History is odd, as it never repeats itself exactly, but oftentimes there are glimmers of the past that break into the present — and calcio is arguably one of the best examples of that.
Juventus faced off against Empoli in Sunday’s lunchtime kickoff, and the on-paper results were overwhelmingly in the favor of the Bianconeri. However, the fans and club alike have a long memory, and the 4-1 scoreline was something that came as an eerie reminder of recent history. While there have been numerous off-the-pitch sagas in the past few years, from PogBack and Pogbanned to the betting scandal including the now-Viola-clad Nicolo Fagioli, the news that rocked Juventus in January 2023 was a 15-point deduction from the Italian Football governing body, which saw the Bianconeri plummet down the table.
But from there, it was not all heartbreak, as this team still managed to find wins over clubs like Roma, Inter Milan, and Atalanta domestically, as well as Nantes, Freiburg, and Sporting in the Europa League. Players took to social media talking about how the deduction won’t stop them as the fight continued, and soon the courts would provisionally overturn the ruling and restore the points after a CONI hearing.
Then came Empoli in the spring of 2023.
Or more importantly, the minutes before Empoli.
Players and management were informed that the final ruling in the deduction would end up as only minus-10, which still meant disaster for the Bianconeri. From there, it was one of the most memorable domestic disasters in recent history. The Azzurri Empolesi obliterated Juventus at the Stadio Carlo Castellani, resulting in a 4-1 scoreline that only saw a salvaged goal by now-Liverpool player Federico Chiesa. Former Juve manager Max Allegri justly criticized the timing of the decision, while then Roma manager Jose Mourinho called the ruling a “joke,” as it came with only two domestic matches left in the season.
But why does the scoreline of four goals against one matter?
The reason is the reversed scoreline victory for Juventus shows just how far the club has come in recent years, though there is still much work to be done. That match against Empoli in 2023 was the midpoint of some extremely difficult and dark times for Juventus, as the points deduction and European football ban were in the buildup, and following it came the Pogba ban and betting scandal. Since then, players like Manuel Locatelli and Federico Gatti, though they still have the capability for error, have drastically improved. Signings like Timothy Weah have proved to be a massive benefit, Weston McKennie proved that he still deserves to wear black and white, and the first team call up of Kenan Yildiz has proven a worthwhile endeavor.
Off the pitch, it seems that the Juventus faithful are finally allowed to breathe easy as there has been little mention of issues with governing bodies, player behavior, or any large scandals. And the same Juventus faithful deserve nothing less. Juventus has been allowed to focus on their campaigns domestically, in the Champions League, and in the Coppa Italia without any fear of intervention looming over their heads.
While admittedly the 2024-25 season did not get off to the best start in terms of the sheer number of draws and the unfortunate back to back losses against Napoli and Benfica, Sunday’s outing at the Allianz proved that this club is still able to come back, and a comeback in fantastic mix of precision, goalscoring, and cohesion. Paris Saint-Germain loanee Randal Kolo-Muani found a brace, making his record three goals in two games since signing with the club, Dusan Vlahovic netted a much-needed confidence-boosting goal, and the recently injured Francisco Conceicao came back and told everyone that he is not to be crossed. Not to mention Kenan Yildiz’s roulette that led to the second goal, which in his words was inspired by Zinadine Zidane in days of old. Thankfully it was not inspired by Antony’s same move during his time at Manchester United.
All of this to say that Juventus as a club, as well as its supporters, deserve the ability to play the game unburdened, and if there has been one takeaway from this season to date, it’s that at the very least, this team is finally out of the woodwork in large-scale off the pitch issues, and beating Empoli at home with the same scoreline they decimated Juventus with only a few years earlier during one of the darker periods in the clubs history proves that to a tee.
Maybe, just maybe, this reversed scoreline is the beginning of a better period for the Bianconeri …
