Football-Italia
Sassuolo, Llorente’s chance to shine
Fernando Llorente remains goalless this term and Luca Cetta says Juventus’ clash with Sassuolo represents a golden chance to break the shackles.
For Vicente del Bosque the decision to call Diego Costa ahead of Fernando Llorente for Spain’s recent internationals boiled down to confidence: “I cannot get into a focus on Llorente or anyone else. It is a matter of confidence, we are calling up those who we believe are the best.” If Llorente was unlucky not to make the World Cup squad despite his bagful of goals in Turin, Del Bosque had a point now.
It has been a difficult opening to the new season for the No 14, who remains goalless after six rounds of Serie A and two Champions League fixtures. There have been contributions, but worryingly Llorente has coasted through some matches with minimal impact. It’s not the output Juve require.
With Carlos Tevez given licence to roam by Massimiliano Allegri, it leaves Llorente more isolated in attack - Tevez: “I must admit I like my new position more” - and while Allegri says he does not like 'to provide many points of reference’, Llorente is one up front. Stats from WhoScored suggest he is more likely to hold the ball up and lay it off to a teammate or win a ball in the air this term than last. They also show Llorente simply hasn’t been firing in front of goal, his shot accuracy down on last term.
His return echoes back to the start of his Bianconeri career. It took until Round 4 to grab that breakthrough goal and another month for Llorente to really hit his straps. In between came rumours an unhappy Juve wanted an early separation from their Bosman signing. Forgetting the off-field drama Llorente worked hard to shake the cobwebs of a 2012-13 season in which he didn’t play with any regularity. Antonio Conte stuck by him and the goals flowed. El Rey Leon finished with 16 in Serie A and two in the Champions League, forming a deadly partnership with Tevez. He doesn’t look that player now.
This term there’s greater pressure on Llorente’s shoulders to perform and get amongst the goals, in the form of compatriot Alvaro Morata. The former Real Madrid striker is chomping at the bit to prove his worth, but the red card against Roma means he skips the weekend trip to Sassuolo. This gives the World Cup winner another chance to get the monkey off his back.
Llorente rediscovering his scoring touch would also take the burden off Tevez. Juve’s goals have come almost entirely from the boot of their Argentine magician. The Argentine has scored eight – six in Serie A and two in Europe – of Juve’s season total of 14. The only other striker to net has been Morata. And that productivity from midfield, so prevalent during Conte’s reign, has been missing – aside from Arturo Vidal’s brace against Cesena plus lone strikes from Claudio Marchisio and Stephen Lichtsteiner. It’s not something to cause a side which has won all six matches to panic, but they will not want to become reliant on Tevez.
That’s why the visit to Mapei Stadium is a big one for Llorente. The international break has given time to focus on a clash in which the Turin giants face a Neroverdi side holding Serie A’s third-worst defensive record. The cracks in Eusebio Di Francesco’s defence were evident against Lazio and it’s something the Bianconeri can exploit.
Curiously, lining up for Sassuolo will be Simone Zaza, the man who could be vying for a place in Allegri’s team next season. And for the Basque striker to change Del Bosque’s mind he knows the need to perform in Turin. “I hope this season to help the team with hard work and many goals. It’d be a dream to improve on the number of goals I scored last term,” he said last month.
In Reggio Emilia, Llorente has an opportunity to kick-start his season and prove he is the man to lead the Juventus attack.
Buy on AliExpress.com
