Image via @juventusfcen on Twitter
Last night saw Arkadiusz Milik get his first minutes in a Juventus shirt in a 1-1 draw against Roma.
The Polish striker made his debut replacing young midfielder Fabio Miretti in the 76th minute, coming on as the home side searched for a late winner.
For the first ten minutes he was on the pitch, Milik operated much as Miretti had, in more of a number 10 position behind Dusan Vlahovic, often collecting the ball, retaining possession, and picking a pass as Juve moved towards the Roma penalty area.
In the last five minutes, Moise Kean replaced Vlahovic and this saw Milik playing more as the focal point of the attack, although he was still dropping deep to get touches of the ball and playing passes to maintain the attack.
It was a debut that will probably be typical of Milik’s Juventus career, without wishing to make grand assumptions based on first impressions. He will most likely be limited to these appearances from the bench as his side are chasing an equaliser or a winner. Post match, Juve manager Max Allegri suggested he could well put Vlahovic and Milik in a two-man attack together, which would only increase his opportunites for minutes, goals and assists.
In a congested autumn, he will get time on the pitch in top levels of both domestic and European competition, which can only be a good thing for him and for the Polish national team with less than 90 days to the World Cup.
Whether Milik can remain healthy is obviously another matter, and it’s a shame that we have to mention this when it comes to him. Despite this and all the jokes, he still displays quality and he is a player who has played at an extremely high level.
Milik was not the only Polish player taking part in the match; Wojciech Szcęszny had a decent enough game in goal for Juve, and the half time change of system by Roma, which included the introduction of Nicola Zalewski, was of great benefit to the visitors and helped them earn a deserved point from the match.
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