Angel Di Maria’s absence from the match with PSG is a massive blow for Juventus but won’t force Max Allegri to change his approach, writes Lorenzo Bettoni.
El Fideo was surprisingly left out of the squad for tomorrow’s Champions League group stage opener against PSG. He had been subbed off on Saturday against Fiorentina due to a calf problem but trained with the rest of the team this morning, suggesting that he would have been fit for the reunion with his ex-club.
Di Maria has already missed three games for the Bianconeri this season, collecting 147 minutes across three appearances.
He contributed to a goal and an assist in the first Serie A game of the season against Sassuolo and created one of Juventus’ goal-scoring opportunities in Florence on Saturday, wasted by Weston McKennie.
His absence will surely affect Juventus but should not force Max Allegri to change his defensive approach. The Bianconeri will likely sit deep, waiting to create space to counter-attack. Allegri said on Saturday that Juventus must be ‘realistic’ and that their real direct opponent in the group are Benfica.
Juventus will be less effective without Di Maria, who has been Juventus’ most convincing attacking playmaker during his sporadic appearances this season. El Fideo is usually deployed as a right winger but often moves into the middle of the pitch to collect the ball and start the build-up.
So, who could replace the Argentinean winger? Allegri won’t change his philosophy but will have to re-think his tactics without Di Maria.
Given that Danilo, Mattia De Sciglio, and Alex Sandro (not fully fit) are available tomorrow, Juan Cuadrado will likely get the starting spot at right-winger.
Filip Kostic should play on the opposite flank, with Dusan Vlahovic starting as a sole striker after remaining on the bench for 90 minutes in Florence.
Moise Kean and Arek Milik are also travelling to Paris, but they seem more likely to remain on the bench and be introduced if needed.
If Allegri picks one of the two, he will switch to a 4-2-3-1 system rather than the 4-3-3- he has recently deployed.
Another option is a 3-5-2 formation which the Italian tactician used in the final ten minutes of the game with Fiorentina.
With this set-up, Cuadrado and Kostic would play on the flanks with Vlahovic, Milik or Kean in attack and Leonardo Bonucci, Bremer and Danilo at the back.
It doesn’t matter for Allegri! He will play his style of football even if he has martians in his squad.