It was about this time last season that everything started to go wrong for Juventus. Eventually finishing third in Serie A might have been acceptable for most clubs but Juve had lost just one game and looked like it had put the debacle of 2022-23 behind it. Champions League football was almost a certainty and a first scudetto in four years was on the cards.
But just three victories in the final four months of the season saw Juventus drop down the table and out of the running, allowing Inter to claim the title once again. Such a poor run of form meant the end for Allegri and fans anticipated a summer of change throughout the ranks at the club in the summer.
Thiago Motta came in as the new head coach after doing so well with limited funds at Bologna and the future seemed bright. There was money available for big transfers and a number of top players – especially some much-needed midfielders – were brought in. The fans seemed happy and were checking out the markets at sportsbooks like BetNow to back their team’s resurgence. But this campaign has not ended up going quite to plan.
The appointment of Motta was an excellent move for a club that has sometimes been too reliant on trusting experience and what it knows, rather than searching for new, dynamic ways of playing. A young coach was supposed to bring that to the table, with Juventus ready to push for the title once again this season.
Now, it must be mentioned here that Juve has only lost one game at the time of writing. That should be the type of form that sees the club at the top of the league and readying itself to recapture the glory years. But 13 draws in its first 20 games puts a slightly different slant on things and explains why Juventus currently finds itself outside of the Champions League places and desperately trying to kickstart the season with new arrivals in the January transfer window.
Speaking of new arrivals, it does actually feel like Juve is about to enjoy an improvement in results and league position. These are still very early days for the new players but Randal Kolo Muani scoring three in his first two appearances in the Bianconeri has gotten everyone very excited already. Napoli is the only team in the top five that has scored fewer goals than Juventus, but it still sits 14 points ahead at the summit. If Kolo Muani can score goals that turn those draws into wins, then his temporary move could be regarded as the signing of the season.
With Dušan Vlahović susceptible to injuries, bringing in another goal-scoring striker was a necessity for Juventus and now Motta’s next headache will be trying to figure out if he can play the two at the same time. Their two ways of playing would suggest not – and there are other attacking players in the squad who can provide more from wider positions than forcing either of them into the same starting eleven. As long as both players remain happy sharing duties up front, rotating between Vlahović and Kolo Muani, depending on the opposition, might be the ideal way to get the best out of both of them in the remainder of the season.
Now that Motta seems to have a better balance to his team, fans can justifiably begin to ask what this Juventus team can achieve this season. A challenge for the title has to be within its capabilities and the outcome of the home games against Inter and Atalanta in the next month or so will be able to tell us whether we can truly compete in the final months of the season.
There are other chances of silverware away from Serie A, of course. A quarterfinal clash at home against Empoli (recently thrashed 4-1 in the league) suggests an excellent chance to progress to what would be a final four meeting with Motta’s former team. Bologna is nowhere near the threat that it was last season though so, without getting ahead of ourselves, there is a real chance of playing for the Coppa Italia this year. Before we get to advance domestically, however, there is the opportunity to push forward on a continental stage.
The newly expanded Champions League opening phase started brightly for Juventus. But just one win in the final six games, albeit against the might of Manchester City, has forced the club into an extra knockout playoff tie against PSV. Juve kicked off the campaign with a 3-1 victory over the Dutch side and will be confident of progressing to the round of 16. Arsenal or Inter await there though, so Juve would go into that one as the underdog.
It is fair to say that the preseason hopes and dreams have not exactly been recognized this year. There was definitely a feeling that Thiago Motta would bring an exciting new way of playing to the squad and a real challenge for the Serie A title would be possible. Now it looks more like a Champions League spot will be the most that can be expected, with the potential for Coppa Italia success as a bonus.
Without what would be a surprise in the Champions League, a domestic trophy and a top-four finish is exactly what we achieved last season and more was expected from the new coach and team. That should still be considered a successful season – and a very good one for most clubs. But Juventus is not like most clubs.
