Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso revealed he studies the likes of Riccardo Calafiori and Marc Cucurella as he looks to make a bigger impact in the attacking third.
The 25-year-old scored in Luciano Spalletti’s first game in charge of Juventus, while he also assisted Federico Gatti in their 3-1 win against Udinese.
Cambiaso has recorded three assists in each of his last three Serie A campaigns (two with Juventus, one with Bologna), while he has scored twice in the last two seasons.
Spalletti recently described Cambiaso as a “3D” player due to his ability to make an impact all over the pitch.
As Juventus prepare to host Torino in the Derby della Mole, Cambiaso compared his style of play to that of Calafiori and Cucurella.
“I took it as a compliment, as a different way of describing my characteristics,” Cambiaso told La Gazzetta dello Sport when asked about Spalletti’s comments.
“I think that that’s the way football is going these days, occupying the spaces that we create on the pitch.
“There’s a lot [of comparisons], if I had to name a name, I’d say Calafiori. He starts at full-back and ends up in attack.
“That’s how it is in general with Arsenal. I watch them, I study them, and if you asked Spalletti, I’m sure he’d also say: ‘Yes, I watch the Gunners’.
“Cucurella was also everywhere for Chelsea the other night [against Qarabag].”
Torino are currently 13th in Serie A, five points behind Juventus after 10 matches in the Italian top-flight.
They are unbeaten in their last five league games, though three of those matches have ended in draws.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Juventus – Kenan Yildiz
Kenan Yildiz has scored in both of the last two derbies against Torino in the league.
The only Juventus player to have found the net in three consecutive Serie A matches against the Granata since 1994/95 is Gianluca Vialli, doing so between January 1995 and April 1996.
Torino – Giovanni Simeone
Giovanni Simeone has scored six league goals against Juventus (including two braces - in November 2016 for Genoa and in October 2021 for Hellas Verona).
Since his first Serie A season (2016-17), no player has scored more goals against the Bianconeri than Simeone (six, tied with Duvan Zapata).