Juventus have returned to a familiar shape under Luciano Spalletti, and the five-goal Europa League win over NEC offered their clearest indication yet of how the coach may balance attacking talent with greater control. The test, however, comes quickly: Atalanta await on Sunday.
The decision
Spalletti used a 3-4-2-1 system against the Dutch side, reviving a structure Juventus had employed only intermittently last season. It produced a more direct and balanced performance, although NEC’s open approach means the result should not yet be treated as a final verdict on the change.
The central figure in the adjustment was Weston McKennie. Juventus had begun the campaign without the American available and had instead used Spalletti’s preferred 4-2-3-1, with Francisco Conceiçao on the right, Nico Gonzalez through the middle, Alajbegovic from the left and Randal Kolo Muani leading the line.
Conceiçao and Gonzalez contributed defensively in that arrangement, but Juventus often struggled to turn prolonged possession into chances. They also looked vulnerable when opponents broke quickly, as Sassuolo had shown.
Spalletti said the side can accommodate numerous attacking players, but only under the right conditions. “You can play with as many forward-minded players as you want,” he explained, “but the more quality players you have, the more you must keep the ball and make the opposition chase. If the game becomes an exchange of attacks, it is more fragile, even if the system can still be used again.”
McKennie gives the coach a flexibility that no other Juventus player currently replicates. Against NEC, as on occasions last season, he could begin wide on either flank before moving behind the striker, or start in an advanced central role and then retreat towards the touchline.
“Wes is everything because he can do everything,” Spalletti said after the match.
That versatility makes McKennie the hinge of Juventus’ fluid version of the 3-4-2-1. It also allows the team to shift its approach without making wholesale personnel changes.
Against NEC, Juventus initially defended from a deeper position and allowed their visitors more of the ball. The intention was to find space for quicker forward play and runs behind the defence, qualities offered by Gonzalez and, after his introduction from the bench, Kolo Muani.
Alajbegovic also appeared more comfortable in a narrower role, with room ahead of him rather than the tighter spaces he faces when stationed wide against a settled defence. The same system looks less natural for pure wide players such as Conceiçao and Zhegrova. Teun Koopmeiners is another case to watch, having often been used as the left-sided central defender in this set-up last season.
Sunday’s picture
The win over NEC was Juventus’ Europa League opening outing and brought five goals, but Atalanta will provide a more meaningful measure of whether the revived system is becoming a regular feature rather than a one-match answer.
Spalletti has altered Juventus’ look, but not necessarily abandoned the alternatives available to him. Sunday will show whether the McKennie-led 3-4-2-1 can sustain its promise in a more demanding Serie A afternoon.
