Federico Chiesa joined Juventus from Fiorentina in 2020. The winger rose through the ranks of Fiorentina and made his debut for the club in 2016. Following his debut, Chiesa went on to make 137 appearances for Fiorentina in Serie A, scoring 26 goals and laying 23 assists. Under Andrea Pirlo’s reign as Juventus manager, Chiesa made 30 appearances in the Serie A last season, scoring eight goals and adding a further eight assists. Chiesa was arguably Italy’s best player at the Euro 2020 tournament, where Italy were crowned the champions. Following a brilliant tournament, a lot was expected from Chiesa at the start of the current season. There were also management changes, as the Juventus hierarchy re-appointed Max Allegri as the manager.
Four months into the season, Juventus find themselves eighth in the Serie A with five wins, three draws, and four losses in 12 games. Chiesa’s individual form, too, has been underwhelming in Serie A, with the winger scoring just one goal in seven appearances. Many fans and pundits have questioned Allegri’s utilization of Chiesa, as he is usually deployed at the right wing in his 4-4-2 system, which has perhaps played a part in the wingers’ low output. Last month, Chiesa was benched for Juventus’ important match against Inter Milan. Allegri though, explained his decision stating that the winger has been involved in many games already this year and that he was left out to avoid burnout.
Despite underperforming in the Serie A, Chiesa has been impressive in the Juventus’ Champions League group stage fixtures. He has made three appearances, scoring two goals, and has put up brilliant overall performances as Juventus are top of Group H. While it’s still relatively early in the season, and Chiesa’s Serie A form could still improve, it’s clear from his Champions League appearances that the winger will be influential for Juventus this season.
Let’s dive into his stats from Champions League group stage matches to gauge his performances for Juventus.
Chiesa’s attacking and creativity stats are some of the best this season, with the majority lying above the league median value. He averages an xG of 0.35 per match. His other noteworthy stats are shots per 90, dribbles per 90, and attacking actions per 90.
So far, Chiesa’s pass map indicates the areas of the pitch where he has delivered his passes this season. He is comfortable with the ball at his feet and has delivered highly threatening passes into the opposition’s box from multiple areas of the pitch.
One of the most significant attributes of Chiesa is his work rate and dynamism. Although his heat map has just started to take shape, he has still managed to cover most of the areas while being most active in the opponent’s half.
In terms of successful dribbles, Chiesa is at the seventh position, which indicates that he has the potential to win one-on-one battles against the opposition defenders and also get into threatening positions.
Chiesa has been impressive since joining the club. The youngster certainly has a long way ahead of himself, but he has definitely proved his mettle. Although his ideal position remains a topic of debate, he remains one of the best for his side.
