The Good
Randal the Savior
Is it too early to say that Randal Kolo Muani is the best signing of the January transfer window? Many can say yes, but there is an argument that it’s too soon to say.
Either way, the Frenchman scored his second brace in a row in Friday night’s win over Como, bringing his tally of goals for Juventus to five in only three matches. To be blunt, Kolo Muani is everything that Juventus needed in the first half of the season. The 2022 World Cup runner-up is not afraid to get into the mix and move around on attacking runs — in fact, his heatmap against Como was highlighted most on the right wing, as well as a few yards past the halfway line on the opposition side.
One of the defining factors of Kolo Muani’s early tenure in black and white has been his speed, maneuverability, and that he’s not waiting for an opportunity to arise in the attacking buildup. So much so that Kolo Muani has become the first Serie A player in the three-point era to score five goals in his first three matches.
Now it’s all about how Juventus will put the money together to keep him after the loan ends.
Michele the Saver
The match against Como was arguably one of the larger tests for new goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, which if the first time around against I Lariani was an indicator, it should not have been. But Como came to play against Juve, forcing a pretty great performance from the man from Milano.
During the course of the match, Di Gregorio faced down a total of 16 shots, with six of them on target, nine corners, and an attacking game from Como that has not been seen in a long time. While Como scored right before the half, it was more the fault of Juventus’ defense, as Spanish winger Assane Diao was completely unmarked and allowed free reign to attack.
Pinso the Supporter
After Kolo Muani’s second goal, a swarm of yellow shirts surrounded the godsend striker, however there was one bearded man who also sprinted to the crowd of celebrating footballers. This man was not in yellow, not visible at least, rather he donned a long Adidas parka as he commended the players for what would eventually be their narrow victory. Of course, this man was third goalkeeper Carlo Pinsoglio.
Now why is it important for a third-choice keeper who hasn’t seen the pitch since last season’s finale to be hyping up this squad?
To answer that, one must look at the current season. There have been transfers that haven’t worked out, draws upon draws, disheartening but luckily sporadic losses, and a feeling that even with the new faces and management, not much has really changed in the long road of restoring Juventus to its former glory. Now more than ever, this club needs people like Pinsoglio to rally around it and give it much needed encouragement and hope.
Not once has his support wavered for the club he loves so dearly, and while he has not been able to make an impact by playing on the pitch, his morale boosting certainly maintains an impact for those fielded.
The Bad
First Half Blues
Maybe Juventus hinged its confidence on their season-opening win against Como that ended in a 3-0 scoreline at home. But the opposite happened in the first half as the Bianconeri were completely outplayed by the men of the lake. Como kept a possession of almost 60%, registered nine shots with a third of them on target, attempted seven corners, and found the back of the net thanks to an unmarked Diao right before the half. Juventus were completely outplayed and always a half-second behind the action against a team that they should pretty easily beat.
APB on Koop
If one were to try to find a missing person in Italy, the first move would be to visit the station of their local Carabinieri office, and similarly in the United States an APB would be put out on someone. Should you be looking for a specific Dutchman playing for Juventus, look no further than (as of this past Friday), Lake Como.
Teun Koopmeiners has become an increasing point of ire for Juventus fans, as he seemingly cannot make an impact on the majority of matches he’s played in this season. The match against Como was another “tour de zero” for the former Atalanta man, registering zero shots, zero key passes, zero dribbles, and unfortunately, zero impact. Not to mention, his dead giveaway in the closing minutes of the first half began the downward spiral that led to Como’s first (and thankfully only) goal that tied things up.
An Englishman in Turin
You can take the black and white from the man, but you can’t take the man from the black and white. Unfortunately for Juventus, the black and white that Englishman Lloyd Kelly is used to is from Newcastle upon Tyne, a long ball-centric, hard-tackle, route-one club that does not play the same kind of technical catenaccio that comes from the Italian peninsula.
Kelly’s loan to Juventus was met with a high amount of criticism, with many labeling him as a panic buy — and he did not do much in his first outing for the club to prove that wrong against Como. Within a few minutes of him being subbed on to begin the second half, he made a few very rookie level mistakes, and throughout the match kept a very low passing accuracy.
It’s too early to make a definitive statement for Kelly, but one can hope that the next match in Juventus’ home kit will make some impact, as he is used to a very particular color scheme.
A New Streak?
With the domestic unbeaten run in the rearview window, it’s time to look at the most recent two matches, both of which were wins. The strange part of that comes from the fact that the last time Juventus had two domestic wins in a row, Italians were setting up their holiday markets and Americans were trying to best figure out the ideal weight of a Thanksgiving turkey. That’s right, the greatest club in Italian history has not achieved back-to-back wins since November.
The standard of Juventus historically is that wins are common, draws are uncommon, and losses are rare. So where does the inability to scrape two consecutive wins together over the course of slightly less than three months come from?
The Ugly
The Gamble
It’s become more and more difficult to predict which Juventus will take the pitch every week. Will it be the powerhouse that sat AC Milan in a corner? Will it be the one that narrowly beat Monza and Lazio? Or will it be the Juventus that can barely keep a draw against the relegation-facing … though wildly fashionable … Venezia?
At this point, its a question about both consistency and quality. This club has played against the best and worst Serie A has to offer at least once this season, and it’s still impossible to figure out if this is a winning team that needs more time or a squad that is simply not meant to flourish. The era of saying “should be an easy win” when taking on any mid-to-low table team is over, as it seems that Juventus’ weaknesses are completely and continuously being exposed and exploited.
Dus-on-the-outs
2025 has not been off to a great start for Dusan Vlahovic, who has seen progressively less playing time and starts as the Kolo Muani era begins. But is that much of a surprise at this point? Admittedly, there have been matches this season where one could say that the Vlahovic is about to go on a hot streak, but it seems more and more lthat the momentum crashes. To that end, statistics are a good indicator of potential preference. Vlahovic has seen the pitch 19 times domestically this season, and scored eight goals in total, with half of them coming from penalties. On the other end, Kolo Muani has scored five goals in three domestic matches, with only a single penalty.
Gatti got got
Generally speaking, no player is encouraged to attempt a WWE-style slam into another, even if that other player is a six-foot-three-inch brick house that maybe could have a decent run in the world of televised wrestling. Unfortunately for Como keeper Jean Butez, he forgot that rule, and even more unfortunate for Federico Gatti, he was the victim of that lapse in judgement.
The big man went down gripping his head, and when he came up, his face was as red as a Monza kit. Of course, that did lead to the game saving penalty. However, with defenders dropping like flies, preserving the health of the one consistent and rarely injured one is key. History has shown a few times that Gatti is capable of the game winning header goal, so he gets points for that attempt, but certainly shouldn’t be clattered as he does so.
Good, bad, or ugly?
In moments before big matches, there is always a bit of reflection where fans ask themselves “Can we take down this team?” Generally speaking, that team is Inter Milan, Napoli, or a big team from Spain, England, Germany, and occasionally France.
Before matches against clubs that played in a lower division only just last season, that same question should not be asked.
But this is the state of today’s Juventus. Make no mistake, Como should have won, not drawn, that match, and call it luck or divine intervention that they didn’t. These three-point struggles against mid-table and relegation sides have become commonplace, and there is no telling what will fix that. Is it Kolo Muani? Is it trying different formations and player combinations? Is it Pinsoglio giving a handwritten letter of inspiration to every player, coach, and staff member? Though let’s be honest, good-guy Pinso would do that if needed.
This match was simply brutto. You can’t win them all, but the ones you do win, you should win decisively.
