Opinions
How can Locatelli fit in at Juventus?
As we know, Juventus finally found an agreement with Sassuolo to sign Manuel Locatelli after months of negotiations and meetings. It is the end of this very long Loca-Juve saga. Manuel is one of the most exciting talents not only in Italy but also in the world. He got the attention of many European clubs after his performance with the national team at the UEFA Euro 2020. That said, let’s discuss how exactly can Locatelli fit into Allegri’s different formations and also how can he play at certain positions.
Highlighting Locatelli’s expected position and formations he can fit into:
Judging by the friendly matches against FC Barcelona and Atalanta Bergamo, Juventus used 4-4-2 flat formation with Ramsey and Bentancur as two midfielders. It is expected that Locatelli takes Ramsey’s place because it is not his natural position. In this formation, Manuel will be useful as a deep-lying midfielder in particular. To give you an example, remember that it is the same position that he played in for years at Sassuolo. In addition, Loca is excellent at winning the ball back and spraying it all over the pitch effortlessly, so he fits perfectly in two-men midfield formations such as 4-2-3-1 & 3-4-3 and three-men midfielder formations such as 4-3-3 & 3-5-2. Several reports stated that Massimiliano Allegri wants Manuel Locatelli to be his regista whatever the formation is. The Italian coach possibly wants to use Manuel like he used Andrea Pirlo and Miralem Pjanic before.
Positions Manuel Locatelli can perform well at:
We consider Loca good at playing as a regista in front of the defence, yes. However, it has to be stated that he can play like a box-to-box midfielder in 4-3-3 too, as he did with the Italian National Team in the European Championship 2020 against Turkey and Switzerland. It is not his natural position, but when he plays at it, he performs brilliantly. His movements, passing, and providing attacking threat is something valuable to have at your side.
Interesting stats about Locatelli that shows what can he bring to the team:
Manuel Locatelli made the most touches (3304), passes (2749), and was the midfielder with the most tackles (81) in 2020/21 Serie A.
Every statistic related to Manuel shows that he is very good at passing in general, with progressive passing, ball progression, and defensive actions being his strong sides as well.
Summary:
Locatelli is a brilliant signing for Juventus and a huge addition to the midfield. Added to that, the fact that he chose Juventus from the beginning and fought to join Juventus after refusing offers from abroad makes the fans more exciting about seeing him in the black and white colours.
