Juventus are preparing to carry their European experiment into a more demanding league afternoon. Luciano Spalletti’s 3-4-2-1, used in the Europa League against NEC, is set to remain in place for Atalanta, offering the Bianconeri a new collective balance while creating a crowded contest behind the centre-forward.
The coach and the club
Spalletti saw encouraging signs from the altered shape in the European outing. Juventus appeared more solid without the ball and more direct when moving forward, even if NEC did not provide the sternest possible test. The match against Atalanta will therefore be a more meaningful measure of whether the coach’s latest idea can become a lasting part of the season.
The immediate consequence is felt in the attacking midfield positions. Under the system Juventus had employed until the Sassuolo match, the squad could be arranged with two options in each of the three roles: Francisco Conceição and Edon Zhegrova on the right, Nico Gonzalez and Kerim Alajbegovic through the middle, and Kenan Yildiz alongside Boga on the left.
A 3-4-2-1 reduces those places to two. For now, injuries to Yildiz and Boga mean four players are competing for the pair of starting roles. From November, however, should the coach persist with the formation and the injured players return, six contenders could be fighting for two shirts.
Atalanta selection and the wider contest
Alajbegovic may be the player to make way against Atalanta, despite a notable recent contribution: his first Juventus goal and the incisive forward pass that led to the penalty won by Nico Gonzalez. Conceição is the likely beneficiary of that rotation.
Gonzalez, meanwhile, has established himself as particularly difficult to leave out. Beyond his technical contribution, he has offered leadership and an ability to drive the side forward, qualities that have strengthened his standing within the group.
In the longer view, Conceição could still find the new structure less favourable than it first appears. His natural game is more suited to operating close to the touchline, where he can confront defenders from wide areas. Zhegrova and Boga may face a similar adjustment if the role asks them to begin in narrower positions.
Alajbegovic has previously been tested more centrally during Igor Tudor’s spell in charge, with mixed results. Spalletti’s decision is therefore not simply about a formation board: it is about asking a group built with several wide and flexible attacking options to compete in a smaller central space.
For Juventus, the switch offers a possible route to greater compactness and sharper vertical attacks. For the players behind the striker, it begins a different chapter: two places now, and potentially six claims on them before the season moves much further on.
