Stepping into the Limelight: Federico Chiesa
After domination for nearly a decade, Juventus find themselves struggling for identity. Antonio Conte started the revolution, Massimiliano Allegri made it even stronger. Maurizio Sarri was a failed attempt at a new style of play and now former player & legend of the game Andrea Pirlo finds himself trying to discover who he is as a manager whilst the Bianconeri’s domination is put on hold — for now.
Juventus might have to be content with a Coppa Italia this season (they play Atalanta in the final) as Conte’s Internazionale look likely to secure their first title since 2009/10 & Porto broke the Old Lady’s hearts in Extra Time as they exited the Champions League at the Round of 16 stages. Fans of Italy’s most successful side might be wondering if there is anything positive to take from this season. However, there is one success story that they nearly all agree on — Federico Chiesa.
The Genoa born forward always had football in his blood. His father was Enrico Chiesa, a UEFA Cup top scorer & winner (alongside Coppa Italia’s & a Cup Winners’ Cup). He began his footballing journey at Settignanese, a youth side in the North-East of Florence. He then joined Fiorentina at the age of 9, where he’d go on to make 153 appearances and score 34 goals for La Viola’s senior side. Chiesa always seemed destined for bigger things, as the Florence club struggled for success (they haven’t finished above 8th since 2015/16). Last summer, he finally got his move to one of Europe’s top sides, Juventus. Here’s an in-depth look at his season so far, and why he is a beacon of hope for the future.
A Statistical Analysis
Serie A
Attacking Output
There’s no doubt about it, in Florence, Chiesa was the main man. His move to Juventus meant that he had to adapt to no longer being the big-fish-in-a-medium-sized-pond that he was at Fiorentina. Some players will shrink under the spotlight, but the Italian is on course to have one of his best seasons so far. He has already equaled his best assist tally (6) and is 5 goals behind his best goalscoring season — all in a different role to the one he had in Florence.
There’s no doubt about it, in Florence, Chiesa was the main man. His move to Juventus meant that he had to adapt to no longer being the big-fish-in-a-medium-sized-pond that he was at Fiorentina. Some players will shrink under the spotlight, but the Italian is on course to have one of his best seasons so far. He has already equaled his best assist tally (6) and is 5 goals behind his best goalscoring season — all in a different role to the one he had in Florence.
As can be seen in the graphic above, Chiesa is one of the League’s most creative outlets, averaging 0.31 assist per 90. This is bettered only by Alvaro Morata & Aaron Ramsey at Juventus this season. He is also one of the Bianconeri’s most efficient players in front of goal — scoring 0.17 goals per shot (joint first with Morata & Weston McKennie). What makes this all the more impressive is the role shift that the Italian has gone through. Cristiano Ronaldo is the star at Juve (his 23 goals in Serie A prove it) and this has meant Chiesa has had to adapt his game and become more defensive than usual, as he is utilised as a winger in Pirlo’s 4–4–2 or as a wing-back in the 3–5–2 experiment.
Chiesa is also outperforming his Expected Goals so far this season. He’s been extremely efficient in front of goal and has made the most of the chances given to him. He is one of Serie A’s most impressive players in this regard. Goals like his one against AC Milan back in January have won the club valuable points in an ultra-competitive Serie A.
On the Ball Performance
Chiesa is above the average for touches in the opposition box when compared to midfielders & attackers in Serie A (5.08 per 90). His dribble success isn’t particularly high, and this is statistically one of the weakest parts of his game considering he’s a wide player. However, this is his worst season in terms of success rate — he completed 64.5% last season. One reason for this dropping could be put down to his positioning in the team, he has to cover more distance and this could allow for more chance of failure. It is possible that this is just a down season in this department for Chiesa, as he adapts to his new role.
Chiesa is extremely effective in the opposition third, however. He is third in the Juventus team for carries into the opposition box per 90 (2.04). He may struggle to influence the game when he is further away from the goal, which has hampered him at times this season. But when you are able to get him in the opposition third he is a highly involved figure.
