New Koopmeiners role at Juventus can transform strategy

Juventus are trying to revitalise Teun Koopmeiners after a dismal debut season by taking him back to a deeper midfield role, similar to the one he had with Atalanta.

The Netherlands international arrived last summer as a huge investment, costing €58.4m plus bonuses to poach from Bergamo.

His performances made him look like a shadow of the player who had been so admired with Atalanta, and part of that was the tactical position reserved for him by both Thiago Motta and Igor Tudor.

Koopmeiners tweak can revive Juventus

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tudor is now experimenting with a tweak that could give Koopmeiners greater control and make the most of his characteristics.

He struggled as a trequartista behind the striker, either in a 3-4-2-1 formation or the 4-2-3-1 system.

The plan therefore is to pull Koopmeiners back into a deeper midfield role, where he can dictate the tempo and spray passes for his teammates.

That in turn is affecting the transfer strategy, because it means Juventus are pushing to find forwards rather than midfielders, even if Douglas Luiz and Weston McKennie are sold.

In the most recent friendly outing against Reggiana, Fabio Miretti was used in the trequartista slot, with Koopmeiners joining Manuel Locatelli in the two-man midfield.