Having dominated Serie A for the past five years, Juventus are undoubtedly expected to lift the title for a record sixth consecutive time when the 2016/17 season comes to an end. But, as the Old Lady prepares to begin the defence of her crown against Fiorentina next Saturday, there is still much work to be done.Coach Massimiliano Allegri has begun to integrate his five new signings, with Dani Alves, Medhi Benatia, Miralem Pjanic, Marko Pjaca and Gonzalo Higuain all featuring in the club's latest friendly.Held to a 2-2 draw by Espanyol, it was a game that brought the fitness of the side a little closer to where it needs to be, but one which also highlighted a number of issues that must be addressed as quickly as possible.Trailing 1-0 at half-time, the Bianconeri attack only began to fire when Allegri introduced Paulo Dybala after the break. The Argentina native appears to still be in the rich vein of form he displayed throughout 2015/16, but Juve are in danger of becoming over-reliant on the 22-year-old striker.That was a matter discussed in this previous post, with perhaps only Pjaca able to provide cover as a second striker. The Croatia international may well prove capable of fulfilling that role, but the Turin giants would do well to seek out an alternative before the transfer window closes on August 31.As if to highlight the point, it would be Dybala who snatched the draw against Espanyol. With time running out, he took the ball to the edge of the box and curled home what is now a trademark effort with his left foot.Known as La JoyaSpanish for "The Jewel"he is clearly a precious commodity for the Bianconeri, yet the outing at Modena's Stadio Alberto Braglia also showed that Pjanic will be expected to shine brightly this term.Juve's official website revealed they paid rivals AS Roma 32 million for the Bosnia and Herzegovina international, a superb piece of business for a player whose importance to Allegri's side simply cannot be understated.With Paul Pogba having left for Manchester United, Pjanic will need to shoulder the responsibility of being the team's key midfielder; a source of creativity, inspiration and quality whenever he has the ball.He can undoubtedly do just that. Over five seasons with the Giallorossi he has repeatedly proven his ability but admitted to Mercato365 (h/t Football Italia) that he had moved on in order to win the silverware that had eluded him in the Italian capital:I've had a progressive career. Ive advanced step-by-step, without ever wanting to make too big a leap too quickly. I think this is a good time for a change of atmosphere and to go to a very big club like Juventus.I want to win, and Im really hungry for trophies, so I hope to do that with this very strong team.Pjanic will bring tactical intelligence, a superb range of passing and a deadly knack of scoring from set pieces to the side, but perhaps his biggest asset to Juventus will be his sheer versatility.That was something Allegri noted immediately after the Bianconeri captured the 26-year-old back in June, telling Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia) that Pjanic can play in front of the defence, but also in the middle or at trequartista."That will allow the coach to switch between the 3-5-2 and 4-3-1-2 formations that have been his main options over the past two seasons, but Claudio Marchisios injury is likely to see the Bosnia native exclusively employed in front of the defence as 2016/17 gets underway.Clearly possessing the ability to fulfil that role, Allegri told Sky Italia (h/t FourFourTwo) that "Pjanic will become one of the best in the world in that position" following the draw with Espanyol.For his part, the player is also convinced he can make a difference when deployed there. I enjoyed playing in that position, from there I can dictate the play, he told a reporters shortly after the final whistle in Modena, per Juves official website.But he cannot do it alone. For all the team boasts superb depth, there is a growing concern that there is a lack of top-level quality in the midfield area, especially as the durability of Marchisio and Sami Khedira remains questionable.The signing of Hernanes last summer was undoubtedly a major mistake, the clubs official website revealing that they paid Inter Milan a staggering 11 million, with a potential for a further 2 million in bonuses.He made just 14 appearances in Serie A last term, his presence coinciding with some desperately poor results. It would be churlish to solely blame Hernanes for losses to Napoli and Sassuoloplus draws with Chievo and Frosinonebut there is no denying he contributed to them.Steady veteran Simone Padoin was dreadful in Juves early-season loss to AS Roma, but he has since moved on to Cagliari, leaving Stefano Sturaro and Mario Lemina as the other available alternatives in midfield.Both have shown their qualities at various times, with the latter in particular shaping up to be a fine prospect. In 10 league appearances during 2015/16, the Gabon international scored two goals, while statistics provided by WhoScored.com show he averaged 2.3 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game.The same source also highlighted Leminas tidy distribution, connecting with an impressive 89.8 percent of his 46.3 pass attempts per game. He is undeniably ready to play a bigger role this term, and he should be given more space to showcase his talents by Allegri moving forward.He has been the subject of transfer speculation all summer, with the Calciomercato website (h/t Richard Amofa of the Telegraph) reporting that the Bianconeri turned down a 16 million bid from Arsenal this week.Holding on to Lemina is a smart move, while Sturaro too is quickly growing into a reliable option. Yetif we consider Pjanic-Marchisio-Khedira the first-choice triothe midfield problem for Juventus will likely resurface if they are forced to cope without two of those players.Fielding Pjanic with two of Sturaro, Lemina and Hernanes is a recipe for disaster and something the Bianconeri must avoid, even if it means making a new signing at this late stage of the summer.The evidence is there from when Juve found themselves in this exact situation last season, and the Old Lady should by now be too wise and experience to repeat that same mistake. Pjanic is a great signing, but he cannot carry the midfield burden alone.
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