The arrival of Nicolas Anelka to Juventus is not one that particularly thrilled fans of the club. Indeed since the Bianconeri’s Scudetto triumph, the club directors have been promising the supporters the arrival of a world-class striker. So when the signing of Nicolas Anelka was announced, there was some measure of bewilderment and disappointment.
The real questions of course are, why Anelka and what can he contribute? Since his move to Chinese club Shenghai Shenhua and his latter days at Chelsea, we have to cast our doubts on whether Anelka can add something to Juventus. We can also ask the supplementary question: where will he play? The answer may be obvious, that is to say as a prima punto (center forward), but we then would have to remember that it has been quite some years since Anelka has played in that position.
The fact of the matter is that if Juventus get the old Anelka, the one from the PSG, Arsenal or Liverpool days, then the French striker will be very useful indeed. Although this seems a self-evident fact, I am not necessarily referring to the pace Anelka had then. The particularity of that Anelka was his playing style. Back then he would thrive off of standing on the shoulder of the last defender and springing the offside trap.
What Juventus are looking for is not necessarily just a flamboyant name but a striker who will be able to put pressure on the opposition backline. Now there are different ways to pressure a defense: one is to be a physical striker and go to challenge the opposition center-backs (i.e. Didier Drogba), and the other is to constantly call for runs behind the defense (i.e. Javier Hernandez). Now Anelka was never the former and is no longer the latter.
That is really the biggest issue with the whole Anelka transfer. It was Carlo Ancelotti who triggered this metamorphosis in Anelka’s game when the Italian arrived at Chelsea. He was quite fond of the Frenchman but the presence of Drogba forced Anelka to play wide most of the time. When Fernando Torres arrived, Ancelotti even fashioned him as a trequartista (playmaker) in a few games. In a way it was Ancelotti’s experimentations to make Anelka fit, turning him into this part inside-forward, part neuf-et-demi * and part trequartista, that have engendered something of a tactical Frankenstein monster that no one – just ask Raymond Domenech – really knows how to utilize best.
Anelka wouldn’t be the most viable choice in a prima punto position in my opinion. For the sole reason we have elaborated, he simply doesn’t put enough pressure on the backline. Anelka no longer looks to play in vertical spaces, his instinct has become more to come short and play with the others. The issue of course is that he evacuates the penalty area, where his presence is required by Juventus.
In a way, Anelka is closer in mould to Mirko Vucinic. But besides whether Anelka tactically fits or not, his attitude and work ethic may be an issue given Antonio Conte’s side and exigencies. After all, he has never been one to press and he has always been a bit of an outcast in the dressing rooms where he has been.
Despite Anelka not being a fan favorite, we would expect that he ca provide something extra to Juventus. After all, Beppe Marotta did not sanction the transfer to win the Scudetto, but very much to help in the Champions League. He acquired Anelka on a free and on an incentive based six-month contract, so in other words a risk free investment with a reasonable deal of upside to it.
We also have to remember that the Anelka announcement came only days after news that Fernando Llorente would sign for Juventus in the summer. And indeed the Spaniard has to be considered the veritable reinforcement Juventini have been promised.
Furthermore, despite capturing Anelka, Juventus were still in talks with Olympique Lyonnais to acquire the services of Lisandro Lopez. The ex-Porto man is much more of a fit to Juventus and Conte in my opinion. He possesses that Argentine grinta and works very hard indeed off the ball. He brings that touch of quality, works the channels well, and of course has a great eye for goal.
In the end, I think the Anelka acquisition has to be taken in the context of Marotta’s deals with Llorente and the on-going one for Lisandro. But If Conte can coax the old Anelka out of him, the one for whom Zinédine Zidane expressed how much of a joy it was to play with during his France debut at [Old] Wembley: “he is a player who always looks to play in vertical spaces and loves to run in behind defenses”, then the potential of Andrea Pirlo linking up with that Anelka is interesting indeed.
Finally, despite the fans’ disappointment, in the end Anelka can only be a helpful reinforcement for a team that is in need of a higher caliber of strikers.
*neuf-et-demi: French term meaning “nine-and-a-half”, that refers to a support striker who also takes on playmaking duties. Not too dissimilar to a trequartista except that he operates in a more restrictive and slightly higher space
