‘Save me, Arsenal!’ - How Locatelli has been destroyed at Juventus
Carlo Garganese
- Updated: 11 Oct 2022 11:42 BST
- 4 min read
Only 15 months ago, Manuel Locatelli was one of the most admired midfielders in all of Europe.
The central midfielder had been one of the breakout stars of Euro 2020, playing an important role in Italy winning their first European Championship in 53 years.
Locatelli scored two goals in the tournament and was part of an outstanding Italy midfield that dominated possession and territory in every single game – bar the semi-final shootout win over Spain.
Playing for Sassuolo at that time, Locatelli’s performances resulted in Europe’s major clubs sitting up and taking notice.
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Juventus and Arsenal were the two teams who pursued Locatelli the most, with the two clubs going head-to-head for the midfielder.
In the end, and not for the first time in recent years, Arsenal were snubbed by a top player as Locatelli signed for the Bianconeri.
Locatelli regrets Juventus move
Fifteen months on and Locatelli surely regrets that decision.
The 24-year-old has not only stagnated in Turin, he has regressed massively under crisis-hit Juventus coach Max Allegri.
Locatelli has been playing for the worst Juventus side in well over a decade. Last season was the club’s first trophyless campaign since 2011, as they limped to fourth place and were humiliatingly dumped out of the Champions League by Villarreal in the last 16.
This season has been even worse. Juve are on the brink of being eliminated in the Champions League group stages and are in eighth position in Serie A after nine games – 10 points off the top and seven off the top four.
They have won just three Serie A games in six months and won just one of their 17 games against big clubs under Allegri; this includes three games versus Milan, four versus Inter, two versus Napoli, two versus Atalanta, two versus Villarreal, two versus Chelsea, one versus Benfica and one versus PSG.
Locatelli mismanaged by Allegri
Aside from playing in what is fast becoming a banter-era Juventus team, Locatelli himself has been horribly mismanaged by Allegri, a manager who now appears completely outdated and out of touch with modern football.
His natural position is as a mezzala – the right or left centre-midfielder in a three-man midfield. However, Allegri has generally insisted on playing him as a regista – a deep-lying playmaker. This is a role that Locatelli does not feel comfortable in as he lacks the defensive skills and pace. It also limits his ability to get forward.
Allegri’s system at Juventus – not that there is actually any discernible system or style of play under the Italian – has largely been to defend deep and then try and counter-attack or put crosses into the box.
This kind of football naturally does not get the best out of someone like Locatelli, who is a ball-playing midfielder who likes to dominate possession and territory, create chances, take shots from the edge of the area and make runs into the box.
Locatelli is at his best playing in a progressive team who want to be the masters on the pitch, play attractive and attacking football, with lots of short passes and patterns of play. Something Locatelli experienced at Sassuolo under Robert De Zerbi and with Italy under Roberto Mancini.
And something he would have experienced at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, who has the Gunners top of the Premier League.
What is worse for Locatelli is that Allegri doesn’t even consider him a first-team player, once he has all his injured players back.
“I’m very sorry for this situation and I often ask myself if I have made mistakes,” Allegri said a few weeks ago about Juventus’ bad form.
“The first answer that comes to mind is that Juve had been thought of in another way. With Rabiot-Paredes-Pogba in midfield plus Locatelli as the first substitute.”
Locatelli’s move to Juventus was supposed to be the next step in his career. Instead, it is turning into a disaster.
If Arsenal come back in for the Italian in January or at the end of the season, he should certainly consider moving in order to resurrect his career.