Passing Ability
Where Chiesa has lacked in his dribbling this season, he’s more than made up for it with his passing ability. He ranks joint fifth in the league for Expected Assists per 90 (0.31) and averages 2.15 key passes per 90 minutes played. His 6 assists this season so far equals his best ever tally and is only behind Alvaro Morata (8) when it comes to his teammates.
He is averaging more Expected Assists, Goal Creating Actions & Key Passes per 90 than ever before. His creativity has come to the forefront this season. Chiesa’s passing is a very underrated part of his game. His influence on Juventus’ attack will only grow with more responsibility. Nobody expected him to be so influential this early on.
Defensive Ability
Chiesa has been used as both a winger in a 4–4–2 & as a wing-back in a 3–5–2 this season. Being part of Pirlo’s defensive unit has been key in the Italian manager's inaugural season. While it is maybe not a side of his game that is focused on, Chiesa’s defensive ability is actually extremely effective. The winger is successful 43.2% of the time in tackles against the dribble. This is the 12th highest in Serie A Midfielders & Attackers this season. This level of defending may be part of the reason why Pirlo utilises him in the role that he does.
Champions League
While Juventus’ season in Europe may have been disappointing as a whole, Federico Chiesa’s first season in Europe’s premier competition has been a success. He scored 4 goals in the competition, bettered only by Morata and the same as Champions League force Cristiano Ronaldo. What makes the Italian’s Champions League campaign so successful, however, is his incredible performance in the second leg against Porto.
After pulling one back in the first leg late on to keep Juventus in the tie, Chiesa then took a game that was fading away from Juve to the opposition. His first goal was an incredible finish into the top corner after Ronaldo brought the ball down. The second was a great header, putting the Turin club in prime position to go through. Unfortunately, he was taken off due to fatigue and Juventus couldn’t cross the finish line. His xG of 1.3 was the highest of any Juve player that night. It was an incredible performance from Chiesa, that will ultimately be remembered for Porto’s shock win. What it did do though, was show the world Chiesa’s talent, and his ability to take responsibility.
Positioning
One key strength of Chiesa’s game is his versatility. As previously mentioned, he has played as both a winger and wing-back this season — depending on Juve’s system. He has also played as a striker on numerous occasions for Fiorentina. In addition to this (and as shown in the heatmap below), he is comfortable on both flanks.
This versatility is extremely valuable to Pirlo’s team. It allows him to be used in different systems and will allow Chiesa the ability to adapt to different situations. Being able to be utilised on both wings adds unpredictability that can catch opposition defences by surprise.
Chiesa’s xG map via Understat.com shows that no matter where he plays in the team, he has the ability to make it into dangerous areas in the box. His off-the-ball movement is also extremely good, as shown by his first goal against Milan in January. Chiesa gets the ball wide on the right and gives it infield to Paulo Dybala. Chiesa then makes a move into the Milan box from the right-hand side and anticipates Dybala’s world-class flick into his path. From there Chiesa strikes the ball low and hard past Donnarumma to open the scoring.
Final Thoughts
There were doubts when Juventus made the move for Federico Chiesa last summer. He was extremely talented but there was an apprehensiveness about his ability to really make it in the big time. His first season on the big stage has been a roaring success, even if it is Juventus’ worst season for some time. Chiesa has shown the ability & mindset that will make him a success story in Turin. There are areas to his game in which he can improve, but his performance has been very strong.
His creativity, his passing, and his overall effectiveness in the final third meant that Juventus will sign the Italian permanently. With doubts over both Ronaldo & Dybala’s futures and a growing need for the team to be rebuilt, Chiesa has become a key part of any Bianconeri revolution. His versatility only adds to this. Whatever the future holds for The Old Lady, one thing is for sure, Federico Chiesa will be close to the center of it.
