Stephan Lichtsteiner Is Fighting for His Future at Juventus

Over the previous five seasons, Stephan Lichtsteiner had proved himself to be among the most important and consistent members of the Juventus squad. A reliable performer either at right-back or as a wing-back, the Switzerland international delivered everything the Bianconeri could ask from a player in either role.

He was solid defensively, capable of shutting down the very best wingers or midfielders he faced out on the flank, while in attack he contributed a steady stream of accurate crosses and assists.

Occasionally, he has weighed in with some crucial goals, too. That was a habit that began when he netted the first-ever strike at Juventus Stadium in competitive play and continued as he bagged against the likes of Inter Milan, Lazio and Borussia Monchengladbach in the years that followed.

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The latter of those came just a month after Lichtsteiner underwent surgery for an irregular heartbeat last October. The man himself was clearly pleased with his recovery and his first UEFA Champions League goal.

“I’m feeling really good after the operation and thrilled that everything went so well today,” he told the official UEFA website, adding that he “struck the ball perfectly” following Paul Pogba’s superb pass.

Having led Juve with assists during 2013/14, the 2014/15 campaign saw him create Alvaro Morata’s equalising goal in the Champions League final, but last year his productivity began to dip.

That is clearly evident from the table above—compiled using WhoScored.com statistics—which highlights that on-field decline, as the past 18 months pale in comparison to his earlier output.

As he entered this summer, Lichtsteiner was writing history. He was a five-time Serie A title winner with the Bianconeri, also helping the club become the first to win back-to-back league-and-cup doubles, reach that aforementioned Champions League final and lift the Supercoppa Italiana three times.

Given that he will turn 33 in January, his waning impact could be blamed on his age, but Lichtsteiner then became involved in an ugly episode as he attempted to move away from Juventus.

.@KingJames, reinventing himself and being a winner: the importance of the number 23 to @DaniAlvesD2. #BemVindoDani pic.twitter.com/ozIoZ8QD8V

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) June 29, 2016

“There is no problem, we’ll see what happens,” he told outlet Fichajes (h/t FourFourTwo) as he headed off to Euro 2016 in the summer, only for the arrival of Dani Alves to make …

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