Around this time last year, we were brimming with optimism and excitement. We had a new coach in Thiago Motta and received grand promises of a new \u201cproject,\u201d style of play, and era for Juventus.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Unfortunately, we all know what happened halfway through the 2024-25 season. In March, the club sacked Thiago Motta after barely 10 months in charge and the promises of a modern style of play for Juventus likewise disappeared. This time around, expectations are significantly dampened. After stabilizing the team\u2019s form at the end of last season, Igor Tudor is the coach for this season and will likely continue the steady, though unspectacular performances that the team had at the end of last season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In essence, it feels like this season will be a \u201cholding\u201d season. A season in which we won\u2019t usher in any flashy new style of play, a host of new signings, or commit to anything totally new, but rather one in which we take the time to figure out what the next \u201cproject\u201d will be and who will lead it both on and off the pitch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Juventus almost achieved the curious record of scoring two goals in every game in August, if it wasn\u2019t for the last game of the month against Genoa. In the first preseason friendly of the summer, we played to a 2-2 draw against Serie B team Reggiana. Nata Girma scored in the 22nd minute for Reggiana but new-ish signing Concei\u00e7\u00e3o equalized moments later. Super-sub Dusan Vlahovic put Juventus back in the lead a few minutes after half-time but our underdog opponents produced another shock when Cedric Gondo scored the fourth and final goal of the game. Final score: 2-2.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Bianconeri<\/em> faced stronger opposition in the next warmup game: Borussia Dortmund. Thankfully, it was a significantly improved performance as we beat the German team 2-1. Andrea Cambiaso scored a well-worked team goal in the 16th minute and got his second a few minutes after the break, catching the goalkeeper off-guard at his near post with a fierce shot that went into goal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Tudor\u2019s team controlled the game surprisingly well as Dortmund struggled to break down Juve\u2019s solid defense. Unfortunately, we slacked off at the end of the game and allowed Maximilian Beier to score a consolation goal for the Germans. Final score: 2-1.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In the final preseason game of the summer \u2014 I\u2019m not counting the Next Gen game because fans stormed the field a few minutes after half ime, which is earlier than usual \u2014 Juventus faced another team with a Croatian coach: Atalanta, with Ivan Juric now in charge in Bergamo. Coincidentally, Dortmund also had a Croatian coach (Niko Kovac), so I suppose it\u2019s a good time to be a coach from that country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The first half was quite uneventful as neither team seemed interested in spending too much energy on a game that was only a week before the start of the 2025-26 Serie A season. The second half was a little more interesting and featured three goals in the last 20 minutes. Jonathan David scored his first goal for his new team with a cracking overhead kick after Nico Gonz\u00e1lez saw his header deflected into David\u2019s path. Vlahovic then doubled the team\u2019s lead to show everyone that he intends to fight for his place in the starting lineup despite the club\u2019s desire to sell him.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Once again, Juventus fell asleep at the end of the game and allowed our opponents to grab a consolation goal late in the game. This time, Lazar Samardzic scored to settle the final score at 2-1 for Juventus.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Now on to the real business: the season opener at home against Parma!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As we\u2019ve done in the last few seasons, Juventus started the season with a comfortable victory. It was a solid and professional victory that showed us that while the team has many young players, it is a mature group. The Bianconeri<\/em> dominated the first half but only created a few clear chances against a Parma team that seemed satisfied with playing for a draw. Tudor\u2019s team grew into the game as time went on and got its reward after an hour of play. Yildiz dribbled his way into the box after a short corner routine and drilled a low ball to Jonathan David, who flicked the ball into the far corner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Things got a little awkward when Cambiaso got a foolish red card for (softly?) elbowing a Parma midfielder but thankfully super sub Vlahovic scored with what may have been his first touch after coming off the bench. A fantastic counterattack led by new signing Jo\u00e3o M\u00e1rio, Vlahovic, and Yildiz, resulted in the latter two exchanging passes and Vlahovic eventually tapping in from close range after Yildiz squared the ball to him in front of goal. Final score: 2-0!