When Maurizio Sarri was announced as the new Juventus head coach, it was obvious that his arrival would change the roles of a lot of his players. One of those who were expected to slot into Sarris style seamlessly was the Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic. Already after two games, we can see that he has adapted his game to Sarris tactics. This tactical analysis scout report will look at how we can already see signs of Sarris coaching and what Pjanićs role is in Juventus setup.
This piece will only discuss Pjanićs role in possession since his defensive role is quite straightforward in a positionally-orientated defensive system where he defends space rather than men.
Movement and positioning
Pjanić plays as the deepest midfielder in a midfield three in which he has been accompanied by Sami Khedira and Blaise Matuidi in the first two games. For Sarris football to work, Pjanićs positioning and movement to become free are critical. His job is not to drop in between the centre-backs to pick up the ball. Instead, Pjanić must position himself behind the opponents first pressing line. This is done to break the first pressing line with a pass to Pjanić. We can see this in the image below.
It is not always easy for a midfielder to become free in these areas, especially if the opponent have a well-organised first line of pressure. Thus, Pjanić must use clever movement to open up a clear passing lane and become a free option for his centre-backs. In the image below, we can see him doing just that. With Matthijs De Ligt on the ball, Pjanić is initially covered by Hirving Lozano but then makes a little movement outside of the Mexicans cover shadow to become a pass option that breaks Napolis first pressing line.
That is Pjanićs initial role in the attack. He needs to fin
