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The upcoming season is going to be a period of change for Juventus. On one hand, the club has had to say goodbye to a legend, Gianluigi Buffon. But on the other hand, they have welcomed Cristiano Ronaldo in a shocking €120 million switch from Real Madrid during the summer.
The Turin based club has also managed to bring in highly rated right back, Joao Cancelo, from Valencia in a €40 million deal and the versatile German midfielder, Emre Can, on a free transfer. Club legend, Leonardo Bonucci, has also returned to the club after a dismal season at AC Milan.
With such high-quality arrivals, Juventus are expected to go one step further this year and win the UEFA Champions League. The trophy has eluded Juventus during recent seasons despite the Old Lady going to the finals on two separate occasions under the tutelage of Allegri.
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The club is expected to play more attacking football this year in order to fully utilize the goalscoring threat of Cristiano Ronaldo. Allegri will be looking to set up the team in their familiar 4-3-3 formation but with significantly more attacking intent than during previous seasons.
Here is each of the potential starting XI for Juventus in this coming season.
Goalkeeper
Wojciech Szczesny
Szczesny is now clearly the first choice goalkeeper at Juventus after Buffon's summer move to Paris Saint-Germain. The Polish star will finally have his chance to shine after biding his time on the bench last season.
Many fans might consider him to be the weak link of this team. However, he has shown that he is completely capable of being a first choice goalkeeper during his time at AS Roma.
Defenders
Right Back: Joao Cancelo
The highly rated summer arrival is expected to be the first choice right back for Allegri this season. The Portuguese international possesses burning pace as well as enough defensive ability to be a permanent fixture in this Juventus side for years to come.
However, just in case he goes down with an injury or has an unlikely streak of bad games, Juventus has an experienced campaigner in the form of Juan Cuadrado on the bench as back up.
Left Back: Alex Sandro
At one point it looked as if Alex Sandro was surely gonna leave Juventus this summer. He has been linked with Manchester United all summer. But with only one day left in the English transfer window, it is safe to say that Juventus have managed to hold on to the Brazilian.
Alex Sandro is a left back cut from the same cloth as Ronaldo's former teammate, Marcelo. It is expected that Alex Sandro will thrive with the Portuguese goal machine in the team, much like his Brazilian compatriot did back in Madrid.
Centre Back: Giorgio Chiellini
The 33-year-old, hard-nosed Italian defender has been in a mainstay in the Juventus line-up since 2005 and is not expected to give up his position in the middle of defense anytime soon. With more than 350 appearances for Juventus under his belt, Chiellini has been named as the new captain of the club after the departure of longtime captain, Gianluigi Buffon.
Starting as a left back, Chiellini managed to morph into one of the most reliable central defenders in world football. With the return of his partner in crime, Leonardo Bonucci, he will be expected to be rock solid at the back again.
Centre Back: Leonardo Bonucci
After a confusing move to AC Milan last summer, the Italian defender is back at Juventus after suffering a disappointing season at the San Siro. He will be looking to pick off from right where he left off, by reforming his defensive partnership with compatriot, Giorgio Chiellini. The pair had one of the most formidable partnerships in Europe before Bonucci left for Milan.
Next up, Midfielders.
Midfielders
Central Midfielder: Miralem Pjanic
The Bosnian international will be pulling the strings from the middle of the park for Juventus this season. Pjanic is one of the best playmakers in Europe at the moment and will be relishing the opportunity to have Ronaldo in his team.
Pjanic has an excellent eye for a pass and might even be the first choice free kick taker for Juventus despite the arrival of Ronaldo, such is his prowess from a dead ball situation.
Right Central Midfielder: Emre Can
The former Liverpool midfielder is a jack of all trades kind of player. He plays primarily in central midfield but can easily play in any of the defensive positions. At Juventus, though, he will be expected to play in one of the two midfield positions on either side of Pjanic.
Can will be tasked with providing defensive protection to the back four as well as keeping the ball moving in the middle of the park. However, with the amount of versatility that the German possess it should come as no surprise if he excels in the position and forces his international teammate, Sami Khedira, out of Turin by the start of next season.
Left Central Midfielder: Blaise Matuidi
The French World Cup winner should start alongside Pjanic and Can in the midfield of the park. His ability to break up opposition attacks and carry the ball forward from the deep is unmatched at Juventus.
If Allegri decides to play Khedira instead of Matuidi, the club might suffer from the lack of a box to box midfielder in the middle of the park who can break up plays as well. Matuidi fits that role like a glove and will most likely get the nod over Sami Khedira.
Next up, Forwards.
Forwards
Left Forward: Douglas Costa
After making his loan move from Bayern Munich permanent this summer, Costa will be expected to retain his place in Allegri's starting XI.
The Brazilian's excellent dribbling ability makes him a perfect foil to the fox in the box striker that Ronaldo has transformed into over the last few years.
Costa will also be licking his lips at the opportunity to link up with one of the greatest goal scorers in the game, who will help him in both improving his assist stats by freeing up space for him in the box.
Right Forward: Paulo Dybala
For the first time in his Juventus career, Paulo Dybala will not be the focus of the Italian media. For years the Argentine has been touted as the next big thing, but after a hugely disappointing World Cup campaign where he could not break into a weak Argentina starting XI, he must be raring to get back on the pitch and show the world his ability.
It will be interesting to see how he will react to playing second fiddle to Ronaldo. Either he will enjoy the reduced pressure as a result of the attention that Ronaldo will garner or he will crave for the spotlight like Neymar did while playing with Messi before forcing through a move to Paris Saint-Germain last summer in order to become the face of his club.
Centre Forward: Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo will finally officially play the role that he has been secretly playing for Real Madrid for a number of years now.
While a left winger on paper all his career, in truth Ronaldo has been playing in a more advanced role than Karim Benzema for the past several seasons and now the departure of Gonzalo Higuain from Juventus it is clear that the Portuguese legend will be featured in a central role under Allegri.
It is only a tribute to the quality of Ronaldo that even at the age of thirty-three he can command a €120 million transfer fee and turn a team into instant Champions League contenders.
It will be interesting to see, though, how Ronaldo will adjust to a new club at such an advanced stage in his career. He will also miss playing each with creative forces like Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
However, if there's one thing that we have learned about the Portuguese talisman in all his years at the peak, it is that whatever he does is guaranteed to be must-watch.
