On Saturday night, Juventus will host Napoli in what should be one of the most intriguing tactical battles of the Serie A season. Yet more than pure tactics, this is a tie that pits beautiful football over impressive discipline, southern passion against business-like precision and Gonzalo Higuain against his former team.
Off the pitch, the melodrama of such a match can and will cause hysteria. Amid the buildup, Napoli have cast themselves as the humble and downtrodden victim who lost their prodigal son to the evil reach of a greedy empire. In the face of modern-day madness, they are the club that try to do things the right way by playing an aesthetically pleasing style of football and who try to cope despite smaller revenues and the loss of star players to money or injury.
Yet Maurizio Sarri is not looking to make excuses. He lost Arkadiusz Milik, but Juventus will be without Paulo Dybala. He lost Higuain, but clubs always stand to lose their best players in much the same way Juventus lost Paul Pogba. Success must be earned despite the hardships and the very fact Sarri understands this is what should worry Allegri, for there is no better tactician to concoct a perfect strategy to defeat the reigning champions than the man who built one of the most exciting teams in the most demanding of cities.
First and foremost, Juventus need Claudio Marchisio for this game if they are to aim for victory. It is clear that the Partenopei will target their former striker. An efficient finisher, there is no better way to hurt Juventus than by cutting the supply to the €90 million man. With Dybala absent and Miralem Pjanic struggling to impose the beauty of his football, Higuain requires all the support he can get and his teammates will be more capable of producing for him if Marchisio, who only just returned from injury on Wednesday against Sampdoria, is available, taking care of the dirty work required to launch the attacking brilliance of those around him.
Stable, intelligent and responsible, Marchisio not only delivers the right forward passes while positioning himself perfectly to halt the opponent but his presence in midfield alone, on a psychological level, provides the team with added comfort and safety. His value lies in the fact he takes the element of risk away by asserting his character and by taking responsibility.
Unlike Hernanes, he's dynamic, he recovers possession and quickly launches it forward, the very quality Allegri said Juventus must improve at and it can really only be done with Marchisio available. He is physically quick but he also processes the ability to launch swift attacks and simplify the game in central areas -- the place the Bianconeri have suffered in the most.
Mario Lemina tried and his youthful exuberance provided the team with energy and physicality but he lacked the vision required for the role, succumbing to panic when he failed to read a move.
Napoli must and will focus on disrupting Juve's flow in midfield, pressing high up the pitch to provoke mistakes and isolate Higuain. Marchisio will need to work hard but Pjanic will also need to be stubbornly determined, confident that his vision and artistry on the ball can help spur his team to victory. The Bosnian has simply not offered his new side enough. Introverted and liable to disappearing in a game, he needs to fight for his position more, playing for the win even if those around him begin to give up.
While Palermo demonstrated the pitfalls of playing Mario Mandzukic alongside Higuain, Sampdoria proved that by working for one another, this partnership could actually produce results. The Croat is, by nature, one who revels in sacrificing himself for the team. Always defending from the top and holding up play, the manner in which he moved left to create space for Higuain to exploit against Sampdoria revealed his intelligence and desire to work. In return, the Argentine also looked to accommodate his new partner.
Against Napoli, Higuain might have to be the one who works more for his partner. Napoli will try to close the spaces and limit the support offered and that will especially hurt a player such as Higuain, who enjoys beautiful play and incisive passes. Should that happen then Juventus will need to rely on more old fashioned play, one that relies on the wing-backs widening the pitch and delivering crosses for the usually well-positioned Mandzukic to head in. It will be up to the strikers to read the situation and adapt, working hard to occupy the opponent to create space and opportunities for one another.
Playing an exciting brand of football has proved difficult for Allegri and his squad. They still lack the fluidity required to unlock certain games with ease and one only hopes that in time they will find solutions. Until then, grinding out wins is not the worst thing in the world and if Juve have to play ugly to win then so be it.