The Old Lady’s grip over the Italian topflight has greatly loosened over the past few years, with the prestigious white and black striped giants of Juventus now enduring a challenging period both on and off the pitch that has greatly affected their season.
The FIFA World Cup break could not have come at a better time for Juve as the 2022/23 Serie A season has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster with results not swaying in the former league champions’ favor.
Juve have dealt with major struggles on the pitch which has included a shocking UEFA Champions League Group Stage exit and various poor showings in Serie A which has them third in league and ten points off Napoli at the top, which of course is a very underwhelming spot for this Italian giant to be placed, something that has set them back greatly in the latest odds on sports betting sites.
However, Juventus have also run into major issues in the boardroom which has greatly dented the club’s future plans with numerous authoritarian members stepping down from their post including club president Andrea Agnelli and legendary former player Pavel Nedved who was also acting as vice president.
Juve’s apparent struggles stem way further than just their disastrous showings on the pitch, yet these have also played a crucial role in what has been a horrendous campaign thus far which has left many to speculate as to what has caused this tragic downfall of one of Europe’s most respected clubs.
- Injuries to crucial names:
As always, Juve looked to greatly strengthen their squad with new summer arrivals during the transfer window, with their most renowned names including the return of Paul Pogba from Manchester United, Angel Di Maria from PSG, Brazilian defender Bremer from Torino and Arkadiusz Milik from Marseille all being their most notable signings.
Despite such promising business, a number of key names have been ruled out for a long-term period, including Pogba and Di Maria, meaning that Juve’s overall talent is spread rather thin when competing against Italy’s best and Europe’s elite.
Losing players of such high caliber has greatly affected the team’s overall progress in the domestic competitions and the Champions League with manager Massimilano Allegri’s replacements not panning out.
Whilst every team suffers from injuries throughout the season, Juve have continuously been affected by these predicaments and have lost several key players to various setbacks which has contributed towards the team’s struggles on the pitch in most games where they’re usually expected to win.
- Time up for Allegri in Turin?
There are now a number of rumors floating around the Allianz Stadium that Juve are already exploiting the opportunity to move on from head coach Massimilano Allegri due to the poor run of form that the team is currently undergoing.
Many may be sighting that the current squad is still attempting to adjust to Allegri’s specified tactics which has also played in role in Juve’s recent struggles, yet the pressure is most certainly mounting on Allegri to deliver as soon as the Serie A season returns following the World Cup.
Allegri needs to bring his squad fully up to speed and raring to go as soon as the season returns or he is likely to receive the boot from his hierarchs, meaning Juve will once again be in the market for a new head coach.
Transitioning across different managerial personalities and coaching staff members is often a challenge for most clubs as they seek to find stability with who they have selected at the helm, yet if results continue to slide it is very likely that Allegri will be the next name to head out of Turin with Juve desperately searching for a new option to fill the vacant head coaching role.
- Looking ahead to the future:
The next few weeks are likely going to be amongst the most crucial in the club’s recent history as fans will be awaiting new arrivals in the executive roles and improvements with results on the pitch.
If Juve want to return to their old ways, they will need to run their attack through talented threats such as Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa with Pogba and Di Maria both set to return from injuries.
Other names such as Adrien Rabiot, Wojciech Szczesny, Weston McKennie and Leandro Paredes are all returning from successful stints at the World Cup, which should spark some further confidence in this team alongside their already proven star names.
Juve have been alleviated of their Champions League pressures and could potentially look to claim European silverware in the form of the Europa League from which they entered after their third placed group stage exit.
In the domestic competitions, crucial games against league leaders Napoli, reigning champions AC Milan and other contenders such as Inter, Lazio, Atalanta and Roma are all on the horizon in the new year which are now must-win games.
Juve could also focus on claiming the Coppa Italia if they are aiming to win some silverware this year, yet these results need to change quickly if they want to return back to title contention atop the Italian topflight.
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