There is no scarcity of players at Juventus currently. The club failed to offload multiple players this past summer, despite best attempts. Because of that, they have immense depth in a side that has already made good use of it.
The bianconeri tried to offload Daniele Rugani, Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Emre Can, among others. But all these players ended up staying, so did Gonzalo Higuain.
As things stand, Juve are top of the Serie A and Maurizio Sarri has imposed a 4-3-1-2 shape at the club. The Italian hasn’t quite been successful in implementing his attacking, possession-based system though. It will certainly take time, but there have been moments of promise.
Juve have had Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuain or Dybala rotate among themselves for the front two positions. Federico Bernardeschi and Aaron Ramsey have been used in the number ten position behind the strikers.
Ramsey is now back from the fitness issues he had faced following a regular run in the side. During this time, Bernardeschi has struggled. Despite being handed starts in 4-5 games, the Italian has been disappointing.
He hasn’t done enough to warrant a spot in the first-team. Not just this season, but ever since he came to Turin from Fiorentina. That should send alarm bells ringing in his mind, considering how Juve had tried to sell their players.
But links with Kai Havertz are not a surprise, in that sense. The Bayer Leverkusen man has been linked with moves to many other clubs in the past. Bayern Munich, have been the most prominent one. Liverpool are another of those clubs.
More recent reports have stated that the likes of Manchester United, Barcelona and Juventus also want the German youngster. Clearly, there is something in the player that attracts just about every top club in Europe.
For the Die Werkself this season, Havertz has played nine times in the Bundesliga. He has scored twice, assisting three times. Last season, the youngster had played 34 times in the league and had scored as many as 17 goals.
There’s a reason why Havertz had a high tally last season. Peter Bosz had joined the club on the turn of the year and his attacking brand of football changed Leverkusen’s fortunes. They scored goals for fun in the second half of the campaign, with Havertz scoring seven times in the last seven games.
It’s this kind of form that has seen the online German bookmakers sit up and take notice – currently pricing Leverkusen as short as 50/1 to topple Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga this season. That might sound a lot, but the team at Eagle Bet explained that Leverkusen were as far out as 150/1 at the start of the season – and with Bayern sacking Kovac, Dortmund not setting the world alight and the league looking quite open, it is easy to see why the bookies are changing their Bundesliga odds frequently.
Bosz’s system was usually a 4-3-3 with the two central midfielders playing high up the pitch. Havertz and Julian Brandt were those two midfielders and they thrived. They could get on the ball and dictate play, with loads of movement in front of them.
A central attacking role brings the best out of Havertz. Although he is good enough playing on the right flank, he isn’t as quick as a Douglas Costa. He is more like a taller Paulo Dybala who is slightly more physical.
Before Juve’s recent Champions League game against Leverkusen, Sarri praised Havertz. He said at a press conference:
“He is a player who combines excellent physical qualities with great technical skills. At the moment they are using him mainly as an attacking midfielder behind the central forward or as a winger. I think he is a complete player that could also play as a midfielder. He is a player born in 1999… with those qualities and with that personality it makes you think it is certain he will become… one of the most important players in Europe.”
That number ten role in the Juve 4-3-1-2 is something that can help Havertz develop. In Sarri’s attacking system he will get loads of possession. He will have some top-class players in Higuain, Dybala or Ronaldo moving in front of him.
Havertz’s ability to play as the creative force in midfield can allow him to play in place of Adrien Rabiot or Blaise Matuidi too. And that is an added benefit of its own.
But the problem for Juve comes from a financial perspective. The reason why they were looking to offload players is because of their tight financial position. Havertz’s cost is high and they would need to sell players to free up funds.
But for a talent who is one of the best in Europe, it may all be worth it. Many requirements that Havertz has fit the bill in Turin.
