Juventus: The transition was never meant to be easy

Juventus have some world-class talents, but, make no mistake, this team is in a state of transition.

When Juventus signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid after the forward completed an unprecedented three-peat, the Bianconeri made a massive statement to the rest of the football world: Champions League or bust.

But Juve had so many holes that a single superstar player could never overcome alone. They had an aging defense that needed an injection of young talent. And their midfield? Let’s not even go there. In attack, Ronaldo had another superstar next to him in Paulo Dybala, but they were severely lacking in consistent, ascending options.

Now in the 2020-2021 season after winning the Scudetto but falling apart in the Champions League, Juventus find themselves 10 points behind first-placed Milan. They are in their first season with a new, completely unproven manager in Andrea Pirlo, who is really just starting to figure out his philosophy and how he can create an optimal XI.

It was always going to be a struggle, though. Sure, Juventini didn’t want to think it could come to this, with Juve facing the possibility of not winning a 10th straight Scudetto. The title isn’t lost, however, sometimes you truly do have to take a step backwards in order to meaningfully progress. Juventini have to ask themselves a tough question. Would they rather lose the Scudetto this year and win a treble in the next few seasons or barely win the Scudetto and kick the can on a youth movement?

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Juventus don’t have a full-blown rebuild on their hands. They have Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the world’s most prolific goal-scorer. Sometimes, it feels like Ronaldo is pulling off a carry job in Turin, but, well, he’s a safety net. And he’s not alone. Alvaro Morata has really risen up on loan with nearly a goal contribution per match. Dybala isn’t at his best right now, but he is Dybala. That is to say, he is special, and we should not worry too much about him.

What should excite Juventini the most is the young talent. Dejan Kulusevski, Merih Demiral, Arthur Melo, Weston McKennie, and Federico Chiesa can be key players for this team. Matthijs de Ligt already is one. And even if Rodrigo Bentancur never progresses enough offensively to be a star player, there is always value in a workhorse midfielder who contributes defensively.

Juventus have holes, of course. They need more attacking depth, a true star in the midfield, and a better chance-creator down the left-hand side. Beyond Ronaldo and Dybala, there is still a lack of sure-fire attacking firepower in 2020-2021.

But these are all problems that require steady solutions, rather than haphazard transfer market splashes. Free transfers are band-aid solutions that ultimately do not help clubs with Champions League title ambitions, as Juventus have learned the hard way with Aaron Ramsey, for example. It’s not that he’s a bad player, but is he a matchwinner? Do you really consider him a creative star on the level of the players Juve will meet in the Champions League knockout stages? At this stage of his career, the answer is “no”.

That’s what makes a transition so difficult when you really want to build a top club that can win a treble. Every position, every weakness must be scrutinized. You must play the long game and give young players a chance to fail, so that they can one day blossom into the next generation.

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There needs to be the right mix of players who are great now and players who can be great in five years. Last season, Juve had very few players in the latter category. But this season, they’ve legitimately added a couple in Chiesa, McKennie, and Arthur. More work must be done on the pitch and in the summer market, but fans had to know the truth from the beginning. It was always going to take hard work for Juventus to do this the right way.

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