\n<\/p>\n
\t\t<\/p>\n
Juventus have been the least consistent and convincing among the top Serie A sides in the early going. No team has been perfect so far, even the two most serious contenders, Napoli and Inter. Therefore, everybody is still bunched up at the top. There\u2019s time to address the issues and be in the mix for the title, although that\u2019s not very likely. On the other hand, Milan and Roma have absorbed the coaching change very quickly, and Atalanta look as competitive as in the recent past. If the Bianconeri<\/em> are up and down all season long, a spot in the top four will be far from guaranteed.<\/p>\n A lot of people have rushed to compare the recent string of draws to the beginning of the Thiago Motta era. The similarities are only on the surface. First of all, the struggles could have been attributed to adjusting to a new boss and learning a new system in 2024\/2025. Instead, Igor Tudor has been in the dugout for about six months. Secondly, at least the fighting spirit is on point, and everybody seems to be rowing in the same direction. The Old Lady seemed lifeless, if not even listless, all too often under the former Bologna gaffer, especially later on. Ironically enough, the rollercoaster rides most expected last season, given the concepts and pedigree of their former tactician, have happened regularly recently.<\/p>\n It\u2019s blatant that Juventus lack balance and are suspect defensively. Every time they try to attack with some intensity and conviction, the opponents have prairies on counters. It\u2019s a fire drill whenever the ball is in their box. The return of Gleison Bremer, who needs to be managed better, isn\u2019t the cure for everything.<\/p>\n The last two or three matches have been less wild, but it has come at the expense of the offense, which hasn\u2019t produced as much as in the previous high-scoring contests. Finding a happy medium is paramount. It\u2019s unsustainable to live and die by the luck of the bounce and on whether some players are available and in good form in each match.<\/p>\n The Bianconeri<\/em> have already had to field several different XIs due to injuries and rotation. Their difficulties are beyond changing a player or two, and nailing the selection only goes so far. They have experimented with every iteration of the coach\u2019s beloved 3-4-2-1. Even those that should have been sturdier on paper, for instance, with Pierre Kalulu on the wing or an extra midfielder, Teun Koopmeiners or Vasilije Adzic, in the hole, haven\u2019t brought more stability or protected the rearguard better. In the long run, it\u2019s detrimental to change the starting lineup constantly. The players lose reference points and faith in the boss if the method doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n Fatigue caught up with them in the most recent fixtures, but they also seem stuck between which side of the ball to prioritize. Trying to outgun the adversaries is a strategy that rarely pays off, but Juventus have more talent on offense than in the back. With Edon Zhegrova now healthy and three fine center-forwards in the squad, there\u2019s no reason ever to advance a midfielder, also because they are paper-thin there. Plus, they need more pace and creativity for their frontline to function; otherwise, Kenan Yildiz is bottled up too easily. While Jonathan David and Lois Openda suffer from playing a few meters behind, a 3-4-1-2 with the Turk as the no.10 and two strikers whenever Francisco Concei\u00e7ao can\u2019t start isn\u2019t much different. They have a few routes to explore on that end. Instead, they have already exhausted everything they can do defensively with their current scheme, other than Bremer and their other center-backs gelling and going up a level.<\/p>\n The manager has outright nixed a schematic change. The only detour so far has been a 3-5-2, which actually worked okay in the final minutes of the Milan game, as they were at the mercy of their foes beforehand. Still, they can\u2019t really turn to it consistently with so many forwards needing to play. A three-man midfield wouldn\u2019t hurt, but depth is an issue there. The most muscular version would be the one with Weston McKennie joining Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram. The Frenchman and the USMNT staple would be able to contribute more in the final third that way. Still, the American is probably on his way out, which is affecting his status. There\u2019d also be a version with Koopmeiners as a deep-lying playmaker. It\u2019d need some work, and he hasn\u2019t shown enough to bother trying.<\/p>\n Not having signed a top-notch right wing-back has made them lopsided, but it also gives them some flexibility. In a hypothetical four-man line in a 4-3-3, either Kalulu or Lloyd Kelly would handle one flank, with Andrea Cambiaso on the other, so it wouldn\u2019t look too aggressive. The Italian international hasn\u2019t been great and is very proactive, but he has played a lot as a pure fullback. An intermediate solution would be to exploit McKennie\u2019s versatility and deploy him on the wing in their standard tactic. While it wouldn\u2019t be a perfect solution, he\u2019d be more dangerous than Kalulu, who\u2019s been basically a zero on offense, but it\u2019s hard to blame him. He\u2019s much better as a \u2018braccetto.\u2019 <\/em>They actually need to move him back there as quickly as possible. Kelly shouldn\u2019t be a regular just because he\u2019s the only left-footed defender, considering his blunders and shakiness.<\/p>\n The management obviously has a radical tool at its disposal to shake things up, which is changing the coach. The Croat has the trust of the brass, La Gazzetta dello Sport<\/em> informs. Though like every gaffer helming a top team that\u2019s stuttering, he\u2019s under scrutiny, Matteo Moretto reports (via SOSFanta<\/em>). While they have different head honchos now, if they didn\u2019t stick by Thiago Motta, on whom they had invested a lot more, both economically and strategically, they can surely move on if they don\u2019t think he\u2019s the right man for the job.<\/p>\n It won\u2019t happen anytime soon, but it\u2019ll be something to keep an eye on. After all, Damien Comolli and co. reportedly didn\u2019t choose the boss directly, as owner John Elkann reportedly hand-picked him. The front office explored every option before confirming him after Antonio Conte snubbed them despite all the chatter. To their credit, they have embraced him, but they\u2019re not overly committed, and he\u2019s relatively cheap. As in the summer, the problem is that hiring only a top coach would justify going in another direction. However, there\u2019s a Scudetto-winning former Italy coach plucking grass in Tuscany now.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div>\nThe Differences with Last Year<\/h3>\n
The Main Issue<\/h3>\n
No Easy Solution<\/h3>\n
The Short Blanket Syndrome<\/h3>\n
Different Formations<\/h3>\n
The Future of Igor Tudor on the Juventus Bench<\/h3>\n
\n\n
\n <\/td>\n Follow us on Google News<\/span> for more updates on Serie A and Italian football<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n