We caught up with esteemed football journalist and lifelong Juventus fan Adam Digby yesterday as he answered some of your bianconeri conundrums:

Which one do you think is Pjanic’s best position? Regista or centre midfielder?
 

I think Pjanić is fully capable of playing both roles, but when Juventus lack creativity and depth in midfield, he’s wasted as a regista. As we saw in the loss to Inter, fielding him there without better players around him means his passing is wasted, while his ability to threaten the opposition goal is fully negated.

For me, the further forward he is the better. Pjanić is superb around the box, threading passes into the strikers or shooting himself, why rob the team of those weapons by shackling him to a fixed role in front of the defence?

 

Napoli has added depth to their squad. Do you think they are a bigger threat for the Serie A title than they were last season?
 

Do I think a team is better after losing a striker who scored more than one goal per game? Unsurprisingly, the answer is no. Yes, Napoli have added defensive depth with Maksimovic & Tonelli – two superb players – but neither has actually played yet, so that doesn’t help close the gap.

Zeilinski is a smart addition in midfield & looks very good thus far, as does Milik in attack, but I’m not convinced he’s going to keep scoring at his current rate & I don’t believe Manolo Gabbiadini is the answer at centre forward either. Both are good players with lots of positive attributes, but neither is going to steal a goal from nowhere like Higuain can, so for me Napoli are clearly and visibly weaker than they were a year ago.  

Ah Calciopoli. Ten years on & we’re still discussing what was, lets be honest, an absolute farce. Italian football was complete corrupt & Juventus were punished far too severely in comparison to others who acted in much the same way. I’m not going to sit here & pretend the Old Lady was innocent, but the evidence very clearly shows that *everyone* was guilty of similar practices & were it not for the statute of limitations expiring…

Anywaaaay, Juventus were told that the lawsuit would bankrupt the FIGC, so we’re kind of at an impasse right now, one which – as anyone with knowledge of the Italian legal system/bureaucracy will tell you – is likely to rumble on for years & years & years &…  

No. For me, what Juventus lack is the speed in transition. They’re (obviously) very solid in defence & with Dybala-Higuain in attack supported by Pjanić, goals are certainly not a problem. However, it would be nice to see the team score some easy goals on the break & I think with Cuadrado/Pjaca they’re more than capable of doing so. Once Marchisio returns & Allegri has all his weapons to choose from I think we’ll see him more confident in experiments, like he did against Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday night. With Pjanić & Marchisio together, I don’t think Pirlo-type player would add anything.  

What are your views on the way the Higuain transfer was handled?
 

Tough question really. As a Juve fan, obviously I’m pleased to see him in Bianconero & don’t really mind how it happened. As a naturally cynical person, I’d say it’s just the way the business of football has developed, teams add buyout clauses & other teams pay them without discussion, it’s just how the game has gone. However, as a fan of Italian football & looking at it from a neutral standpoint, it’s terrible for Napoli & their fans & must have been a hammer blow after coming so close to the title last season only to have their star man snapped up by the very club they’re trying to overhaul.

One thing I would add is that Aurelio De Laurentiis has done many good things for the club, but how such a savvy business man allowed Higuain’s contract to contain such a low clause is truly beyond me. Yes, €90 million is a lot of money, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not off-putting to Europe’s top clubs & it’s not a surprise to see one of them come in & buy Higuain. I imagine the deals made since will contain no such mistakes!

 

Do you think Paulo Dybala will return to last season’s scoring standards or we’ll we see him playing further from the danger area?
 

I think seeing him back on the scoresheet in Zagreb is a huge bonus for Juve & hopefully it’s going to be the start of a good run of goals. We’ve seen Higuain tell Dybala – both on the pitch and in interviews – to get closer to him & I think as his confidence in the midfield  grows, Dybala will do just that. I honestly believe this deeper role isn’t by design, I think he’s drifting in search of the ball because the midfield has been so bad at passing in these early weeks due to all the injuries.  

Honestly, nothing more than a fully fit squad. As I already noted, Allegri played with a back four in the second half of the game in Zagreb & he’s shown in the past he’s not afraid to do so. With Marchisio back, him, Pjanić & Khedira make an excellent trio, so the “4-3-& then we’ll see” formation the Coach loves is likely to return. 

From there he can sit Pjanić behind two strikers or play Cuadrado-Pjaca either side of one forward. The flexibility of this squad is frightening to consider & should see a rapid improvement in performances once everybody is healthy.  

Are Juventus going to miss Pogba this season or is Pogba going to miss the bianconeri more? 
 

I think Juve miss an extra body in midfield & Pogba is undeniably a wonderfully gifted player who proved he could deliver for the Bianconeri, so naturally he is missed. Watching him struggle I think it’s clear he misses the settled environment he had in Turin as United are in a period of transition under Jose Mourinho. However, with the massive increase in wages, I’m sure he’s very happy dabbing away with Marcus Rashford & co in the Europa League! ;)   

A midfielder & a bit of bravery. I think, as I just said, an extra body in midfield would allow Pjanić to play further forward & it’s no coincidence Juve spent much of the summer chasing the likes of Axel Witsel & Blaise Matuidi. However, to again repeat myself, with Marchisio back, Allegri will have options & then he needs to have the bravery to shift to a back four & allow the likes of Dybala, Pjaca & Cuadrado to play the way we know they can.  

Do you think that Juve’s continued domination of the Italian game is harming the future of the sport in the country?
 

I think the opposite is actually true. Juve’s progress both on & off the field is forcing others to change & that can only be a good think. Look at Sassuolo, with a plan & some smart investment, they’re already speeding ahead of the more traditional Serie A clubs, simply by replicating what Juve have done on a much smaller scale. Inter appear to be doing their best to follow suit & James Pallotta is desperate to bring AS Roma into the 21st Century, so things are already progressing in the right direction.  

Do you think Juve are equipped for a full assault of the Champions League this season?
 

Yes. Obviously the aforementioned pursuit of another midfielder would have helped, but it’s impossible to look at this squad & not consider them capable of making progress in the latter stages. They have to take care of business & win the group stage first however, as failure to do so makes the draw incredibly tough as we saw last year. From there? It seems only apt to quote the recently retired Kevin Garnett & say that “anything is possible!”
 

Which former Juve legend would you love to have seen play in the current squad?  

Firstly, I owe whoever asked this question a beer as they’ve allowed me to talk about Beppe Furino, my all-time favourite player! Now, the fact Juve need a midfielder is no secret, so who better than the most important midfielder in the club’s history. A captain, a leader, a ferocious tackler & a superb passer of the ball, he shielded the defence perfectly & allowed the likes of Michel Platini to play much more freely than would have otherwise been possible.

So imagine a four-man defence of Alves, Barzagli, Bonucci and Sandro, with Furino protecting them with Marchisio and Khedira either side. Put Pjanić behind Dybala-Higuain & you have one hell of a team. As much as I love the likes of Scirea, Del Piero & Vialli, Beppe Furino is the only answer here, as is often the case with me!


Adam is a regular columnist at Four Four Two magazine and BEIN Sport and has also written a book on his beloved team entitled "Juventus: A History in Black & White"

You can catch him at Foyles Bookshop, 107 Charing Cross Road London on October 21st 7.00-8.00pm, where he will be discussing his experience of writing about the beautiful game.