There’s been so much happening for the Turin titans since Igor Tudor nervously steered Juventus to a top-four finish, earning a Champions League, in the final game of last term at Venezia in May.
Tudor played hard ball with the club’s hierarchy at the end of his nine-game stint as interim manager. He achieved his task of qualifying for Europe’s top club competition, albeit because other teams slipped up in the final run-in.
He got his wish by being appointed permanent manager, and was given a tough task by leading the Bianconeri to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup finals.
Their defensive vulnerability was very apparent in all four games in the United States, but was only exposed by Manchester City. Juve keeper Michele Di Gregorio became their hero by keeping the final score down after being totally outplayed by Real Madrid.
No-nonsense Tudor singled out his favorites and added those surplus to requirements onto the transfer list. Striker Dusan Vlahovic fell out of favor after having a go at team-mate Kenan Yildiz, and became frozen out until recent pre-season friendlies.
Despite the club hierarchy having opted for Tudor as the cheap option, and unlikely to lure a top-notch head coach to lead Juventus as their transfer kitty was virtually non-existent, there remains high expectations for the Serie A giants to succeed.
Turin's trio of top-notch signings
The reality is that Tudor has inherited a squad that he would love to tweak, but the club’s financial plight has prevented that. The summer signings of defender Joao Mario, winger Francisco Conceicao and striker Jonathan David should please Juventus fans.
Mario has been pretty impressive during the friendly games, Conceicao has shown both creativity and pace while David is a relentless goal poacher who should be regularly netting.
There are issues this season for Juventus. Many in the current squad feel unsettled, and the troops that Tudor has at his disposal are not yet the polished article apart from Di Gregorio and Yildiz. Transfers have not been forthcoming, and clubs are preferring to take Juve players on loan.
The Bianconeri were off the pace at the Club World Cup, and appear to be lagging behind such sides as AC Milan, AS Roma, Inter Milan and Napoli ahead of tackling the Serie A season.
Inter Milan and Napoli battle anticipated
It appears to be the same two-team race for the Scudetto, with defending champions Napoli favorites over Inter. Juventus should be joining the usual suspects of Atalanta, Bologna, Fiorentina, Lazio, Milan and Roma in the battle for a coveted fourth place.
Como, who finished 10th last term, have bolstered their squad and could be the surprise package to rock the boat in the Italian top tier.
Tudor will have been set a goal by the club’s hierarchy of a top-four finish and reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League. Failure to achieve this could result in the Croatian being dismissed for a second time, having been given the boot as assistant manager to Andrea Pirlo in May 2021.
He has collected his first silverware as permanent head coach, clinching the Bortolotti Trophy after defeating hosts Atalanta this month.
Tudor's tweaks have worked wonders
Tudor has gradually improved Juve over the pre-season friendlies. They have come on leaps and bounds since their dismal display behind closed doors against Serie B minnows AC Reggiana, which included a hard-fought victory at German Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.
Juve are on an unbeaten run of four games, picking up three victories on the bounce, ahead of their Serie A opener against Parma.
Parma were back in the Italian top flight last term following a three-year absence and beat Juventus 1-0 in April, the then manager Cristian Chivu outwitting Tudor. Chivu has since been appointed as Inter boss.
The Allianz Stadium in Turin has become a cauldron over the years, and should maintain this with Juve’s winning mentality as part of their DNA.
Bianconeri to dress for success
The added bonus of a new partnership with Italian icon Giorgio Armani to style the players’ formal wear should give the squad a natural life. The EA7 Giorgio Armani sponsors Napoli again this season, with the club's squad having been kitted out during their Serie A triumph.
It is the lottery of both the Champions League and Coppa Italia that leaves Juventus susceptible to suffering shock defeats. The revamped Champions League with their new league format caused chaos for many top teams, including Juve.
Although a quarter-final berth will be the minimum target set for Tudor, they could end up tackling one of Europe’s big guns in the last 16. Another tame exit in the early knockout stages to an unfancied team, like last season, is unlikely to be tolerated by the Juve board.
If the Bianconeri are handed a generous Coppa Italia draw then they could breeze through the tournament that they have won a record 15 times. This seems to be Tudor’s best chance of sealing more silverware at the helm.
He currently has a plethora of reliable squad members that are a real asset. Tudor can call on the 10 impressive figures of Andrea Cambiaso, Conceicao, Di Gregorio, Federico Gatti, Nicolas Gonzalez, Manuel Locatelli, Mario, Khephren Thuram, Vlahovic and Yildiz.
Juventus goal-getters could surprise
There could also be a steady supply of goals from Juventus, which could set the league alight.
David, who has a prolific scoring record for club and country, should be able to adjust from the top flight in France to Serie A like last season’s loanee Kolo Muani achieved. There remain talks with Paris Saint-Germain about Muani returning to Turin this term.
Should Serbia star Vlahovic stay, and not be snapped up by one of the three interested La Liga clubs, then he could make it four seasons on the bounce that he finishes as Juve’s top scorer.
Yet Vlahovic, as well as Gonzalez and Locatelli, could be shipped off during the summer transfer window. Tudor will not want to be short of top-quality players, especially as the club could be reluctant to dip into their pockets to reinforce the squad in January.
Rotation may make-or-break Juve's challenge
There’s a solid nucleus at Juve to provide a powerful starting line-up, but the same faces cannot be expected to compete in every game despite Tudor’s eagerness to stick to his favorites.
The lack of depth to rotate the squad, unless new players are acquired soon, means that Juventus could face a struggle to come close to achieving their usual high expectations.
Treading on the side of caution means a pragmatic prediction for Juve’s season is for the club to be chasing, to no avail, a top-four finish in Serie A. To reach the Coppa Italia quarter-finals and to receive the knockout blow in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Tudor has been thrown in at the deep end, and it is sink or swim for him at Juventus. If he is willing to deviate from his tried and tested, yet predictable, tactical approach of three defenders and only one target man then he stands a chance.