Igor Tudor is suddenly under the cosh for their stuttering form and inability to win, because there are no mitigating circumstances except the manager blaming the referee and VAR for not managing to beat Hellas Verona.
Juve are suddenly under pressure with the game against Max Allegri’s table-topping Milan providing the chance for the Turin titans to get their season back on track.
They need some sort of response on home turf, because this is their last match before the international break. A heavy defeat or another draw could leave Tudor under the microscope with the Juve hierarchy.
Juve have conceded 11 goals in their past five games, leaving Tudor with problems in most positions across the pitch.
Woes continue with leaky backline
The defense has been getting more shaky, which makes trips to Como and Real Madrid look daunting straight after the international break. Madrid have only conceded once in their two Champions League games, compared to Juve’s six goals that leaves them lying in a worryingly 23rd place.
There is no disguising the fact that Juventus will not tolerate failure, with a victory urgently needed in both the Champions League and Serie A.
Back-to-back league draws have seen Juventus slip from Scudetto contenders to lie in fourth place ahead of a showdown with former boss Allegri.
Tudor’s record, sticking with his rigid 3-4-2-1 tactical approach, is not too shoddy having reeled off a dozen wins from his 23 games (including pre-season friendlies) in charge.
Throughout his coaching career he has been inflexible about altering his tactics from his favored three defenders, two wing-backs, a double pivot, two wingers and a lone target man.
Having taken over from Thiago Motta in late March, he was set a task of finishing in the Serie A top four. Only one defeat and five wins was enough to secure Champions League soccer, although this was helped by rival teams slipping up.
Tudor and Motta tactical differences
Motta’s style of play was all about possession and not losing games, while Tudor installed a more aggressive approach by being more direct and the wing-backs offering energy down the flanks.
The squad that Tudor inherited was built around a four-player defense, so there’s no excuse for Juventus being leaky at the back.
Tudor’s tactical tweaks put more pressure on the midfield pair, while Turkish talent Kenan Yildiz has been given more freedom and has got his groove back.
His single-striker system has not been working, and leaves his quartet of strikers clearly upset at not being afforded regular minutes.
Four into one does not work
Dusan Vlahovic needs a partner to thrive while goal poacher Jonathan David and unorthodox center Lois Openda have yet to cement their place as the perfect starter.
Frustration is going to set in for this trio as well as Poland veteran forward Arkadiusz Milik because of the constant rotation, which only takes place to appease the frontmen who seem unlikely to ever complete a full 90 minutes.
This seems a dangerous game to play by Tudor, with despondency bound to set when there is no cohesion or tactical intent behind the manager’s striker swapping.
Tudor is being inflexible about his system and the style of play. His adjustments during the second half frequently leave the team looking disjointed, with big gaps appearing for opponents to attack.
There’s not really been the injuries or suspensions to use as excuses, which were warranted when Motta was at the helm. Tudor cited tired legs, which was lame justification for sticking with the same faces.
It is obvious that the current squad languish behind their Serie A rivals. There are many misfits as far as Tudor is concerned, who only remain at Juventus because there were no takers during the summer.
Minnows got Juve's transfers going
Lacking urgency to bolster the squad during the summer did the Bianconeri no favors, with reinforcements only added following the dismal draw behind closed doors against Serie B side AC Reggiana.
The deadline day arrivals of Openda and Edon Zhegrova seem to have been panic signings and a gamble, rather than ensuring that Juventus are fiercely competitive this term.
Tudor’s resistance to alter his tactics and being so rigid about his starters, along with haphazard substitutions makes him look as though he doesn’t know what he is doing.
He has yet to spend a lengthy time at a club as a coach. He has regularly vacated his role as head coach, including being given the boot four times by PAOK, Galatasaray and Udinese on top of being axed by Juventus as assistant coach to Andrea Pirlo.
Ligue 1 bosses monitored
Former Arsenal scout Damion Comolli, the Juventus general manager who arrived from Toulouse in June, will surely already have his eye on managers currently plying their trade in Ligue 1 should Tudor’s tumultuous time at the helm continue with unfavorable results.
A sweeping change of manager is only likely to occur if Juventus start to tumble down the Serie A table and their chances of reaching the Champions League knockout stages look slim.
It’s not all grim reading despite the hiccup of four successive draws. They are unbeaten in their Champions League campaign from two matches, but urgently need to chalk up maximum points to climb the 36-team table.
The Bianconeri could end up being Serie A leaders going into the international break, as they currently only sit a point behind Milan, Napoli and AS Roma.