Juventus Youth
Opinion: Fabio Miretti deserves Juventus’ trust
While a loan deal looms on the horizon for Fabio Miretti, writer Jurre van Wanrooij believes Juventus should give the 19-year-old a fair shot at the club next season.
Fabio Miretti is a product of the Juventus youth. The 19-year-old has been a bianconero since 2011 and has been labelled as one of the biggest talents of the Juventus youth many times. December 8th 2021 will forever be a special day for Miretti, as he made his Juventus senior debut against Malmo in the Champions League. A few months later, on the 20th of March 2022, he featured in the Serie A for the first time. My first memory of Miretti impressing me on a senior level was when he started against Venezia, near the end of the 2021/22 season. During the 79 minutes Miretti played, he thoroughly excited me with his vision and confidence. It was a spark of life in a rather uninspiring Juventus team.
Miretti remained at Juventus to fight for a spot in the squad. His performances against Roma and Spezia (gave an assist after a great run) were promising, but the turning point came soon after. In Juventus’ second Champions League fixture against Benfica, Miretti caused the penalty which led to Benfica’s 1-1. Juventus would go on to lose that match and Massimiliano Allegri’s faith in Miretti seemed to have taken a big hit. Miretti would have get less gametime, while the Bianconeri struggled with creativity from time to time, something Miretti could bring to the table. Nevertheless, the minutes he made were often from the bench.
Juventus’ disaster season ended and the club could focus on the 2023/24 season. Miretti’s presence in the squad became an uncertainty, as there were many suitors that would’ve liked to take the youngster off Juve’s hands, both on loan but also permanently.
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Juventus, however, took matters into their own hands. The Bianconeri also saw Miretti’s potential and extended his contract until 2027. If his short term future still lies in Turin is yet to be determined, but Juventush have at least shown that they have identified Miretti as one for the future.
His future might still be up in the air, I think it should be at Juventus. With Di María departing the club after only one season, the Bianconeri are in desparate need of creativity. Miretti is one of the few midfielders at Juventus that could offer that.
Via DataMB
As shown in the graph above, Miretti, despite his limited minutes, manages a high percentage of key passes and ball carrying. Adrien Rabiot and Nicolò Fagioli aren’t with the squad during pre-season in the USA, so it’s the perfect chance for Miretti to shine. It’s more than likely that he’ll complete the midfield together with Manuel Locatelli and Nicolò Rovella.
Via DataMB
As seen in the graph, Miretti adds quality in the departments where Locatelli and Rovella lack, making it an interesting midfield trio. Of course, it depends on how Allegri is planning let Juventus play, but looking at the data, this midfield doesn’t have a specific weakness and could work really well. Allegri and Sporting Director Cristiano Giuntoli, however, already set their sights on another midfielder: FC Barcelona’s Franck Kessié.
Alllegri and Giuntoli are convinced that the former Milan player offers the right qualities to add to the existing Juventus midfield. While Kessié was amazing during the 2020/21 season for Milan, the 28-year-old has fallen flat a little bit in the following season.
Via DataMB
In addition to that, Kessié doesn’t really offer that much of a different profiel than Miretti. He only beats the 19-year-old in forward and key passes, and his percentage is only marginally better at the latter. Miretti is also clearly better at ball carrying. Why bring in a player from abroad when you have somebody in the squad with the qualities your team needs? Plus, Miretti is one of the most promising youngsters at the club, so he should be developed into a starter at the club eventually.
In my opinion, Fabio Miretti deserves a clear shot at Juventus, because he offers qualities not many of the current Juventus players possess. He is the future of the club and the future is now, so he deserves Juventus’ trust. His age shouldn’t stand in the way. If you’re good enough, you’re old enough, and Miretti has definetly shown his potential.
