Ángel Di María has had an impressive career so far, with teams like Real Madrid, Manchester United and PSG on his résumé. After a successful seven-year spell at the French club, Juventus just made a move to secure his services at 34 years old with expectations for him to boost their creativity and efficiency in attack.

While they finished off the 2021/22 season better than they had started it, they were lacking a versatile player in the final third to support the attackers and break defences. While many would say that he is at the tail end of his career, Di María is a player who can bring a lot to Juventus Stadium and become a leader with his passing abilities, positional sense and experience.

Massimiliano Allegri immediately improved the team’s performance, coming in after Andrea Pirlo’s unsuccessful spell in charge, and I Bianconeri finished fourth in Serie A last season. Despite the fourth-place finish, they disappointed in many of their displays, leaving them 16 points behind the champions Milan.

With Paul Pogba’s return to the club finally being confirmed, along with Di María ‘s free transfer, Juventus will be looking to get back to their winning ways and join the title battle in the 2022/23 season.

In this scout report, we use tactical analysis to examine how the Argentine could impact Bianconeri’s attack and enhance Allegri’s tactics so they can be more efficient in front of the goal.

Juventus’ attack

Although Juventus had Cristiano Ronaldo in their squad two seasons ago, the team’s attack has been turbulent over the last few years, with them always lacking presence in certain areas and failing to find the best partnerships up front. While Ronaldo was successful during his time with the team, some of his teammates couldn’t find their purpose up front and failed in being effective.

Looking at their current available attacking players, it still seems that they still might experience struggles in being equally efficient both on the left and on the right. While signing Dušan Vlahović last year was one of their best moves in the last few transfer windows, the team still needed a player to successfully support his actions and create opportunities for him.

Angel Di Maria at Juventus - scout report tactical analysis tactics
Juventus attacking on the right, where Palumbo was lacking the ability to bypass the opposition but also lacking support from his teammates.

With Federico Chiesa being unavailable due to injury, they didn’t have experienced players for the wings, who can not only create chances for their teammates but be a direct threat as well. Allegri’s attack needed a confidence boost in someone who can disrupt defences and exploit spaces efficiently, and who has the required passing range to increase their creativity in the final third.

I Bianconeri weren’t efficient enough in front of the goal last term and were among the teams in the league with the fewest crossing attempts, on average, underlining how limited they were in the wide areas. They didn’t have the best numbers in terms of touches in the penalty area as well, which is also an indicator of the lack of support for the forwards, as they often needed to move out of position and drop back to pick up the ball.

Angel Di Maria at Juventus - scout report tactical analysis tactics
Vlahović’s 2021/22 heatmap showing his movement back to the central line.

The lack of creativity affected their confidence and resulted in them failing to exploit spaces and struggling to create quality opportunities. Their most used 4-4-2 formation was the most suitable to minimise the negative effect of not having experienced players in the wide areas. While with Paulo Dybala’s departure, the spot behind Vlahović might be vacant and Di María could fit into it, the manager is more likely to use a 4-3-3 and employ the Argentine in his comfortable position on the right.

Di María’s versatility

Di María’s arrival might solve many of these problems. His experience and consistency will be very beneficial for the team and will bring more options in the advanced areas, which can immediately increase their attacking record.

One of the Argentine’s most valued qualities is his versatility. His positional sense and spatial awareness have seen him play in many different positions, and while he is the most efficient as a right winger he can play on the left and centrally as well. His smart positioning can provide the team with a plethora of options up front. He can hold on to the ball and drag defenders out of position, freeing up spaces centrally, which could be very useful with Vlahović’s presence in and around the box.

Angel Di Maria at Juventus - scout report tactical analysis tactics
Di María’s 2021/22 heatmap, showing his movement out wide but also underlining his occupation of the half-spaces.

His crossing abilities will be crucial for the team to increase their chances in front of the goal as well. Last season at PSG, he averaged 4.21 crossing attempts per 90, a number none of the Juventus players reached last term.

