Thursday, 19 December 2013

5 Reasons Juventus Failed in the Champions League This Season

Lack of Tactical Variety



Paolo Bruno/Getty Images


Juventus may have upgraded their attack significantly in the summer, but they failed to address something that they were accused of last season in Europe, an over-reliance on the 3-5-2 system.


Antonio Conte does have tactical variety, having started his tenure at the club with the 4-4-2 (interpreted by some as a 4-2-4).


Quite soon though, it was clear that the 3-5-2 system best suited the players at his disposal, and it has been a huge success.


However, given its lack of use in Europe, particularly the Champions League, it was unclear whether it could translate to the European game.


After squeezing through the group stage-despite topping the group-before facing a weak Celtic side and then finally being eliminated by a formidable Bayern outfit, it was unclear as to how successful it had been.


Conte appears to be willing to experiment with a 4-3-3 formation that was used twice against Real Madrid this season, but it is clear that the players are not available to use this system on a more regular basis.


Simone Pepe's injury has particularly harmed Conte's ability to switch formations more regularly, as there are a real lack of advanced wide players in the squad.


Next summer, it will be clear that wingers will be the priority in the transfer market, which will then enable Conte to chop and change his tactics dependent on the competition or opposition.


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