Numbers behind Manuel Locatelli’s impressive season at Juventus | OneFootball

While Juventus haven’t exactly had a textbook season reminiscent of their rampant past, the fifth-placed Bianconeri can rely on their midfield linchpin, and captain, Manuel Locatelli.

The 27-year-old Lombardy native has become steadily synonymous with midfield mastery this term and has proven himself a reliable constant for Juve when the going has been particularly tough (by their standards).

Igor Tudor’s draw-littered reign was quickly snuffed out and replaced with a Neapolitan favourite in Luciano Spalletti. As the former Azzurri boss has got to grips with a rotation of misfiring strikers, managing star man Kenan Yildiz, and much more in a transitional period, it’s fair to suggest that Locatelli’s stoicism in the centre of the park has placed him as a key vertebrae in the Old Lady’s often disjointed spine.

As per DataMB, Locatelli’s performances have placed him within the 100th percentile for both forward passes and progressive passes, pointing to a real importance in transition and in dragging his team onwards. Furthermore, with centurion-like battling, he arrives in the 97th percentile for possessions won and in the 96th percentile for duels won %.

Although he’s yet to register a goal or assist so far in this Serie A campaign, Locatelli is a tireless midfield presence for Juventus. He seems to be the string-puller, active in the moments before his side’s attacking moves fully burst into life, as well as the vital moments when the opposition start to look dangerous.

It would also be fair to suggest that Locatelli provides a valuable basis for which other attacking players can build from. His presence in the 89th percentile for forward pass % denotes a consistent eye for these players. Plus, entering the 81st percentile for progressive carries, he backs himself on the ball if the pass just isn’t an option.

Such is Locatelli’s role in this now Spalletti-led group, that no one completes more progressive passes per 90 in Europe’s Top five leagues than the 34-cap Italy man. Perhaps now, with steadily growing confidence as Juve knock on the top four’s door, as well as some potential new faces in January, captain Locatelli’s impact will only continue to take on more pertinence amongst the ranks in Turin.

GIFN | Max Bradfield