Juventus were dealt a fresh blow as Lloyd Kelly has been ruled out of next weekend’s major showdown against Bologna.
The Bianconeri released an official statement confirming that the defender has picked up a muscle injury in his right thigh during Sunday’s victory over Monza.
This is a particularly painful blow for Igor Tudor, as his backline had already been pared to the bone due to the absences of Gleison Bremer and Federico Gatti.
This situation certainly doesn’t bode well for the Croatian whose tactical system is built on a three-man backline, but now only has two centre-backs at available at his disposal in Renato Veiga and Pierre Kalulu.
But despite the lack of personnel, the early predictions suggest the 46-year-old won’t ditch his tried-and-tested formation, but will instead seek an emergency solution by fielding a player out of position.
According to IlBianconero, Tudor has two clear options in Nicolo Savona and Manuel Locatelli.
Savona is originally a right-back, but he has experience playing as part of Massimo Brambilla’s three-man defence during his time with Juventus Next Gen. Hence, this wouldn’t be unfamiliar territory for the young Italian.
In this case, Kalulu might switch to the left side to accommodate the 22-year-old, as Tudor would likely want to confirm Veiga as the central defender.
As for Locatelli, he has also been deployed as a centre-back on a few occasions this season, including the Champions League contest against Benfica when Kalulu was forced out with an injury.
If the Juventus captain is to be deployed at the back, Douglas Luiz could make his first appearance as a starter since his return from his recent injury ordeal, connecting with Khephren Thuram in midfield.
Weston McKennie represents another solution for the midfield role, but he’s currently being depoloyed as a wingback.
