Five Necessary Adjustments for the Top Serie A Teams | OneFootball

The burgeoning Scudetto race in Serie A will heat up in the next few rounds thanks to a few head-to-head clashes, starting with Inter-Juventus, revealing real contenders and pretenders. Most sides are still a work in progress after their summer moves. Some personnel or schematic tweaks could wind up being very beneficial.

Napoli: David Neres Needs to Play More

He has stopped dishing assist at a devastating rate, but his impact on matches is manifest. Granted that having such a powerful weapon off the bench is an asset, he was too expensive and is too electrifying not to be a regular. The easiest solution would be to bench Matteo Politano more often. Still, Antonio Conte explained that it’s hard to have both the Brazilian speedster and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia together without hurting the team’s balance. The Italian attacker tracks back a lot and even acts as a wing-back from time to time.

The conundrum could be solvable by making the formation more of a 4-3-3 and less of a 4-2-3-1, so the two box-to-box can cover the entire width of the pitch better, easing the burden on the wingers. Or they could deploy the Georgian ace as a no.10, limiting the two midfielders to defensive tasks. That would properly unleash the trio. One between Frank Anguissa and Scott McTominay would have to fall out of the XI, though, which is easier said than done.

Inter: Denzel Dumfries Has to Resume Being a Fixture

Matteo Darmian is solid, rarely ever makes mistakes in the back, and is just fine offensively. It was understandable for Simone Inzaghi to turn to him while they were experiencing defensive issues. Plus, it appears that the switch in the hierarchy last season happened for injury-related reasons, even though the Dutchman continued to be available. He’s far from perfect and still too much feast or famine, but he’s a constant threat with or without the ball in the box. Any team can use that, especially one that has one of the best crossers around on the other wing. Plus, he adds an element of unpredictability that the Nerazzurri often lack. Perhaps his uncertain contractual situation is a bigger factor than they have let out.

Juventus: Where to Put Andrea Cambiaso?

Ironically enough, considering he was already familiar with Thiago Motta and owes him a lot, he has been the most hurt by their new standard tactic. He’s tailor-made to play as a wingback. He’s still made it work, especially when the Old Lady has been able to lay siege and attack en masse. Still, his best stuff is in the final third. It’s not surprising that he had his most impactful and productive performances when he featured as a winger because they ran out of healthy bodies. Turning to that regularly is a stretch, especially once Nicolas Gonzalez and Teun Koopmeiners are healthy. They should do it in the short term, moving Kenan Yildiz to no.10 to make up for the creative void. The Turk appears to fare better the closer he is to the box and the thick of things. That spot belongs to the Dutchman eventually, though.

Adapting Cambiaso to box-to-box wouldn’t require too much work, as he’s already done it in the past and is no stranger to operating centrally. But they need him more as a fullback, especially following Gleison Bremer’s injury. He’s at home on the left, but they should field him on the right more often. Nicolò Savona has been okay given his lack of experience, but Juan Cabal has a full year as a regular in Serie A under his belt and is much more polished. The two chains would work better too. The Colombian stays wide because of his traits, so the Turkish prodigy can cut back at will. The fullback’s forays would open up space for Francisco Conceiçao and Gonzalez’s one-on-ones. In general, they have more in their bag than Yildiz at this stage.

Milan: Morata Has to Star as the No.9

Fielding the Spaniard a few meters behind Tammy Abraham was a good idea and sent a courageous signal that arguably saved Paulo Fonseca’s job and lasted for a few games. He can certainly do it thanks to his unique skillset and vision, but it leads to some issues. It’d function better if they had a Filippo Inzaghi-type striker next to him. The Englishman has bounced back nicely and fared better than expected, but he’s not a pristine finisher. The former Atletico Madrid star is still their best goal-poacher, so he needs to go in the box as much as possible. Even though Christian Pulisic is abnormally prolific for his role, the rent would come due at some point.

Plus, Morata as the tip of the spear creates more room for the other attackers when he peels back, increasing the element of surprise. The Rossoneri’s fortunes can’t lie on the touch of a loanee who’s notoriously wasteful. They’d have to sign an elite marksman in January to in that direction for good. The boss’ first intuition was to go with Pulisic as an attacking midfielder and Samuel Chukwueze wide. That’s probably what they should do when everybody is healthy and available. It wouldn’t hurt if Noah Okafor or Rafael Leao could play also on the other flank. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tijjani Reijnders can handle the no.10 position but are far less offensive-minded. A switch to 4-3-3 would suit them, but it appears that the gaffer aims to remain aggressive.

Roma: A Slightly Different Formation Would Go a Long Way

The Giallorossi were built for another coach and not necessarily to play with a three-man line, at least until they signed two top-notch free agents. That’s no longer a topic of conversation until Ivan Juric is in charge. He has started with his customary 3-4-2-1 with mixed results. Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala are good fits for it, but, until Matias Soulé gets going, they have a lot more good midfielders than threatening attackers. La Joya tracked back excessively versus Inter. While that’s commendable, it shouldn’t last long to spare him some energy and utilize him in the best possible way.

A pure 3-5-2 would allow him to stay up front all the time and generate more playing opportunities for Niccolò Pisilli, Manu Koné, and Enzo Le Fée. Bryan Cristante is ol’ reliable, and Leandro Paredes isn’t a slouch even though he’s been demoted. They might as well use him while he’s still with them. It’d be an adjustment for Lorenzo Pellegrini, but he’s done it in the past. He’s been fit and energetic to open the season, but not clutch when it came to finishing. Surely some fans wouldn’t mind it if he played less. Tommaso Baldanzi is a pure trequartista but started to learn the box-to-box role in the summer and can star there too with two powerhouses next to him.

It would also be beneficial on the wings, where they have been lacking. Zeki Celik doesn’t do enough offensively to be the go-to wing-back. If Saud Abdulhamid can’t cut it, they should lean on Stephan El Shaarawy and Nicola Zalewski there, who are right-footed even though they have spent most of their careers on the left. Angelino as a center-back is okay in some situations but is dubious as a standard solution. He’s a lot more useful and at ease on the flank. They have Mario Hermoso and Evan N’Dicka as the left braccetto, which would help integrate Mats Hummels. They wouldn’t be as fancy but would be rock-solid defensively and put less stress on a few key players.