Juventus’s Season of Promised Change Descends into Crisis

At the beginning of the season, Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli expressed optimism to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, stating, “We have entirely changed the way we think about football.” He further elaborated, “We started from scratch. We are discovering ourselves and we are curious to see what we can achieve.” The objective was to ‘Make the Old Lady young again,’ a task Giuntoli undertook. Massimiliano Allegri’s outdated strategies were replaced by Thiago Motta, a promising young coach known for revitalizing Bologna with his modern approach to football, despite Allegri’s unusual celebration when Juventus won the Coppa Italia trophy last season. Nearly 200m euros were invested in the transfer market, securing players such as Teun Koopmeiners from Atalanta and Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa. The midfield gained new talent, and young players were advanced and promptly deployed, yielding impressive results in the initial matches of the season. The season commenced favorably. Juventus secured two successive league wins, both by a 3-0 margin, and triumphed over PSV and RB Leipzig in the Champions League. Crucially, the team displayed a distinct playing style, a departure from Allegri’s tenure, characterized by an attacking mindset, aggressive high pressing, and fluid positional play. Subsequently, the situation began to deteriorate. Thiago Motta’s Juventus is scheduled to host Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday. After fifteen matches, Juventus occupies sixth place in Serie A, maintaining an unbeaten league record but struggling to secure victories. While they possess the strongest defense, their offensive play is described as uninspiring, tedious, and highly predictable. The Bianconeri had pledged transformation but appear to be offering a similar performance with diminished positive outcomes. Comparatively, at this point last season, Allegri’s Juventus was ranked second, holding nine additional points. Although their play might not have been entertaining, they were achieving wins. Under Motta, seven draws in their last nine games have led to growing impatience among fans, who expressed their displeasure by jeering and booing the team during the second half of last weekend’s match against Bologna. Juve recovered from a 2-0 deficit to equalize, resulting in yet another draw. In Allegri’s absence, observers are uncertain whom to hold responsible for Juve’s ongoing crisis, which is indeed acknowledged as such. Dusan Vlahovic continues to struggle with consistent goal-scoring when fit. Koopmeiners, instrumental in Atalanta’s trophy success last season, appears to be underperforming, with his current role seemingly diminishing his strengths and exposing his weaknesses. Regarding Douglas Luiz, discussions have already emerged about his potential return to England. While it is premature in the season for definitive assessments, Motta’s coaching choices have drawn considerable attention and questioning. One instance is his persistent refusal to deploy Kenan Yildiz, the gifted number 10, in his preferred central attacking midfield role, where he excelled early in the season. When positioned on the wing, the young player has found it difficult to deliver a steady influence. Concurrently, Vlahovic’s displays remain a subject of discussion. When the Serbian forward did not reproduce his Fiorentina form at Juventus, Allegri’s defensive strategies were often cited as the reason for his perceived decline. Demonstrating similar average performances this season, Vlahovic was recently quoted criticizing his new coach during international duty with Serbia, stating, “It is a bit easier for me when there is another striker, because Mitrovic holds up the ball and engages in aerial duels, so I can make more of my own characteristics and qualities.” He added, “The coach also does not require many defensive duties from me, so that makes it easier too. With my physicality, I can’t really run that much and am not as fresh in my finishing when I’ve been working so hard.” This raises the question of whether the Serbian striker desires complete autonomy at a club where collective effort is essential for renewed success. Motta is not expected to abandon Vlahovic, nor is Juve likely to dismiss Motta in the near future. Both the club’s management and its supporters, including those who express discontent, maintain significant confidence in their new coach. In the 0-0 draw against Empoli, media outlets observed that Motta’s substitutions almost led to a loss, as the team became vulnerable to opposing counter-attacks. Following the match against Napoli, it was suggested that Juve could only secure victories against teams that expose defensive weaknesses. After the Old Lady’s subsequent 3-0 win against Genoa, the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport criticized the continuous squad changes, questioning whether Motta was introducing young players for a ‘surprise’ effect instead of focusing on establishing a consistent starting lineup. Regarding the match against Lecce, journalists contended that introducing youth players while protecting a 1-0 lead was inappropriate, advocating for experienced players in such situations. Coaching any Italian team, particularly one under constant pressure to win, presents significant challenges. The squad is grappling with a severe injury crisis, evidenced by having only four outfield players on the bench during the Champions League fixture against Aston Villa. It is challenging to expect a coach to transform a club’s playing philosophy, integrate new signings, and nurture young talent when the primary concern is simply finding enough fit players for the field. Demanding fixture schedules frequently contribute to injuries among major European clubs. While the coach’s physical conditioning program for the team warrants continuous review, it should be noted that Juve has consistently faced an increasing number of injured players. A pertinent discussion point is why Juventus maintained three strikers in the squad when not competing in Europe, yet considered Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik—who has been severely injured since June—sufficient for a team participating in four competitions this season. Giuntoli is accountable for these choices. The sale of Moise Kean, who has already netted 13 goals for Fiorentina, without securing a replacement, appears to have been an ill-advised decision that has impacted Juve negatively early in the season. Allegri reportedly held a private opinion that Kean was superior to Vlahovic. Furthermore, the investment in Nico Gonzalez, a player prone to injuries who has only accumulated 226 minutes due to fitness issues, is particularly puzzling. Given that availability is a crucial attribute, it might have been assumed that Juventus had learned this lesson after releasing Paulo Dybala and Federico Chiesa, both of whom had significantly higher output in Serie A. Juventus will confront Manchester City, a team experiencing a comparable crisis, with both coaches endeavoring to temper expectations. Should the Old Lady incur another draw or defeat, it will be challenging to avoid the conclusion that Juve 2.0 closely resembles Allegri’s previous iterations.