The defender hasn’t played since 10 November after a muscle injury: the one against Fiorentina could be the last game without him
A few more days of patience, then Leonardo Bonucci will be ready to make himself available to Max Allegri and Juve. The first key week of 2023 for Juventus is next, the one in which Nantes will arrive at the Stadium for the Europa League match. The captain will return to the squad, he will remain on the bench but will support his teammates from the field. Which is no small feat at a time like this. With one more senator, there will be fewer responsibilities for everyone.
MANY INJURIES
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So far – for Bonucci – it has been a tough season, plagued by injuries. He only took the field for half of the matches on the calendar (14 out of 29, last year he played 34 out of 52) and the last time dates back to November 10 (against Hellas Verona). This accelerated the process of inserting Bremer into the role of central pivot of the three-man defence, in that area of the pitch that was his responsibility for many years, between Barzagli and Chiellini. Consequently, the physiognomy of the defensive line changed: the Brazilian is completely different from him in some characteristics.
WITH BONUCCI ON THE FIELD
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Leo’s return is essential. Bremer will have a natural turnover when he has to catch his breath, Danilo will be able to pull the plug with more serenity and not work overtime, in order to guarantee experience to a department that cannot always rely on Alex Sandro, at the end of the race in black and white. In short, with Bonucci at his disposal Allegri will be able to ask for less effort from everyone: and it is good that this happens now, considering that we are entering the key moment of the season. While Gatti, the less experienced defender of the squad, will once again have a point of reference to grow in Juve.
CAPTAIN’S BAND
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Bonucci is the twenty-fourth captain in Juventus history. He inherited the armband from Chiellini, his close friend, at the end of last season. The choice was made by Allegri, who evidently considered him the best candidate to transmit the club’s values to the environment. A task that is by no means simple, in a delicate historical moment for society, but which the player is carrying out with an extreme sense of responsibility. His deputy is Danilo: here the promotion is more recent, since the Brazilian has surpassed Alex Sandro and Cuadrado in the hierarchies.
RETURN TO THE FIELD
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In the absence of Leo, Danilo has been the Juve leader in recent months. Even if Bonucci never missed his contribution in the locker room and still encouraged his teammates in the locker room. Of course, giving one’s contribution from the field is something else: this is one of the reasons why he can’t wait to get back at the team’s disposal in a more active way. Between Nantes and Spezia next week, he’ll be able to loosen his legs with a few minutes, leave behind the muscle injury that kept him out for a while and get back into the lead as he likes.
UNTIL 2024
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In short, the match between Juve and Fiorentina is the last in which Allegri finds himself forced to fill a hole in the defense and more generally in the team. With Bonucci on the pitch there is inevitably more experience and personality: values that the player is ready to guarantee until the end of his contract with the club, i.e. until June 2024. Another year and a half to live in maximum involvement, inside and off the pitch: available to the coach and his team-mates, especially the younger ones who must be made responsible for the principles that distinguish the black and white DNA.
February 12 – 12.15pm
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