Since he took over the Juventus job three seasons ago, Antonio Conte has been extremely flexible in changing his formation according to his players’ skills and abilities. He started doing it when he switched his initial thoughts from the successful 4-2-4 he utilized in the first part of his coaching career to a 4-3-3 and a 3-5-2 so as to maximize the passing ability of Andrea Pirlo, pairing the former Milan deep-lying playmaker with two hard-working runners in Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio, allowing him to be comfortable when the side were without possession.
With new additions to the front line, how are the Bianconeri going to line up next season? Here’s a look at three possible options that Conte might look at.
3-5-2
This is the formation that Juventus used for much of last season, because it fit Conte’s best 11 like a glove. It allowed Juve to field their three world class center-backs, gave Andrea Pirlo two dependable bodyguards in Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio, created a ton of space for the team’s stable of athletic wing backs and put players like Sebastian Giovinco and Mirko Vucinic right in front of goal, where they had to worry less about filling the lanes and could focus exclusively on creating chances for Alessandro Matri.
This season would not be much different, as the likely changes are only going to occur at the top with Tevez and Llorente are replacing Vucinic/Giovinco and Matri respectively. The back three of Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, all three bring something different. Barzagli is the tactical maestro; Chiellini is another in a long line of Italian defenders who shuts down opponents with a combination of technique and brute force; Bonucci may be the best ball-playing defender in Europe. Recent signing Angelo Ogbonna may also feature in the line-up instead of Bonucci.
Juve’s central midfield trio of Marchisio, Vidal, and Pirlo, commonly known to Juve fans as MVP, is among the best in the world. Pirlo is the ultimate deep-lying playmaker, his metronomic passing making Juve’s attack tick, while Marchisio and Vidal compliment him perfectly as a box-to-box midfielders who tackle hard on defense while making deadly runs through the channels on the other end of the field. Paul Pogba’s performances towards the end of last season may have may have given him an edge over Marchisio, and he can be expected to feature more regularly.
Stephan Lichtsteiner will hold down the right side of midfield, backed up by Simone Pepe. The left side will be left with a combination of Federico Peluso and Kwadwo Asamoah.
3-3-1-3
This is a very real possibility for Juventus, considering their strength does not lie in width. This formation would see the trio of Llorente, Tevez and Vucinic start, with Llorente up top and Tevez and Vucinic feature in slightly deeper and wider roles.
Paul Pogba would be the link between midfield and attack, and his performances in a similar role last season suggest that it may be the best place for him in the side. This would allow Conte to play all three of Pirlo, Marchisio and Vidal in midfield, while the defense would remain unchanged. This formation would be quite flexible and could easily be turned into a 3-5-1-1 by deploying Asamoah and Pepe as wingbacks instead of Vucinic and Tevez, lending more width and balance to the side if a lead needs to be protected towards the end of the match.
3-3-4
Conte’s experiments have continued this pre-season with the Juventus coach working on another formation, a highly offensive and aggressive 3-3-4. “The 3-3-4?”, Conte said “is an option.” A 3-3-4 formation, though, is somewhat unusual in the modern game. The formation used by Conte is not the 3-3-1-3 Louis Van Gaal displayed with Ajax or that Marcelo Bielsa utilized throughout his period as Argentina and Chile head coach.
A 3-3-4 is a much more attacking formation, featuring three defenders, three central midfielders with a spare man to retain ball control, and four men up-front with two central forwards and attacking wingers. Although Conte has noted that it will be very hard to see Fernando Llorente, Mirko Vucinic and Carlos Tevez together on the pitch at the same time, it’s still a possibility in certain situations. Vucinic could play as the left-winger, drifting inside from there, while employing a classic wing-back like Stephane Lichsteiner on the right flank to guarantee balance.
Then there is Simone Pepe who could be deployed as an offensive wing-back, capable of running up and down the touchline. The midfielder could be utilized here, alongside the three influential central midfielders, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, and Claudio Marchisio; the latter two players, who are the midfield runners, will be tasked with supporting the forwards, overlapping the wing-backs and also helping the central defenders closing the gaps on the flanks with the wing-backs out of position.
With the wing-backs immediately moving forward, Juventus will be able to press the opposition at goal-kicks, preventing them from playing the ball easily into midfield. Conte’s wards do have the attitude and tactical know-how to adapt to new tactics and new ways of thinking. The 3-3-4 is still a ‘Plan B’ but Conte could try to install it and utilize it when needed to get the best out of both Llorente and Tevez in the same line-up.