Ask Mina: Bad business at Juventus, Barca the team to beat, and Pioli's Roma link

Each week, sports reporter Mina Rzouki answers a selection of readers' questions submitted via social media. If you have a question for Mina, you can ask her on either X or Instagram – both @MinaRzouki Q: What do you make of Dean Huijsen’s transfer to Bournemouth. Bad move from Juventus who then bought Newcastle’s Lloyd Kelly. Seems like very odd business. @Markn9999 via Instagram A: Odd business, certainly. Let me not mince my words here. Selling 19-year-old Dean Huijsen for £13 million (it could rise to £15m) to then buy 26-year-old Lloyd Kelly for £20m (it is a loan deal with easily achievable targets that will trigger the obligation to buy clause), is, in my view, a sackable offence. Too harsh? No, this was a severe error and a poor piece of business conducted by Juventus, and those transfers have cast doubt on sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli’s judgement. Juventus aren’t a club that can afford any mistakes considering their limited budget. As a club that wanted to initiate a new project last summer with Thiago Motta brought in as coach, it makes sense that they wanted to raise funds to purchase players that would suit the coach's style of play. Huijsen was one of those with admirers and the easiest one to sacrifice in the name of hard cash. That money, as we have since realised, was not well spent with many of Giuntoli’s purchases not living up to their potential. At 19, there were fears the youngster would struggle to wear a heavy jersey like that of Juve’s but I strongly disagree with selling players who love the shirt and the club and already have Serie A experience. The Italian club would have been much better off resisting the sale and ensuring a solid defence built for the future and formed by Next Gen players than investing heavily in the likes of Nico Gonzalez in attack. Juve then lost several defenders to injury including Juan Cabal and, more notably, Gleison Bremer and had to dip into the market in January to bring in Kelly – a player with a lot of potential but who was rather expensive. A great deal for Newcastle United. Kelly arrived at Newcastle as a free agent last summer but hardly played and while they needed the player to ensure squad depth, the sum of money was too good to turn down as the club were in danger of breaching Premier League financial rules. As for the Bianconeri , they needed a player who was adept at playing either on the left or in the centre of defence. Kelly’s early performances for Juve were poor (one performance against PSV in the Uefa Champions League was particularly harrowing) but he has since shown signs of improvement. He has been dropped into a new environment and trying to get to grips with the league, but we are talking about Italy’s biggest club, notable for having legendary defenders such as Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci. Everyone who arrives is subjected to massive pressure and the weight of expectation, especially if they come with a somewhat inflated price tag. Huijsen has been nothing short of fantastic for Bournemouth and they are lucky to have him. His recent performance for the Spanish national team has made headlines as he boasts all the qualities of a modern-day centre-back: calm on the ball, intelligent and reads the game well. His 1.97-metre frame would have been useful in Italy but alas, he departed to pile even more pressure on Juve’s management. Q: What do Real Madrid need to do to be more cohesive as a team? @ryguinho via X A: I write this as Madrid just about managed to squeeze over the line against Real Sociedad on Tuesday evening in the Copa del Rey semi-finals where all their defensive vulnerabilities were exposed. Their biggest problem this season has been a lack of squad depth. They have suffered a significant number of injuries, losing important players for significant periods such as Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos to name a few. Considering the many defensive injuries, they’ve been forced to play midfielders in defence, robbing them of their usual control in midfield. Losing Carvajal to injury has proven the most problematic. Lucas Vasquez isn’t cutting it at right-back and has been targeted by opponents, like Real Sociedad did on Tuesday. This has a knock-on effect to the team’s overall balance as Rodrygo is forced to drop deep to help him which hinders the attack. If Rodrygo prioritises the attack, then Vasquez is exposed. The lack of genuine squad depth in Carlo Ancelotti's side is noticeable especially when Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde are playing in defence. Valverde is one of the finest players in the world in his position, but Ancelotti has been forced to play the Uruguayan as a right-back on occasion this season, like he did against Manchester City. Playing without him in midfield is painful. Add to that the retirement of Toni Kroos over the summer and the midfield is missing too many key pieces that ensured the team’s stability and cohesion. One criticism we can have of Ancelotti is that he should have given more opportunities to younger players. He seemed reticent in giving Raul Asencio a chance, but the player has since developed nicely. Surely, he could have given a youth player a go at right-back; they can’t be much worse than Vasquez. This is the problem with Ancelotti: he’s too dependent on the men he knows and doesn’t give youth a chance. It’s too late to try now as we are in the business end of the season and a youngster will need time to develop and adjust to the role and the team. But I can’t be too harsh on Real Madrid as despite all their injuries and the problems they have faced, they are still in the running to win a treble of La Liga, Champions League and Spanish cup. Somehow, Real Madrid always come good. Q: You have previously said that Barcelona are currently the best team in Europe. Do you still believe that and what are your thoughts on Wojciech Szczesny? @Alvarez via X A: