Old Juve’s Juventus predictions for 2021/22
Jo’s predictions
Final league position in Serie A: Champions
The return of Massimiliano Allegri to the helm should encourage the entire Juventus side. Missing out on the opportunity to lift Scudetto last season, they will be aspiring to get their hands back on the most coveted title in Italian football. With Cristiano Ronaldo likely to stay put at Juventus for at least another year and Paulo Dybala getting back to his full fitness, the Bianoncerni are apparently the favourites to win the Serie A title this season. Consequently, my option doesn’t want to contradict that dogma.
Prediction for Coppa Italia: Semi-final
As far as the Coppa Italia is concerned, Juventus will be taking the field as the defending champions this time. If nothing, Juve were able to break the two-year drought and win the Coppa Italia under the management of Andrea Pirlo. Now, they would obviously want to keep hold of the accolade. But with clubs such as AC Milan, Atalanta, Napoli, Lazio, AS Roma and Inter looking strong, Juventus might fail to repeat last year’s deed. So, let me go with a semi-final finish this time around.
Champions League finish: Semi-final
The departure of Allegri took place in the first place because Juventus were doing nothing spectacular in the Champions League. Yes, they qualified for the UCL finals twice in three seasons under the management of the Italian gaffer but failed to overtake the final hurdle. Do you expect them to do better than only reaching the final this time? I think it is too early for them. Having seen their recent recruitment procedure, I believe they are building a team for the future. With the right blend of youth and experience, they could achieve their ultimate goal — winning the Champions League. As I said, however, it’s still the early days for them. From a neutral perspective, a semi-final finish should be regarded as a successful campaign for Bianconeri.
Top Scorer: Cristiano Ronaldo
IF (and this is a big “if”) Cristiano Ronaldo stays at Juventus, there is no doubt that he will end up scoring more goals than the rest of the Juventus players. Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala are expected to be in the contention, but Ronaldo would take a lead over others for some simple and notable reasons. When it comes to taking free kicks and penalties, the Portuguese appears to be Juve’s leading taker. Although he has not been pretty good with his long free-kicks in recent times, we expect him to score 99 out 100 times from the spot. And that should create a difference going into another new season.
MVP: Paulo Dybala
Dybala, if he could stay fit, will have a fantastic 2021/22 season. The Argentine marked his return to action with a sharp-witted goal against Atalanta last Saturday. I expect him to bag more goal contributions (goals plus assists) than any other player in Serie A this season, let alone at Juventus. Dybala will ultimately find his former self and La Joya that people used to see under Allegri in the manager’s previous term with the Turin-based club.
Player to Watch: Mattia De Sciglio
Speculations around his future at Juventus is an ever-present element in the air hovering around Turin and beyond. Since returning from his loan move from Lyon earlier this summer, Mattia De Sciglio’s been linked with a move away from Juventus. But, perhaps Allegri has reared other ideas in his head. One between De Sciglio and Luca Pellegrini is to leave Juventus on loan. Several reports claim that it is going to be the latter since De Sciglio can play both down the right and left flanks. Naturally right-footed, De Sciglio, 28, is more experienced than Luca. And that’s why the returnee manager is more inclined towards keeping the older prospect at his disposal. As such, it’s going to be an interesting season ahead for the former AC Milan full-back. Keep an eye on him, Juventini! Either you will be impressed or the frown on your face would narrate a contradictory account of De Sciglio’s performances for Juventus.