North Carolina Wesleyan Men's Soccer

Juventus' Kean & Spinazzola, Superb For Italy, Could Be Boon For Old Lady

Juventus' Kean & Spinazzola, Superb For Italy, Could Be Boon For Old Lady

Juventus players Moise Kean and Leonardo Spinazzola have showed immense talent and potential in recent outings with Italy's national team.

Mar 29, 2019 by Adam Digby
Juventus' Kean & Spinazzola, Superb For Italy, Could Be Boon For Old Lady

As the international break draws to an end and club football returns, Italy can reflect on a very successful week. The Azzurri made a fine start to their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, notching comfortable wins over Finland (2-0) and Liechtenstein (6-0) to assume top spot in Group J, already two points clear of their closest rivals.

The national team has long relied on a large contingent of Juventus players, and this most recent squad was no exception: no fewer than six of the Old Lady’s men answered Roberto Mancini’s call. No other club boasted more than three players, which, while highlighting the effort made by the new Italy boss to be as diverse as possible in his choices, also serves as a reminder of the depth of talent found in the Bianconeri ranks.

Looking at the performances more closely, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci unsurprisingly lined up together in the first game and kept a clean sheet, the latter retaining his place for the second outing as the Azzurri notched another shutout. Federico Bernardeschi was largely disappointing against Finland and was an unused substitute in the match with Liechtenstein, while, after an unfortunate incident with a water bottle, Mattia Perin sat out both fixtures with an ankle injury.

But if this international break was an uneventful one for the more well-known Juve stars, it was also where two bit-part players stepped up and delivered a timely reminder of their quality. Indeed, nobody in a blue shirt impressed more over the two outings than Moise Kean. The 19-year-old found the back of the net in both games.



That continued his impressive record of scoring in every competitive start he has been given in 2019, following on from a goal against Bologna in the Coppa Italia and a Serie A brace against Udinese. “Yes We Kean!” proclaimed the front page of La Gazzetta dello Sport following the win over Finland, and the media spotlight has since thrown up plenty of news stories regarding the young striker.

His agent Mino Raiola has used the interest Kean’s goals generated to announce that a new contract with Juve is not a foregone conclusion, while the player’s father has suddenly been very forthcoming with reporters, insisting that the Bianconeri “owe him” two tractors as payment for his son being at the club.

Kean swiftly responded to that on social media with damning Instagram story post that began: “Tractors? I don’t know what you're talking about. If I’m the man I am today, it’s thanks and only to my mother. With that, I’ve said everything! Never forget the person who fed you.”



The situation has fueled comparisons to Mario Balotelli, a lazy correlation based simply on the fact that both are black strikers represented by Raiola because, frankly, the two have almost nothing else in common. Their mentality, approach, and playing style could not be more different, and the attributes Kean displays on the field are beginning to truly excite Juve fans who hope to see more of him in the coming weeks.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s thigh injury and need to rest players ahead of the Champions League quarterfinals should make that a foregone conclusion, and those two well-taken goals for the Azzurri will certainly help his cause. So too will the way his skills neatly dovetail into the current Juve XI, his flexibility allowing him to play as an orthodox No. 9 versus Udinese or—as he did for Italy this week—move out wide and use his speed and endless array of tricks to confuse defenders.

That will allow Kean to switch positions during games with Ronaldo, something essential to Max Allegri’s approach and which, until now, a role only Mario Mandžukić has been able to fulfill. However, if Kean has been—thanks to his goals, his father, and his agent—the one writing the headlines, the sixth member of Italy’s Juve contingent arguably looks even more promising.

Leonardo Spinazzola made a brief injury time appearance versus Finland, but was given a place in the starting lineup against Liechtenstein and delivered his latest flawless performance. Once again playing on the left of a back four, the 26-year-old was defensively diligent and broke forward with constant intent, an excellent cross allowing Stefano Sensi to open the scoring after just 17 minutes. Early in the second half, a similarly dangerous ball almost crept in at the far post, while two more crosses eventually resulted in goals for Kean and Leonardo Pavoletti. 



Brushing aside a string of subpar Liechtensteinian defenders can be dismissed easily, but the way Spinazzola manhandled Koke and ran roughshod over Atléti’s right flank simply cannot. Based on current form for club and country, Spinazzola undoubtedly deserves the nod over Juve’s first-choice left-back. 

Indeed, if looking for a way to succinctly summarize the defender’s displays while also arguing Spinazzola deserves more playing time, the answer would undoubtedly be: “He’s better than Alex Sandro.”

So while Ronaldo’s thigh strain might have left them feeling blue, the Azzurri performances of two extremely talented players give Juventus fans reasons to be cheerful. The Old Lady’s future is here, and it belongs to Moise Kean and Leonardo Spinazzola.

Adam Digby is an Italian football writer for FourFourTwo, The Independent, and elsewhere. Author of "Juventus: A History In Black & White." Follow Adam on Twitter.