As the Champions League prepares for her gargantuan semi-finals, one can hear whispers of outsiders and even underdogs. At best Juventus seem to be being marketed as the new kids on the block but this Old Lady of calcio is much more than a precocious upstart. With a prestigious past and a regenerate team the Turin giants are on a mission to put Italian football back amongst Europe’s elite.
The 0-1 win against Sampdoria sealed Juventus’s fourth domestic title in a row, confirming that in their own League nobody can even get close. The 14-point gap had meant the title was decided a long time ago but this latest triumph was further proof of the Turin club’s incredible regeneration.
After Calciopoli, Italian football in general and Juventus in particular were in the doldrums. Relegated to Serie B, they seemed lost. However, a quick promotion and the building of the new Juventus Arena were simply the beginning of a rapid recovery that has seen the club reinstate itself as the leaders in the Italian game. Owning their own stadium allowed Juve to do what few Italian clubs can. They unearthed the marketing potential of an established brand and reaped the rewards.
Success came in the main when Antonio Conte arrived. He was the dream ticket, club legend and soon-to-be title-winning Coach, his 3-5-2 formation was a breath of fresh air air. Three back-to-back titles saw his high-intensity game brush the opposition to one side and he even completed a season unbeaten domestically. His tactics, however fluid on the pitch, had only one way of winning, in some ways similar to Marcelo Bielsa – high intensity with no real plan B.
Even though Conte succeeded domestically, in Europe there were still questions and elimination in early rounds was arguably symptomatic of the system. When Conte left Juventus in pre-season this year his successor Max Allegri was not well received. Beppe Marotta recalled for Sky Sport Italian after the title win that “the first day Allegri and the President were greeted with eggs, spitting and kicks”.
What the ex-Milan Coach did after this was almost flawless. He managed the transition seamlessly and in a squad with big egos and huge characters he changed little. Allegri was aware that this squad was a winning one and only when they had a small blip before Christmas did he change anything.
Here he introduced a 4-3-1-2 – to sit alongside the normal 3-5-2 rather than replace it. This change of system allowed the Old Lady to change things up dependent on opponent and it is no coincidence that Borussia Dortmund and Monaco both were beaten after this.
As Juventus get ready to face Real Madrid in the semi-finals they will be quietly confident. They are dominant in their own League – they are chasing a treble after all. They have a shrewd Coach who is now loved by the fans and who has added finesse to an already dangerous unit. They also have experience mixed with youth, from Paul Pogba to Andrea Pirlo and from Gigi Buffon to Alvaro Morata.
For the veterans it is their last chance whilst the rest are hungry. Under estimate Juventus at your peril – they are an old name with a new desire.
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