Talking About Kwadwo Asamoah's Return To Juventus' Lineup

Just six weeks in, it's been an eventual 2013 for Juventus. There were January struggles. There have been plenty of reasons to worry about players going down with injuries. Now there's that whole Champions League thing to celebrate. Ya know, that whole 3-0 win in Glasgow? Yeah, that.

But let us not forget: Kwadwo Asamoah is back with the Old Lady after his stint on AFCON duty with Ghana.

Yes, he's back and there's nothing anybody else can do about it. He's made the trip from Africa to Glasgow, and now he's back training with the squad in Turin. It's a good thing. I think we all know that. There's a reason why people were calling him the signing of the summer during his first couple of months in a Juventus shirt.

Just how good, though?

There's no doubting Asamoah will be a big boost to the starting lineup. With Martin Caceres seemingly getting more and more comfortable as the games go by as he fills in for the injured Giorgio Chiellini, the left side of the defense looks to be getting settled in — something that was arguably one of the biggest areas of concern a month ago. I wasn't so sure I'd be typing that a few games ago, but there's been progress — and noticeable progress at that.

Now you add Asamoah to the mix, a player who, despite playing out of his natural central midfield position, had grown into the left wing-back role that Antonio Conte put him in at the beginning of the season. Sure, his form when he left for AFCON wasn't as good as it was in September or October, but that's beside the fact.

It's just the fact that he's back and rested up from his journey back to Juventus. Asamoah will undoubtedly help the defense, averaging more than a tackle a game more than the man who mainly replaced him, Paolo De Ceglie, this season. And while he might not be the dangerous crosser that PDC is, Asamoah averages just about the same number of crosses each game as Ashton.

And let's not forget, according to WhoScored, Asamoah is the highest-rated player performance-wise not named Pirlo, Chiellini, or Vidal this season. That's pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

What am I trying to say with all of this?

Well, it's rather simple, really: Asamoah is back and we should be happy about it. I know I am. You should be, too. With so many huge games coming up in the next month or two, Juve are going to need as many key players available as they can possibly get.

And I'm pretty sure we can count Asamoah in that group. Nice to have you back, Kasa.