The Old Lady Looking Young Again: What Matters For Juventus Next Season?

Date: 16th July 2012 at 1:21am
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Six years of suffering from fans were put to an end with one swift stroke: a patient Juventus not unlike that lead by Marcello Lippi to the Scudetto a decade ago emerged on top of Serie A to beat close challengers AC Milan to the tricolore. A new winning era appears to have been ushered in upon the return of an Agnelli at the helm of the club.

Factions of Juventus support perhaps uncertain of what was to come next, given the swiftness in recovery by the club from two seventh-placed finishes to climbing to the pinnacle of Serie A in a single season, were provided an answer when top FIFA agent Ernesto Bronzetti predicted an age where the Bianconeri would rule the roost again. “Juve are destined to dominate for the next few days,” Bronzetti told Tuttosport. “They have a stadium that is beginning to provide income, put their hands on the best young players, have solid foundations, a great Coach and directors up to the task.”

What else would represent a greater objective for the forthcoming season than living up to the challenge laid down by the transfer expert? “The way I see it, this side is even stronger than it was under Antonio Giraudo and Luciano Moggi.” A bold claim indeed. One that might not be too far off the mark when initially analysed from the surface, but the reality remains Juventus still have some way to travel to reaching the heights of power the infamous Triad (inclusive of Roberto Bettega) built around the club, and it may not all be entirely related to simply winning trophies.

What else more than what the club is doing now could be asked of them that they are not currently already preparing for? After all, the club has re-earned it’s credibility as a force to be reckoned with on the field, and are now strengthening the technical aspects of the team to go toe-to-toe with Europe’s biggest sides in the Champions League next season.

The key to Juventus going full circle and confirming the full revival of her power will be when the board begins to lay down benchmarks for the policy within Calcio, showing the way forward for Serie A. Part of that occurred the previous season already, when the commercial windfall and sense of belonging amongst fans brought by the club’s new stadium made it’s mark on the Bianconeri‘s title charge. The financial revolution of privately-owned stadiums was present for all to see, and many other Italian outfits have jumped on the bandwagon with plans for their own in the works.

Agnelli and co. must now ensure innovative policies continue being churned out, not only to further the club’s growth, but to serve as a benchmark for others to follow, given the newfound far-reaching credibility of Juventus as league champions. One such area where policy requires renewal lies with the issue of youth in Serie A; to stay afloat amidst the implementation of Financial Fair Play, Italian clubs will have to turn to the more sustainable source of their young ranks.

In the hurry to reestablish itself following Calciopoli, Juventus adopted the hasty policy of signing household names which unfortunately also led to the discarding of long term youth prospects in favour of players who were thought could make an immediate impact. Brazilian duo Diego and Felipe Melo are examples of the club’s former signings that were brought in only to leave after eventual failure, while Sebastian Giovinco and Antonio Nocerino, overlooked by the management in Turin, prospered elsewhere.

It is good that director Guiseppe Marotta has learned from the mistakes of his predecessors in turning his attention to signing players for the future. Now that the backbone of the team has been built and success has been delivered to the club to alleviate some immediate pressure, Juventus can return to focussing on slowly introducing her starlets, including the likes of Luca Marrone, Ouasim Bouy, Gabriel Appelt as well as new arrivals Paul Pogba and Nicola Leali, into the thick of seasonal action. Such a move will prove to her big Italian counterparts integrating youngsters and easing them into the first team is not impossible. Recognising the value of youth and avoiding heavy transfer expenditure will help clubs meet technical needs sustainably, at the same time empowering the next generation in the knowledge they enjoy the belief of the board.

Above all, the stakes for Juventus to show the way to progress are even higher, after the end of 2011/2012 heralded more than the anticipated return to power of the Old Lady; it also signaled the unfortunate decline of the Milanese giants. AC Milan, though still potent, lost the core of her team especially in midfield, sparked by the mass exodus of it’s aging members, while Inter, going through a continuing dry spell following the departure of Jose Mourinho, find themselves cash strapped and having to sell before they can buy.

Juventus will thus step forth into the Champions League next season as Italy’s most serious candidate for the trophy, a greater stage for the Bianconeri to prove herself the leader on structural level for the rest of the country to follow. Add to the good work already done in lending the Italian game a modern insight into the way forward on technical, commercial and infrastructural fronts, and Juventus will have succeeded fully in reestablishing herself at the top of Italian football. Therefore, the trick for the club lies not just with winning everything there is to win, but to do so in the right spirits with the agenda of furthering the sport.

With great power comes great responsibility, and if they do not provide thought leadership for the rest of the league in the next years, who else will? Make no mistake, Juventus have embarked on an incredible journey of success that has already drawn much credit, but continue blazing the way forward with innovative steps for Calcio to follow, and they will go down in history the stuff of legend, not just for their triumphs on the field.

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2 responses to “The Old Lady Looking Young Again: What Matters For Juventus Next Season?”

  1. Haley says:

    Well, I guess that pretty much sums up what they have to do, apart from the obvious which is to win the CL and Serie A again, anything else will be a failure.

    Though provoking, thanks for writing!

  2. Abdul Azim says:

    Forza Juve!