The midfielder, a product of the Bianconeri youth academy, is set to return two months after his right thigh injury. He could offer a much-needed break for key starters or allow the Croatian coach to experiment with new formations.
Fabio Miretti, the last remaining unavailable player (excluding third-choice goalkeeper Pinsoglio and the increasingly enigmatic Milik), is finally ready to return. Either for Sunday afternoon`s match against Como or, at the latest, for the October 26th game in Rome, Igor Tudor will once again have the young midfielder at his disposal. After more than two months since sustaining an injury in a friendly against the Next Gen, Miretti is poised to rejoin the squad rotations. This comes at a crucial time, as two key departments, particularly featuring Khephren Thuram and Kenan Yildiz, have already shown clear signs of fatigue. But how exactly could `Ciko` fit into Tudor`s preferred 3-4-2-1 system?
Miretti`s Return to Availability
“If he makes himself available, he can be a serious player: it only depends on him,” the Juventus coach had stated about the Piedmontese midfielder after observing him in early season training sessions. It had been a peculiar summer for the 22-year-old, who returned from a loan spell at Genoa. He was unable to participate in the Club World Cup and the U21 European Championship due to shoulder surgery, yet he was also heavily pursued by Napoli on the transfer market. However, the deal, which would have generated a significant capital gain for the Bianconeri, was ultimately derailed by the injury he suffered on August 14th – a `low-grade lesion of the semitendinosus muscle in his right thigh.` This setback now puts him in a position to prove his worth in the shirt of the club where he developed.
Where Miretti Can Play for Juventus
Versatility, dynamism, and an ability to make late runs into the box are qualities Miretti has already demonstrated in his young career, and these are highly valued by Tudor. Consequently, within the Croatian coach`s system, `Ciko` could be deployed as one of the two central midfielders. However, he would need to show significant improvement compared to last season. In his initial appearances for Genoa, coach Gilardino had played him in that position, but Miretti struggled considerably, earning an average rating of 5.16 in our evaluations and frequently being substituted (even receiving whistles at the Ferraris stadium) before being benched twice. It was only with the arrival of Vieira on the Genoa bench that Miretti truly found his stride, being utilized both as one of the two attacking midfielders behind a lone striker and as a wide attacker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, concluding the previous season with a respectable tally of 3 goals and 3 assists in 26 matches.
Could Miretti Be Yildiz`s Backup?
Thus, another potential role Tudor might assign him is as a deputy for Yildiz. The Turkish international, to date, has had virtually no rest, having accumulated 917 minutes played between club and national team out of a total of 990 (93%). In recent outings for Juventus, he has shown signs of fatigue. `Ciko,` who originally played as a left central midfielder in the Juventus youth ranks and developed under the guidance of current Parma coach Carlos Cuesta, would also allow Juventus to experiment with a 3-5-2 formation. This tactical shift could aim to accommodate two forwards from a trio of David, Vlahovic, and Openda simultaneously. Of course, as Tudor himself noted last summer, everything depends on Miretti. And the Bianconeri are hoping to find the midfield reinforcement they couldn`t secure during the summer transfer window right within their own squad.
