We all know the story by now. Juventus were once again eliminated from the Champions League round of 16, this time after a double-header against Porto which ended 4-4 on aggregate after some extra-time drama. But instead of looking back bitterly, we prefer to look forward with some optimism, and highlight the positions that Fabio Paratici and company need to address during the upcoming transfer window to make the squad more competitive.
1- Center Back
Whilst the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid used to boast of their striking combinations, like MSN and BBC among others, the Bianconeri proudly owned the best defensive unit in the world in the past decade.
Although Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci are still present within the squad, their role on the pitch has diminished in the past few seasons (especially the former two).
In Merih Demiral and Matthijs de Ligt, Juventus have a promising pairing for the future. However, between aging veterans and unfinished articles, the Old Lady needs to possess someone who’s in the peak of his powers, a defender who would oversee the passing of torch in a smooth manner.
2- Central Midfielder
Andrea Pirlo often opts to play with three midfielders in his starting formation – two in the double pivot role, and one who switches between the flank and the hole behind the strikers.
However, the Italian tactician only possesses five players for the three roles, which means that the squad is lacking in numbers.
Moreover, the likes of Rodrigo Bentacur, Adrien Rabiot and Aaron Ramsey have been mostly inconsistent, and perhaps lack some of the characteristics required to be protagonists at a top level club like Juventus.
Whilst Paul Pogba has been linked with a return to Turin, the likes of Houssem Aouar and Manuel Locatelli have also been mentioned as potential transfer targets for the club.
3- Center Forward
What we mentioned above concerning the midfield applies on the attack as well. Andrea Pirlo only have three natural strikers within his squad, and with Paulo Dybala being unavailable for the majority of the season, he was left with Alvaro Morata and Cristiano Ronaldo as the lone options.
Although the two former Real Madrid stars have been doing well for the most part of the season, they were both out of form and struggling physically against Porto.
And yet, the two strikers had to play for the full 120 minutes, simply because Juventus couldn’t bring anyone to replace them from the bench.
Therefore, a new striker – or even two – is a must for next season.