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n We ended the month with a hard-fought 1-0 away win against Genoa. This game followed the same pattern as the previous one: Juventus had more possession and were generally comfortable and solid in defense but struggled to create clear opportunities in attack. David missed a sitter in the first half after ex-Juventus goalkeeper Nicola Leali parried Yildiz\u2019s fierce shot right into David\u2019s path but the Canadian, only a few yards from goal, somehow scooped the ball over the open goal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Thankfully, super-duper sub Vlahovic came to the rescue once again. This time, he scored a great header in the 73rd minute from a corner delivery from fellow Serbian (and substitute!) Filip Kostic. There was almost another twist in the tale when Genoa hit the crossbar from a corner kick in the 96th minute. It ended up being the last kick of the game as Juventus just about<\/em><\/strong> managed to win 1-0 at Genoa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Juventus Women played a few friendly and quasi-friendly matches in August. The team beat Zurich 9-1 in the first friendly<\/a> with the goals coming from Amalie Vangsgaard (3x), the now-Como player Alisha Lehmann (2x), Martina Rosucci, Martina Tosello, Chiara Beccari, and Emma Stolen Godo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Juventus was on a goalscoring spree in the next friendly game. Just like the men\u2019s team, they beat Dortmund in a pre-season friendly. Abi Brighton, Vangsgaard, Stolen Godo, Paulina Krumbiegel scored the goals to secure an easy 4-0 victory over the Germans.<\/a> Next, we played against Como in the semi-final of the Women\u2019s Cup \u2014 not to be confused with the Serie A Women\u2019s Cup played immediately afterwards. Krumbiegel\u2019s shot and Vangsgaard\u2019s header gave us a comfortable 2-0 victory<\/a> to setup a final against Inter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Juventus FC via Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Bianconere<\/em> won the Women\u2019s Cup thanks to another 2-0 victory<\/a>, this time over Inter. Stolen Godo continued her prolific goalscoring month with another goal in the final when her curling shot outside the box flew into the top corner of the goal. Summer signing Michela Cambiaghi then sealed the victory with a tidy turn and finish in the box.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Another game, another 2-0 victory. Juventus beat Parma 2-0 in the Serie A<\/strong> Women\u2019s Cup<\/a> at the Stadio Ennio Tardini thanks to a headed goal from Cristiana Girelli and a splendid lob from Barbara Bonansea. The last game of the month was arguably the most entertaining one: a 3-2 comeback victory over Everton<\/a> at Goodison Park.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Everton went ahead in the 26th minute thanks to Japanese forward Y\u016bka Momiki. They scored a second quickly afterwards when Ornella Vignola scored through a great header. The Bianconere<\/em> pulled a goal back right on the stroke of half-time thanks to a great team goal finished off by Krumbiegel. Estela Carbonell \u2014 one of the multiple Spaniards signed this summer \u2014 equalized in the 50th minute and Beccari completed the turnaround when she rounded the keeper in a one-in-one and finished in an open goal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The summer transfer closed on the first day of September. Unlike last season, the club made few big-name signings as it was a summer that was highlighted more by departures rather than arrivals. Here\u2019s a summary of the last month\u2019s transfers:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Juventus FC via Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Juventus learned who their opponents will be for this year\u2019s league phase of the Champions League. We will play, in order, Borussia Dortmund (H), Villarreal (A), Real Madrid (A), Sporting Lisbon (H), Bod\u00f8\/Glimt (A), Pafos (H), Benfica (H), and Overall, the draw was both difficult and fair.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In relative terms, this draw was quite favorable. When you look at the fixtures that other teams have \u2014 like Chelsea,<\/a> PSG, and Dortmund,<\/a> to name a few \u2014 you realize that our draw could have been much, much worse. But in absolute terms, it\u2019s clear that Juventus could easily screw up against every single one of these teams.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n There are the obvious top teams like Dortmund, Villarreal, and Real Madrid that require no explanation. But as we\u2019ve seen from the last few years of Champions League action, Juventus frequently struggles with mid-to-lower level opposition, both domestically and in European competitions. Every<\/strong> game in Europe is difficult for us because of how often we\u2019ve fumbled games that we were expected to win, which is why I think this draw is difficult when you look at it without comparing it to that of other teams.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n I will say that this new format has resulted in more balanced draws than in the prior format. I feel like in the prior format you would more frequently see teams with relatively\/extremely easy draws and then one Group of Death. It doesn\u2019t seem like that\u2019s the case so far which makes every game more interesting and competitive.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Even though I expect us to progress from the League Phase, I\u2019m treating every one of these eight games in the Champions League as finals for Juventus because we all know that we never<\/strong> make things easy in European competition. Thankfully, we have our most difficult games first. Andiamo!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/platform.blackwhitereadallover.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2025\/08\/gettyimages-2229408727.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=1.2691029900332,0,98.730897009967,100\")
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
Paul Pogba<\/s> Monaco (A).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n