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After a hugely underwhelming campaign last season, Juventus have appointed Massimiliano Allegri for a second term at the club. The Italian has been one of the Bianconeri’s most successful managers, delivering five consecutive Serie A titles and four successive Coppa Italia trophies.
Allegri has returned to the Allianz Stadium on a four-year contract after being on a two-year-long hiatus. He will, however, face a more challenging assignment this time around, as he will have the responsibility of taking Juventus back to the pinnacle of Italian football.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has severely depleted the spending power of the Bianconeri in the summer transfer window, like most other clubs. Juventus will have to be smart in the transfer market but are unlikely to make more than a handful of additions to their squad.
Given the huge burden of expectations heading into the 2021-22 season, it will be interesting to see which players receive the Juventus manager's nod in the starting XI. On that note, here's a look at what the Juventus starting XI could look like at the end of the summer transfer window.
Juventus Goalkeeper
Wojciech Szczesny
The former Arsenal man has been Juventus' no. 1 most of the time since his arrival at the club in 2017.
Wojciech Szczesny has been one of Juventus’ most consistent performers over the years, racking up 54 clean sheets in 137 appearances for the club, with 39 of these shutouts coming in the Serie A.
The Polish international has established himself as one of the finest keepers in European football and will undoubtedly start the season as Allegri’s man in goal.
Szczesny, however, will look to improve on his meagre tally of eight clean sheets in 38 games across competitions last season. The Polish keeper will also expect his defenders to shield him better as Juventus look to regain their Serie A title.
Juventus Defenders
Left-back: Alex Sandro
Juventus' Brazilian full-back, Alex Sandro, will have to fight for the left-back role with the likes of Luca Pellegrini and Gianluca Frabotta knocking on the door.
Despite losing some of the flair and pace he was renowned for, Sandro has proved to be a consistent performer in Juventus’ backline. The 30-year-old is likely to begin the 2021-22 season as a regular and could be alternated with Luca Pellegrini.
Sandro’s experience and consistency should earn him the nod in most of Juventus’ outings next season, though.
Centre-back: Matthijs de Ligt
The Dutch international became one of the game's most expensive teenagers when he made the move to Italy for a reported €85.5 million in the summer of 2019.
Matthijs de Ligt is yet to do full justice to his enormous price tag after a string of poor performances in his first season at the club. However, the 21-year-old fared well at the other end, notching up four goals and as many assists in his maiden season with the Bianconeri.
De Ligt showed an improvement in the latter half of the 2020-21 season.
Despite a tough start to life at the Allianz Stadium, De Ligt remains one of the most exciting prospects in the game. The Dutchman is likely to be a starter in Allegri’s defence next season.
Centre-back: Leonardo Bonucci
Leonardo Bonucci further enhanced his stature following a stellar defensive show for Italy at Euro 2020. The central defender was a vital cog in Italy’s memorable European campaign and will undoubtedly be one of the first names in Juventus’ starting XI this season.
Chiellini’s partnership with Leonardo Bonucci at the heart of Juventus’ defence may come to an end this season. That's because Chiellini’s contract with the Bianconeri expired at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, which makes Bonucci the club’s central figure in the defensive third.
As the leader of Juventus’ defence in the upcoming season, Bonucci will have a crucial role to play in the Bianconeri’s resurgence to the top of Italian football.
Right-back: Juan Cuadrado
Juan Cuadrado has made the full-back position his own after a host of impressive performances for Juventus.
The Colombian is one of the best-attacking full-backs in the game, finishing the 2020-21 Serie A campaign with the most assists by a Juventus player. In 40 appearances across all competitions last season, Cuadrado racked up 19 assists along with two goals.
Even though Cuadrado is susceptible in the defensive third, the 33-year-old showed significant improvement last season. The Colombian will most certainly reprise his role as a right-back in Juventus’ XI this season.
Juventus Midfielders
Central Midfielder: Manuel Locatelli
Italy’s Euro 2020 winner Manuel Locatelli is rumoured to be Juventus’ primary target in the ongoing summer transfer window.
The Bianconeri struggled to control and dictate play in the middle of the park last season, so Locatelli’s signing could prove to be a one-stop solution for their midfield woes. The central midfielder was a key player in Italy’s glorious Euro 2020 campaign, continuing his good performances for Sassuolo at the continental tournament.
The 23-year-old would be a valuable addition to the ageing Juventus squad and could be utilised in a double pivot role alongside Adrien Rabiot, Weston McKennie or Rodrigo Bentancur.
Central Midfielder: Adrien Rabiot
Massimiliano Allegri will have a host of midfielders who could potentially partner Manuel Locatelli in a central midfield role.
Adrien Rabiot should be the frontrunner for the role after impressive displays in the latter half of the 2020-21 season. The Frenchman could operate as a holding midfielder sitting right in front of the two central defenders, while Locatelli would have the freedom to make his marauding runs forward.
In 47 appearances across all competitions, Adrien Rabiot tallied five goals and three assists last season. He has plenty of prior experience in a deep-lying playmaker role and should provide a stable base to build from in the middle of the park.
Attacking Midfielder: Paulo Dybala
The Argentine has been one of the regulars in Juventus’ lineup since his arrival at the club in 2015, but fell out of favour under Andrea Pirlo last season.
Paulo Dybala featured for the Old Lady on just 26 occasions in the 2020-21 campaign, ten of them coming from the bench. Moreover, a ligament injury ruled the Argentine out of action for months, and he never really got to his best last campaign.
Nonetheless, the Argentine remains one of the most exciting talents in the game, as evidenced by his tally of 141 goal contributions (100 goals, 41 assists) in 254 appearances for Juventus.
Despite an underwhelming season, La Joya became the first non-European player to register 100 goals for Juventus. After having previously enjoyed a good working relationship with Allegri, Dybala should find himself back in Juventus’ starting XI next season.
Juventus Forwards
Left Winger: Cristiano Ronaldo
After being adjudged the Serie A’s best player in his first two seasons at Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo continued his exceptional goalscoring form in the 2020-21 season as well.
In 44 appearances across all competitions last season, Ronaldo racked up 36 goals and four assists. The Portuguese superstar grabbed his 100th goal for Juventus in the game against Sassuolo, becoming the first player to do in only three seasons for the club.
Cristiano Ronaldo, whose contract expires at the end of the 2021-22 season, was Juventus’ best player last season by a country mile, and is bound to be a starter under new boss Massimiliano Allegri.
Striker: Dusan Vlahovic
Despite the extension of Alvaro Morata’s loan contract, Juventus are rumoured to be in the market for Serbian international Dusan Vlahovic.
Vlahovic produced a string of impressive performances for Fiorentina last season, notching up a tally of 21 league goals. The 21-year old ended the season as Serie A’s fourth-highest goalscorer, and was involved in over 44% of La Viola’s goals.
Juventus are likely to face resistance from the likes of Sevilla, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool for the young forward’s signature. If the Bianconeri manage to seal the deal, Vlahovic is likely to slot straight into Allegri’s XI.
Right Winger: Federico Chiesa
Euro 2020 winner Federico Chiesa will be one of Juventus’ main men in the final third next season.
At the young age of 23, Chiesa already possesses the pedigree and class to be Juventus’ leader in the final third for many years to come. The winger did not begin Italy’s Euro 2020 journey in the starting lineup, but slowly worked his way into the first XI with stellar performances throughout the campaign.
Chiesa showcased his big-match pedigree as well, winning the Man of the Match award in Italy’s semi-final clash against Spain. He will be looking to build on that momentum and establish himself as one of the best forwards in the continent.
