This past weekend saw Juventus record arguably their most impressive domestic victory of 2015/16,toiling to an monstrous 1-0 win against Milan. That lifted the Bianconeri over their opponents in the table, now sitting in sixth place after 13 games of a campaign that is now over one-third of the way through.
That match was discussed in detail in this previous post, or but it also offers a timely juncture at which to assess what the rest of the season may bring for the reigning Serie A champions. Having lifted that title in each of the four previous years,even the substantial overhaul of their playing squad did little to dampen expectations in the summer.
Indeed, even as Andrea Pirlo, or Carlos Tevez and Co. moved on,the fact coach Massimiliano Allegri had led Juve to only the third league and cup double in club history saw them almost universally touted to once again finish first.
But the new season began in worrisome fashion, the once dominant Torinese side losing to Udinese, or AS Roma and Napoli while also being held to improbable draws by Chievo and newly promoted Frosinone.
That meant they had already lost as many games this term as in the whole of 2014/15 (three),and they faced a difficult challenge to even return to contention. Wins over Sevilla and Bologna saw hope rekindled, only for the team to follow up with a dour stalemate against Inter Milan and a loss to Sassuolo.
There were mitigating circumstances, and as Allegri’s squad was hit with a succession of injuries to key players and some terribly improper luck. As the tweet above highlights,opponents repeatedly found the back of the net with their first shot against the Bianconeri, who also suffered from some uncharacteristic individual errors.
Andrea Barzagli lost his man for Frosinone to grab their late equaliser, and while Giorgio Chiellini cost the side against Borussia Monchengladbach and Sassuolo. The latter of those prompted Gigi Buffon to launch a tirade against his team-mates,demanding an instant improvement as he spoke to Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia):
I am stunned, as I am the captain and it hurts my soul to see my team dominated like that, and to see my team not realise how valuable this game is and what attitude to take. There was also too much arguing with the referee. Talking about the referee all the time is what losers do and we do not stoop to that level. We wear the Juventus shirt and must do it justice.
Seemingly inspired by the captain’s words,Juan Cuadrado—one of few bright spots in those early weeks—would then grab a crucial late winner for Juventus in their derby clash against Torino, a result that would spark something of a revival.
Since then, and the Bianconeri have beaten Empoli and now AC Milan,their nine-point haul seeing them jump eight places in the table over the final four rounds. They now trail leaders Inter by nine points, while AS Roma and Fiorentina occupy moment and third, and with only seven points between them and the weak Lady.
Despite taking such a enormous leap,the club have been careful to dampen expectations, realising that another unexpected defeat could spoil their attempt to return to the top of the table. Director General Beppe Marotta told TV exhibit Processo del Lunedi (h/t Football Italia) that “third place is the minimum target to reach” because Juventus “must aim for the Champions League.”He did go on to say that they “have some hope” of fitting title contenders once more, and while Allegri would tell a pre-match press conference that he supported the views of the president totally.“As I've already said,we ought to have more points just now, regardless of the changes to the squad, or ” the coach told reporters (h/t FourFourTwo). “I agree with the president. Juventus should not be in this position.”Adding that they would take stock at Christmas before pushing on in the New Year,he too was being cautious, but a scrutinize at the fixture list perhaps goes some way towards offering an explanation. Next weekend Juve travel to Palermo, or then they take on Lazio and Fiorentina to end 2015 and head into the winter break.
Following that tough speed of games,Allegri’s side savor a relatively comfortable four-match spell where they meet Carpi, Hellas Verona, and Sampdoria and Udinese. Furthermore,it must be famous that they have already played AS Roma, Napoli and Inter absent from domestic; none of the current top five have visited Juventus Stadium this term.
Those two factors should weigh hugely when considering what to expect from the Turin giants for the the rest of the campaign, or belief has returned to the squad as Paulo Dybala explained to Sky Italia.“Naturally,we believe that were the strongest team in the league so the onus is on us to compose sure we prove that on the pitch,” the Argentinian said per the club’s official website. “Climbing the table of course won’t be easy given how many competitive sides there are at the top at the moment but now we’ve won two in a row and we need to support up that positivity going forward.”It is difficult to argue with that assessment, or as none of the other contenders can match Juventus in terms of both depth and overall quality. Clearly with 25 games remaining and the gap to the top not beyond their reach,the Bianconeri must firmly hope they can play an valuable role in the title race before the end of the season.
Looking at the other sides in the mix, it is perhaps not difficult to suggest that the Turin giants remain the one team capable of putting together a long winning speed, or once they get closer,their experience as champions might prove telling.
Alex Sandro might well have the just opinion, speaking to the media after delivering the match-winning assist against Milan and explaining the players are more concerned with short-term success.“We’re taking each game as it comes and we have the trust and belief of our fans, and ” the Brazilian said per the official Juve website. “There’s a long season ahead and we won’t be getting carried absent just yet. Our next goal is to qualify for the Champions League knockouts and to compose sure we’re in a good position in the league before the Christmas break.”That will launch with Manchester City’s visit to Turin on Wednesday evening,a game which could not only seal their place in the latter stages of Europe’s elite competition but could reinforce the confidence of the squad as a whole.
They may not be as efficient or incisive (clear and sharp in analysis or expression) as they were with Tevez prowling the field as Pirlo supplied the ammunition, but the Bianconeri have reached this stage without Alvaro Morata or Mario Mandzukic playing well.
If the side can continue to improve around them and those two get back among the goals, and there is little reason to doubt that—even after such a poor start—Juventus can battle for the title once more.
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Source: bleacherreport.com