In their recent player ratings for the Juventus-Frosinone match, Tuttosport described Mario Lemina as playing the role of a regista di contenimento, which would be a deep-lying playmaker and holding midfielder at the same time.
Since Andrea Pirlo’s departure for MLS, Juventus has been looking for a midfielder to play in front of the defense, and they purchased German defensive midfielder, Sami Khedira, for this very purpose.
With Khedira injured, the versatile central midfielder Claudio Marchisio was going to be played in this role in front of the defense, but now Marchisio himself is injured.
Given Marchisio’s engine and facility as a box-to-box midfielder, it would be a shame to park Marchisio in front of the defense, but now Lemina (himself a box-to-box midfielder) has proven to be an effective holding midfielder with the ability to boss a midfield.
So the center midfielder can give Juventus a player to win back possession in the center of the midfield, and a central midfielder to act as a pivot to direct Juventus’ passing game from just in front of the defense.
With a player like Lemina in this role, Paul Pogba is set free to roam all over the midfield and attack where he sees fit, and Lemina opens up the possibility to start the electric Roberto Pereyra who brings so much dynamism, running, creativity, and attacking prowess.
Once thought of as an afterthought to Juventus’ summer signings, Lemina might now be a key player in the Juventus squad and midfield. Even when Khedira returns from injury, can he match the athleticism and skill of Lemina who might be better equipped to defend elite attackers and quickly open up the game for other Juventus players to attack?
Lemina brings an impressive array of skills and qualities plus an ease with having the ball on either foot.
Sometimes the less-heralded players surprise you, and Juventus might have a commanding midfielder on their hands in Lemina whose completeness as a center midfielder allows him to bring technical skill, strong defending, and standout athleticism to the holding midfielder and deep-lying playmaker role.
Massimiliano Allegri certainly has many lineup decisions to make in his midfield and elsewhere, and now Lemina’s play might cause him to have to think about his best lineup even more.