4 things Juventus must do before they can compete for a Champions League title

The main goal for Juventus has always been to win the Champions League title. It’s why they purchased one of the two best players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, for 100 million euros from Real Madrid a couple of transfer windows ago. The Champions League trophy is the final big achievement legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has yet to win. It is Juve’s white whale.

Last season, Juve were bounced out of the Round of 16 by Lyon. And this season, they are expected to get past FC Porto in the first round in spite of a poor performance at the Estadio do Dragao, though they are not widely seen as true contenders for the crown over the likes of PSG, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City.

Let’s take a look at four things Fabio Paratici and the lead decision-makers in Turin must do in order to ensure this team can compete for the title in the near future.

Juventus must upgrade their midfield

It’s always helpful to start with the obvious. Juventus once boasted a midfield that was the envy of Europe with Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba, and Claudio Marchisio working their magic. This was a midfield capable of winning the Champions League – and they very nearly pulled it off.

Now, Juve have only one midfielder who is truly of Juventus starting-quality, Arthur Melo. Weston McKennie is a good piece of the puzzle, and Adrien Rabiot is effective in the right circumstances. Even the maligned Rodrigo Bentancur has quality. The problem is that they don’t have anyone who is world-class, and Arthur seems like the only player capable of reaching that level.

More from Old Juve

• Juventus beat Udinese 3-0 in first match of the season
• Team previews: Will Juventus’ attack fulfill its potential?
• Team Previews: Juventus midfielders need to show growth this year
• Team previews: Juventus defenders look ready to compete for Scudetto
• Leonardo Bonucci may be leaving Juventus soon

Whether it is Manuel Locatelli, Houssem Aouar, or even the classy Pogba himself, the Old Lady must acquire a world-class midfielder. Hell, they might even need to sign two midfielders this summer in order to ensure they have a squad capable of competing with the PSGs and Citys of the continent.

The Bianconeri need a true striker

Juventus have their goal-scoring bases covered. Cristiano Ronaldo has 20 goals in Serie A as one of the league’s top scorers for yet another year running. Behind him, Federico Chiesa is emerging as a real scoring threat in his own right with six goals.

Weston McKennie is chipping in goals from midfield, and Alvaro Morata has been a real asset up top with seven. And we all know what a healthy Paulo Dybala is capable of. Even Dejan Kulusevski can put the ball into the back of the net, as we saw during his great 2019-2020 campaign with Parma.

But if Morata has to miss time, Juve’s attack suddenly slumps. That’s no surprise, since the Bianconeri do not have a real striker besides him. Morata is more of a link-up striker than someone who can truly lead the line, too, as if Juventus didn’t already have enough incentive to go after someone in the summer market.

Memphis Depay is a name to watch. Juve can’t break the bank to fill this need – the midfield is the priority – but failing to sign a striker could leave the Bianconeri behind the curve in 2021-2022.

Juve need a healthy Paulo Dybala

Whenever I see people slander Paulo Dybala – to be fair, it’s usually just children hiding behind a Cristiano Ronaldo profile pic – my heart sinks a little bit. It’s incredibly disrespectful to diminish the accomplishments of a man who has been one of Serie A’s best players for years and was the league’s literal MVP in 2019-2020 due to his indispensable role in Juve’s Scudetto triumph.

Juventus need Dybala in order to be a top, top team. You just don’t find world-class players like Dybala, especially not players who can create magical goals from absolutely nothing. Dybala is a top-tier footballer, and it’s a shame jealous Ronaldo fans or Lionel Messi fans kicking down at another left-footed Argentine forward are doing their best to hurt Dybala’s reputation.

The Bianconeri need a healthy Dybala. They are so much better with his creative impetus, slick dribbling, and trademark curlers.

And so that means, from Paratici’s perspective, re-signing Dybala. Surely, it has to be the best option for both parties.

The left side of the equation must be solved

Andrea Pirlo has favored a 4-4-2 this season, but whether he wants to roll with that formation in the long-term or make us of a 3-5-2 more significantly, he is going to need a better option on the left-hand side.

Alex Sandro is not a wing back. Based on what we saw recently against Lazio, the experienced Brazilian might be better off transitioning into a more defensive, center back role like his teammate Danilo has in 2020-2021.

There are two options on the left-hand side. (No, playing slow center midfielders like Rabiot, Ramsey, or McKennie there is not among them.) Those options are Federico Bernardeschi and Federico Chiesa, whom we know is better on the right anyway.

Bernardeschi works hard, but he can’t be an every-game starter for Juventus when the next season starts. It’s just not going to work out well for anyone. Juve need to sign a better left-sided midfielder, and they need to go with someone who has proven Serie A experience.

Robin Gosens is the dream. The Atalanta man has nine goals and four assists this season. Keep an eye on his situation this summer in case he is affordable for the Old Lady.