Yes, I still think Barcelona are the team to beat in the Champions League. I struggle to find a better team in Europe this season. They may not boast the depth of a squad such as Premier League champions-elect Liverpool, but they generate so many attacking opportunities at any given moment and that provokes fear in any opponent. The high line they play is super risky and they have conceded too many goals because of that but they make up for it by being so thrilling to watch going forward. It’s almost impossible to contain them and they have produced some sensational comebacks. Robert Lewandowski has scored nine goals in his past nine league games and has 25 goals in total in the Spanish league, three more than Madrid’s superstar signing Kylian Mbappe . Moreover, his sensational partnership with Ferran Torres has proven important in sparking those amazing comebacks such as the one against Benfica in the Champions League and Atletico Madrid in La Liga when Barcelona were down 2-0 in the early stages of the match. When they have played together, they have produced 27 goals and three assists between them. Szczesny is an interesting one. He was no longer part of Juventus plans and decided to retire last summer after reportedly turning down a few offers including from the Saudi Pro League. However, when Barcelona suffered an injury crisis as their first-choice goalkeeper, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, sustained a long-term knee injury, coach Hansi Flick reached out to see if he would be willing to come out of retirement and serve as a backup to Inaki Pena. Szczesny was a good goalkeeper for Juventus and spent seven happy seasons there, but the fans were annoyed when he was signed to a big contract, earning more money that Juve could afford at the time. His presence early on his Juve career meant the team had to play a deeper line at times as he didn’t offer the protection Gianluigi Buffon did, but he slowly won over the fans and produced some fine saves – a lot like the ones he produced against Benfica when Barca were reduced to 10 men. When I interviewed him previously, I found he had such a great sense of humour and an easy way about him. Confident but never arrogant, he was an appreciated figure in the dressing room. Szczesny's early appearances for Barcelona were not great. He was sent-off in the Spanish Super Cup final against Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia in what his first clasico. Barca still went on to win . He was also poor in the Champions League match against Benfica which Barca won 5-4 in Lisbon, when the Pole was at fault for two of the goals. But considering how he trains, the relationship he has with Flick and the passion he feels for Barcelona, he has become the undisputed starter in goal. “When you watch players in training, you get a feeling, I discuss it with my staff, I see how the players work and what level they can reach. It was clear to everyone that Szczesny could reach this level. We all knew it. I make the decisions, but I talk with my coaching staff,” Flick said following the first-leg win over Benfica in March. Szczesny has been excellent for Barcelona and is loving his time at the Catalan giants. “At Juventus, you mainly focus on results, while at Barca, there is a contagious joy for football,” Szczesny said. “And it doesn’t surprise me that millions of fans follow this approach. “What makes me happier than anything in Barcelona is the emotion connected to football, a completely different feeling to what I’m used to.” As a Juve fan, ouch. Q: What are the chances Roma qualify for Europe/Champions League especially without Paulo Dybala? @ZCthekid via Instagram A: Paulo Dybala is an exceptional player, and any team would miss him, but his injury record is the exact reason bigger teams shied away from committing to signing him. When he was ruled out for the rest of the season last month, Dybala was tearful as he desperately wanted to help Roma challenge for the top four. His absence will be keenly felt, even if the team managed a win against Lecce away from home last Sunday. However, the ownership brought in Matias Soule over the summer because they saw him as the long-term replacement for Dybala and manager Claudio Ranieri will depend on him to help maintain their seven-game winning streak in Serie A. Against Lecce, he demonstrated his desire to always try to create for the team but he’s not yet at the level the club need to keep pushing forward. Ranieri admitted there is room for growth but playing consistently will help him grow as he comes to grips with playing in such a difficult and pressurised environment. Ranieri has done a brilliant job and steadied the ship after a disastrous start to the season that saw the club sack two coaches before asking the "Tinkerman" to take over. He has made clear that he will leave his role as coach at the end of the season and the club are on the hunt for his replacement. The most recent name linked to the job is Al Nassr’s Stefano Pioli. So far this season, the Italian coach has overseen 21 victories, six draws and six defeats in Saudi Arabia and reports from Sky Italia suggest he is tempted by a move to Roma. Reports of a rift between Piloi and star striker Cristiano Ronaldo seem to have been exaggerated. During the recent international break, Pioli has been experimenting with his side and developing his tactics to ensure third-placed Al Nassr keep fighting for the Saudi Pro League title – they face second-placed Al Hilal on Friday – and I don’t know if he’s ready to move back to Italy or if Roma consider him a front-runner for the role. He is undoubtedly a great coach, winning the Serie A title in 2022 with AC Milan against all odds, but he’s not one to give up on a challenge and there’s more work to be done at Al Nassr, who trail league leaders Al Ittihad by 10 points.

Ask Mina: Bad business at Juventus, Barca the team to beat, and Pioli's Roma link

In her weekly Q&A, The National's resident expert addresses topics from around the sports world