After securing a hard-fought victory over Lazio in the Coppa Italia, Oscar La-Gambina analyses the Bianconeri’s chances of securing a consecutive domestic cup double
A couple of months ago, we were discussing whether Massimiliano Allegri should be relieved of his duties at Juventus. Now, with 10 straight Serie A wins, the Bianconeri are being named as title favourites once again.
A 4-0 thrashing of Udinese was their most recent domestic triumph and it subsequently put them in second place in the league table. They are now two points off top spot and looking once again like one of the most dangerous teams on the peninsula, while a 1-0 win away at Lazio in the Coppa Italia keeps their hopes alive of a consecutive domestic double.
Along with Juve, Napoli are pushing hard to obtain a reputation as one of the most lethal teams in Serie A, purely down to their impressive goalscoring ability.
Nonetheless, scoring four without reply against the Zebrette in a refreshed Stadio Friuli is no mean feat, and there is no reason to suggest why this form cannot continue until May and consequently bring the Turin club their historic fifth-straight Scudetto.
Furthermore, young ball of talent Paulo Dybala is continuing to impress and current transfer speculation hints that the squad will remain united until the end of the campaign, with no departures looking likely.
The question is, however, will this be enough for them to actually win the title?
One thing that the Old Lady can be positive about is their current European situation, with both Juventus and Napoli featuring in alternative competitions.
Juventus will encounter Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich in the Champions League Round of 16, although the Germans are possibly too powerful for the Italians, something which has already been mentioned in this Club Focus previously.
The Partenopei, meanwhile, are tied with Villarreal in their next stage of Europe, who have the worst goal difference in the top six in La Liga and are themselves involved in a European battle at the top of the table.
Therefore, Juventus may well depart from Europe, while Napoli go through. This will undoubtedly give the Bianconeri an increased advantage over their Neapolitan counterparts, who may face European induced injuries and will experience much less preparation time.
This potentially free schedule would be especially important after the Champions League tie in March, when Allegri’s men have a derby clash with Torino, while also coming face-to-face with Sassuolo, who were the last side to take points off them earlier in the season.
These are key fixtures in their title race and ones they should win if they want to retain the Scudetto this year.
In the future, Juventus could may well exploit Napoli’s distracted focus on the Europa League, subsequently grasping first place as a position of their own.
