Espanyol Draw Shows Miralem Pjanic Can’t Carry Juventus Midfield Alone

Having dominated Serie A for the past five years, Juventus are undoubtedly expected to lift the title for a record sixth consecutive time when the 2016/17 season comes to an end. But, as the Old Lady prepares to begin the defence of her crown against Fiorentina next Saturday, there is still much work to be done.

Coach Massimiliano Allegri has begun to integrate his five new signings, with Dani Alves, Medhi Benatia, Miralem Pjanic, Marko Pjaca and Gonzalo Higuain all featuring in the club’s latest friendly.

Held to a 2-2 draw by Espanyol, it was a game that brought the fitness of the side a little closer to where it needs to be, but one which also highlighted a number of issues that must be addressed as quickly as possible.

Gonzalo Higuaín, Dani Alves & Marko Pjaca made their Juventus debuts on Sunday. #UCL stars in 2016/17? #UCL pic.twitter.com/7XDnWGxTs4

— Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 8, 2016

Trailing 1-0 at half-time, the Bianconeri attack only began to fire when Allegri introduced Paulo Dybala after the break. The Argentina native appears to still be in the rich vein of form he displayed throughout 2015/16, but Juve are in danger of becoming over-reliant on the 22-year-old striker.

That was a matter discussed in this previous post, with perhaps only Pjaca able to provide cover as a second striker. The Croatia international may well prove capable of fulfilling that role, but the Turin giants would do well to seek out an alternative before the transfer window closes on August 31.

As if to highlight the point, it would be Dybala who snatched the draw against Espanyol. With time running out, he took the ball to the edge of the box and curled home what is now a trademark effort with his left foot.

Paulo Dybala saves Juventus with this ridiculous strike against Espanyol in a friendly match.pic.twitter.com/OQsyjgHpTy

— Sivan John™ (@SivanJohn) August 14, 2016

Known as La Joya—Spanish for “The Jewel”—he is clearly a precious commodity for the Bianconeri, yet the outing at Modena’s Stadio Alberto Braglia also showed that Pjanic will be expected to shine brightly this term.

Juve’s official website revealed they paid rivals AS Roma €32 million for the Bosnia and Herzegovina international, a superb piece of business for a player whose importance to Allegri’s side simply cannot be understated.

With Paul Pogba having left for Manchester United, Pjanic will need to shoulder the responsibility of being the team’s key midfielder; a source of creativity, inspiration and …

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