Juventus team of the decade: 14-15 squad dominates the decade
By John Vaccaro
CBs: Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci
The BBC defense was the key to Juve’s return to prominence both in Serie A and European competition, so it’s only fitting that two of the 3 members form the center of the decade team’s defense.
Like Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini was an obvious choice to make this team as Juve’s captain and arguably the best in the world at his position at points throughout the decade. Chiellini’s sturdy defense has helped Juve allow the least goals in Serie A by a pretty wide margin over the last decade and made them a formidable opponent for every elite striker they faced.
Leonardo Bonucci was similarly integral to Juve’s rise, but was always playing second fiddle to Chiellini. That should in no way take away from what he brought to the Juve defense over the last decade, but he barely edged out the 3rd member of this famed defense. It is his longevity in the decade and his unique passing ability from the back that got him onto this list. Watching him and Andrea Pirlo play on the same team in the first half of the decade was absolutely incredible as it gave Juve two elite passers who could create opportunities at absolutely any time.
Bonucci had his rough patch at the end of the decade, but he has more than made up for with his play in Chiellini’s absence and these belong right where they were all decade long. They belong alongside one another, shutting down opposing attacks.
Honorable Mention: Andrea Barzagli
It would be wrong to discuss the greatness of Chiellini and Bonucci in this decade without at least taking a second to appreciate the part Andrea Barzagli played in Juve’s success. When Juve played 3 at the back in the early parts of the decade, Barzagli was an integral part of the defense. When they switched to 2 at the back, he still challenged the other 2 to continue to get regular playing time. Barzagli was a world class center back, just like the other two and gave Juve a tough defender who could dominate in all facets in his defensive 3rd. It’s obvious why he was able to make the Serie A team of the year 4 of the last 10 years even when he had two players at the same position taking attention from him on his own team. He was an unbelievably impressive player and only missed making this team because of the formation the team is in.