5 players Juventus should scarcely use in Serie A (2021-22)
The 2021-22 Serie A season saw Juventus endure the unlikeliest of circumstances. The defending champions were seen scrambling for UEFA Champions League qualification, with their extraordinary nine-year run as Serie A champions coming to an end.
Juventus legend Andrea Pirlo failed to inspire them to league success and had a disappointing run in last season's Champions League as well. However, the Bianconeri bagged silverware in domestic cup competitions, winning the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana.
Juventus going through a transition in Serie A
It feels like Juventus are currently going through a rough period of transition, with Inter dominating Serie A last season. Repeated changes in managers have not helped their cause in recent years either. Former manager Massimiliano Allegri has been re-appointed at the helm and Juventus will now be looking to regain their Serie A supremacy.
While players Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala could inspire them to success, we take a look at some players that the Turin club should scarcely use this season.
Without further delay, let's get straight into it:
#5 Daniele Rugani
Once regarded as the long-term successor to lead Juventus' defense, Daniele Rugani has been pushed into oblivion. An unsuccessful spell with Rennes in Ligue 1 saw him return to Juventus last season, followed by another loan spell with Cagliari in Serie A. The latter must have given him a boost in terms of confidence, but he still faces an uphill task to revive his Juventus career this season.
The Italian will have to compete with his fellow countrymen Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, both starring in this summer's Euros. To add to the competition, Matthijs de Ligt is ahead of him in the pecking order. Rugani will find gametime hard to come by with such established names ahead of him, and could only have a sporadic role to play this season.
#4 Federico Bernardeschi
After a promising start to his career with Juventus, Federico Bernardeschi and his hype have quickly fizzled out. The glimpses of early promise were very encouraging, but were halted by a knee injury. Since then, the former Fiorentina man has looked off-pace and inconsistent, failing to break into the team for regular minutes in Serie A.
Under former manager Andrea Pirlo, the Italian played all over the pitch in unfavorable positions, sometimes as a wing-back. With the emergence of youngsters like Weston McKennie and the in-form Federico Chiesa, it looks highly unlikely that the 27-year old could feature more under Allegri.
Contract talks with Paulo Dybala have also signified that Bernardeschi is further down the pecking order and could only be a squad player for Juventus this term.