Thiago Motta.

Thiago Motta’s appointment as the head coach of Juventus marks a significant moment in his managerial career. After a successful stint with Bologna, where he led the team to a remarkable Champions League qualification, Motta is now set to take on one of the most prestigious roles in Italian football. His tactical acumen and innovative approach to the game have earned him a reputation as one of the most promising young managers in Europe.

Motta’s journey to Juventus is a testament to his growth and adaptability as a coach. Known for his deep understanding of the game, Motta has often emphasized the importance of a balanced approach, blending defensive solidity with attacking flair. His ability to develop young talent and integrate them into the first team has been particularly noteworthy, making him an ideal fit for Juventus, a club that prides itself on nurturing future stars.

At Juventus, Motta will face the challenge of restoring the club to its former glory. With a rich history and a passionate fan base, the expectations are always high. Motta’s task will be to build a cohesive unit capable of competing at the highest level, both domestically and in Europe.

However, you could argue that the earlier acquisition of Cristiano Guintoli, from under the noses of Liverpool is one which may have gone under the radar. For sure, the Juventus Sporting Director is making sure his movements in the mercato are making noise, with Juevntus the name on quite a few peoples lips at present.

Today I want to take a little time to analyse how these changes will benefit Juventus, with a specific focus on the ‘Midfield Three’, an element which has historically been the fulcrum to the black and white stripes success.

“Vidal-Pirlo-Marchisio-Pogba? For me, it’s the best midfield I’ve ever seen or played in. I believe it’s the best in the history of football. Xavi-Busquets-Iniesta? They were different. Technically they were spectacular, but they didn’t put in a tackle, and against us, they struggled.’’

THE MIDFIELD TRIO

For those of you that support Juventus, or simply follow Serie A, you will know that Allegri set his team up more often than not, in the 3–5–2 formation in Serie A. Whilst Thiago Motta’s preference was that of the 4–2–3–1, which he played in 22 league games.

Whilst these formations both have a midfield trio, you will often find a 4–2–3–1 adopted in a possession orientated system, where the double pivot provides the defensive line protection against the counter, and width provided by the wide players. Whilst you often find the 3–5–2 adopted in more counter attacking systems, where the width is provided by the wing-backs and the midfield often operate as pistons, making box-to-box runs to aid progression of the ball.

There is no better place to start than exploring the outputs of the current Juventus midfield trio, using Opta Analyst as our data source.

The midfield trio have clear roles, with Manuel Locatelli playing as the metronome (reflected in his touches), with both Adrien Rabiot, and Weston McKennie the pistons. Rabiot the individual from the duo who has a better reading of the game, reflected in his goal scoring output, whilst Weston McKennie operated more as a chance creator.

Looking at how the team performed overall when in possession, you will see that Juventus played a brand of football which was based around fast transitions, as Allegri looked to get the ball to his attacking duo (Vlahovic, and Chiesa) as quickly as possible.

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

Picking up from the above, with Motta in mind, you will note how different the approach was for Bologna, who favoured a slow and intricate approach, one with a focus on central overloads and fluid football.

Stat: Serie A 10+ pass sequence attacks Bologna 601 vs Juventus 382

Now to play this system, something has to change, you can’t put a square peg into a round hole.

Analysing the outputs of the potential new midfield three, there is a clear shift to a more progressive midfield. This is reflected in the ability to progress the ball via dribbling (Khephren Thuram and Tuen Koopmeiners both above the 90th percentile), or progressive passes. All three individuals also have the ability to play a key pass, with Douglas Luiz, and Koopmeiners the standout pair.

ATTACKING OUTPUTS

I wanted to start of with what I feel is the most prominent output, goals. Last season in Serie A Juventus finished with an open-play expected gaols figure of 35.80, a whopping 19.12 expected goals less than Scudetto winners Inter. In fact the likes of Bologna, Lazio, Napoli, Atalanta, and Milan also closed the season with a better open play expected goals figure.

Juventus have a problem, they are too one dimensional, if the opponent can close out the likes of Vlahovic, and Chiesa, the likelihood is that Juventus wont be able to cause them too much hassle.

That’s where the potential new midfield come into play, you will note that all three hold significant ‘attacking contribution’ scores with Koopmieners scoring 0.34 non-penalty goals per 90, and both Luiz and Thuram generating an expected non-penalty goals value of over 0.10.

DEFENSIVE OUTPUTS

The below highlights the ‘Zones of Control’ differences between Motta’s Bologna and Allegri’s Juventus. It should come as no surprise that Juventus conceded control in the defensive flanks, far too often last year the side were caught with their pants down on the turnover, presenting easy opportunities to sides to exploit them on the counter down the wings.

In contract the possession based approach enabled Bologna to have full control of the defensive half, and the majority of space outside of zone 14, as Motta’s side often deployed a lone striker who would drop deep, providing numerically superior in the midfield, allowing them to beat the opponent’s defence. If the centre-back pushes up on the striker, Bologna would then exploit the space in behind.

The only concern regarding the new trio is the drop off in aerial duel victories, particularly in the two players that are most likely to operate in the double pivot (Thuram, and Luiz). This could result in the opposition securing possession through winning the second ball. However, given Motta’s favourable approach to flood the central column, this is highly unlikely.

CONCLUSION

With the potential of Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz, and Thuram behind Soule, Yildiz, and Vlahovic in a new look Juventus. The Old Lady has something very exciting brewing for next season.

Of course, there are still question marks over other segments of the playing staff, full-backs, and the cloud hanging over the future of Chiesa, as he is playing hard-ball with regards to his contract renewal. However, I am certain we all can agree that we can’t wait for the start of the 2024/25 campaign, and are hopefull that Juventus can/will challenge for the Scudetto, resuming normal service under Thiago Motta.