Over the course of the January transfer window, we will take a closer look at the best of the week’s business with our ‘Transfer of the Week’ columns. To round us off, we will take a look at Carlos Alcaraz’s move to Juventus in the last days of the window.
By Neel Shelat
Juventus are rather exceeding expectations so far this season as they find themselves right on the coattails of Serie A leaders Inter, despite Massimiliano Allegri toning down pre-season optimism by making it clear that the Old Lady’s realistic goal was a top-four finish and not the title.
While many of the other contenders such as defending champions Napoli and Milan have looked disappointing, to different degrees, Juventus have managed to grind out result after result despite not playing the most attractive brand of football. So, they will head into this weekend’s potentially decisive Derby d’Italia aiming to extend their unbeaten run to 20 matches.
Interestingly, out of the six times Juve have dropped points this season, half have come against teams in the bottom half of the table, including two relegation battlers. The Bianconeri’s defence-first playing style means that they can comfortably hold their own against the big hitters, but can find themselves struggling against teams that also look to sit deep and let them have the ball.
Part of the reason behind this is the profiles in their squad as well as the formation they use. Allegri’s favoured 3-5-2 shape, combined with Juventus’ lack of attacking midfielders, has left them heavily reliant on their two forwards to deal the damage up front.
The only player besides Dušan Vlahović and Federico Chiesa with more than five goal involvements is midfielder Adrien Rabiot, but he does not really solve the problem we previously outlined. Five of his six goal involvements have come against Roma, Lazio, Monza, and Lecce, who are all sides that can take attacking impetus if need be.
Of course, it is never wise to do a lot of business in January so you cannot plan a squad overhaul in this window. However, even one or two additions to a squad can help in strengthening it. With that in mind, the one player profile Juventus needed above all else was a playmaking midfielder who could provide a spark to break down low blocks.
Having understood that, it is easy to see why they went for Carlos Alcaraz.
The one aspect this radar chart might leave some people questioning is his chance creation, but that should not be a worry either. His time playing for a relegation-battling team in the Premier League would have brought his average down, but the main thing to note is that the Argentine midfielder focuses on high-quality chance creation more than high-volume chance creation. His average of 0.10 xA per key pass underscores this.
Alcaraz can help break down defences in many more ways besides chance creation. Another new dimension he can add to Juventus’ midfield is his dribbling threat, as he has always loved to pick the ball up and drive at defenders. In his senior career overall, he has averaged close to 4 attempted take-ons per 90.
The 21-year-old midfielder is also a very willing shot-taker who is never afraid to have a pop from range. The fact that he does not score as much as he should considering the number of shots he takes should generally be viewed as a weakness, but it is not quite so bad against low blocks when such potshots can end up creating better opportunities through deflections, rebounds and such.
While all of these attacking qualities will prove very useful to Juventus, they would be meaningless if Alcaraz could not put in a good defensive shift too because that is a core demand in Allegri’s team. The ex-Racing Club man absolutely fits the bill in this regard as he is a very willing off-ball worker and quite strong in duels, so this cements him as a suitable fit in Juventus’ midfield.
In the current Bianconeri squad, the only player of a similar profile is Fabio Miretti. The 20-year-old Italian midfielder was quite a highly-rated talent coming through the academy, but he has not had the best of seasons this term with just one goal and one assist to his name in the league. The new addition to the squad does not look like good news for Miretti, but the Argentine midfielder seems a more sure bet of success for Juventus.
Alcaraz has played in three different leagues in the last three years, starting with the Liga Professional for Racing Club before moving to English Premier League club Southampton, who were then relegated to the Championship. Having excelled in each of them, it is reasonable to expect him to quickly adapt to life in Serie A and make an instant impact on Juventus’ title challenge.
(Images from IMAGO)
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