Juventus showed that old habits are hard to shake as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against Napoli at the Maradona Stadium this evening, despite taking the lead. The loss highlighted recurring issues within the Bianconeri squad, with familiar flaws surfacing once again in a game that required a much sharper mentality.
The visitors entered the match fully aware of the challenge ahead. Napoli, sitting at the top of the Serie A table, were determined to solidify their position and put on a strong display in front of their home fans. However, Juventus started the game brightly and created several chances early on, eventually finding the breakthrough. At that point, it seemed like the Bianconeri might finally secure a statement victory against elite opposition.
Despite taking the lead, Juventus struggled to build on their advantage. Instead of pushing for a second goal to assert control, the men in black and white fell into a defensive posture, an all-too-familiar approach this season. Napoli took full advantage of this hesitation, growing in confidence as the game wore on. The hosts equalised and then turned the match around with a second goal following sustained pressure on the Juventus defence.
The defeat drew sharp criticism from pundit Giovanni Guardalà, who reflected on Juve’s inability to hold onto a lead and adapt effectively in such high-stakes encounters. Speaking to Tuttojuve, he commented:
“This is something we’ve seen many times now. When Juventus takes the lead, they drop back, suffer, they don’t have the ability to defend inside the penalty area like in the past. They had one of the best first halves with courage, conviction—they were scoring right from the start with Yildiz, Meret was good, but they could have done more. They found the first goal at the end and the game didn’t seem to be on track, but Juventus could have managed it differently.”
Guardalà’s observations highlight the team’s recurring failure to capitalise on promising starts. This was yet another game in which Juve showed moments of brilliance but lacked the composure and killer instinct needed to secure the result.
With their unbeaten run in Serie A now ended, Juventus must reassess their approach. The loss could serve as a wake-up call, and with the pressure of maintaining an unbeaten streak no longer a concern, perhaps the team will be more adventurous moving forward.