While presence out wide is certainly key for his success, his ability to hold on to the ball and cut centrally with it is equally valued. Not only because his movement can open spaces and drag players, making the team more unpredictable in the advanced areas, but also because it allows him to provide a direct threat to the goal, increasing their chances to score. That’s possible thanks to his dribbling abilities and his composure, which allow him to take on defenders and occupy quality areas.

Angel Di Maria at Juventus - scout report tactical analysis tactics
The player’s movement to the central areas often distracts defenders and gives his teammates the opportunity to move forward without the ball.

His movement into key positions centrally could also increase the team’s creativity and initiate pass combinations that can disposition the opposing defences. With Manuel Locatelli’s and Pogba’s presence in midfield, Di María could flourish in his position and be the link between the lines.

His positioning also allows the full-backs to support the attacking actions by freeing up space for them in the wide areas, while his presence in the half-spaces allows him to use his passing range to set his teammates up in quality positions.

His passing range

His passing range is very useful when it comes to supporting his teammates and contributing to ball retention in the opposition half. While we already explained that his positioning is key for his successful actions, his passing flair is what makes the end product good.

The 34-year-old’s pass completion rate of 78.9% doesn’t illustrate the impact he has through his passing abilities, although this number is above the average for his position. Apart from his crossing efforts, which we already mentioned could be key for increasing Juve’s efficiency in attack, his spatial awareness allows him to combine with his teammates through smart balls and support ball progression.

Angel Di Maria at Juventus - scout report tactical analysis tactics
The pass map shows his active contribution in possession.

His link-up-play provides the team with versatility in possession as he combines smart movement with smart passing to help the team bypass pressure and reach the advanced areas. That doesn’t mean he only relies on forward passing — he does frequently send the ball back and also tries to switch play in an effort to release pressure and retain possession. His presence on the edge of the final third and his pass distribution allow the team to have better coverage, especially in the opposition half.

Angel Di Maria at Juventus - scout report tactical analysis tactics
The Argentine saw the opportunity for a quick switch of play where Neymar was left uncovered.

Certainly, he makes the biggest impact in the final third with his well measured through balls. Combining his positioning with a high tactical intelligence helps him in spotting free spaces and supplying his teammates with quality passes. At PSG, he averaged 4.05 though balls per 90 last season, which is the second highest number among all right-wingers in the top five European leagues.

Angel Di Maria at Juventus - scout report tactical analysis tactics
The 34-year-old supplying Lionel Messi with a perfectly measured through ball right to the edge of the goal area. A demonstration that he can play equally well on the left.

Providing additional threat

Apart from his positioning, passing and support to his teammates, Di María also provides a direct threat to the goal, which makes covering him even more difficult. The Argentine has averaged 2.6 shots in the 2021/22 campaign for PSG, which have resulted in scoring five goals in the league.

Angel Di Maria at Juventus - scout report tactical analysis tactics
His average shot map, showing his efforts both from close range and from distance.

As his average shot map indicates, his efforts have most frequently come from the half-spaces and while he often finds himself in the penalty area, he also doesn’t hesitate to threaten the goal from distance. However, most of his successful efforts have come from the box.

Angel Di Maria at Juventus - scout report tactical analysis tactics
Di María picked up the ball midway and advanced it while moving to the half-spaces.
Angel Di Maria at Juventus - scout report tactical analysis tactics
He then dribbled past three opposing players and decided to shoot from distance due to his teammates’ insufficient positioning in this situation.

When it comes to his impact on the goal, the 34-year-old can be relied on for Juventus’ set-piece opportunities. He is experienced in taking free kicks and corners, and his judgement of the situation can help the team increase their efficiency from set-plays even more.

Conclusion

As our analysis shows, the Argentine’s arrival could be very beneficial for the team and help them improve to get back to the leading positions in Serie A and Europe. His experience and versatility will complement his teammates’ movement and increase Bianconeri’s creativity in attack, which is expected to immediately impact their efficiency in front of the goal.