Juventus return from the international break with their squad reduced by injuries and their October programme already demanding answers. Luciano Spalletti cannot wait for the January window to alter the balance of his group: with key players unavailable, the immediate task is to draw more than one function from those who remain.
An October built around adaptation
The transfer window has closed, although Juventus have already made one emergency move. Neto arrived as a free agent after Kamil Grabara suffered a cruciate ligament rupture and required surgery. Elsewhere, Kenan Yildiz, Khephren Thuram and Manuel Locatelli have also undergone operations, leaving Spalletti with fewer options than planned after the summer preparations.
The medical list also includes Cabal, Ekhator and Boga. It is a situation that has turned flexibility from a useful quality into a necessity at Continassa, particularly before a run of seven fixtures in roughly 20 days, most of them away from Turin.
- Juventus begin the sequence away to Cagliari on Sunday 11 October.
- They then travel to face Celta Vigo.
- Lazio visit Juventus in the next home fixture.
- Rennes follow in Europe.
- Juventus then go to Lecce.
- An away match against Genoa comes next.
- The stretch concludes on 1 November, when Napoli arrive at the Allianz Stadium.
Different opponents and competitions will require different game plans, but Spalletti’s response is likely to rely on players capable of covering several roles rather than on fixed replacements.
McKennie at the centre of the solution
Weston McKennie has become the clearest example of that approach. His natural position is in midfield, yet Juventus can use him on either flank when width and running are needed. When the game calls for more presence near goal, he can operate as an attacking midfielder making late runs into the box.
He has even been used as an emergency centre-forward, where his timing in the air offers another route into attacking areas. For a side facing such a compressed calendar, McKennie’s ability to change responsibility without changing his level gives Spalletti a dependable reference point.
Before the break, the American had also worked his way back from a muscle issue. His recovery, along with the reintegration of Nico Gonzalez and the arrival of Zeki Celik into the group, has softened the immediate effect of the absences.
Cambiaso’s return adds a fresh option
Andrea Cambiaso’s availability has the feel of an October signing. He managed only 31 minutes across August and September, but his return gives Juventus another player who can alter the shape of a match without requiring a substitution-led redesign.
Cambiaso can play on the left, allowing Celik to move back to the right or take a rest. He can also feature on the opposite side. Spalletti has been considering an additional possibility: using Cambiaso centrally in midfield, an idea tested in the friendly against Cremonese.
It would not be entirely unfamiliar territory. The former Genoa player often begins wide before moving infield to use his passing vision, but a dedicated central role would offer a further alternative to Douglas Luiz, who has otherwise remained a near-constant presence.
Celik and Gonzalez broaden the squad
Celik has spent much of the season on the left because Cambiaso and Cabal were absent. Across Serie A and the Europa League, he has accumulated 518 minutes there, although the right side is historically the Turkish international’s preferred channel.
Spalletti has appreciated Celik’s ability to play on the opposite side, but Cambiaso’s return could permit the former Roma defender to return to more familiar territory. Celik can also provide cover in a back three if required.
Gonzalez, meanwhile, has re-established himself before the break through his work rate, personality and willingness to move between assignments. The former Atletico Madrid player can shift from a wide role to winger, attacking midfielder or false nine within the same match.
His two goals make him Juventus’ joint-leading scorer alongside Zhegrova and Bremer. In a month when the squad will be tested as much by availability as by opposition, that combination of output and adaptability may prove as important as any tactical adjustment Spalletti can make.
