Luciano Spalletti's reign could be a magnificent seven should the head coach steer Juve into the Coppa Italia quarter-finals on Tuesday evening.
Since being installed, Spalletti has yet to taste defeat in his six games. The 66-year-old has collected back-to-back victories over Bodo/Glimt and Cagliari before facing Udinese.
Udinese, who lost 3-1 in October's Serie A clash inside the Allianz Stadium, return to Turin to tackle the Bianconeri. They have suffered a trio of defeats and won three games out of their past six outings, sitting ninth in the league that is just two places behind Juventus.
Former Azzurri boss Spalletti stuck to his guns tactically against Cagliari on Saturday, with a vulnerable three-man defensive line and relying on one attacker to come up with the goods. Yet it was a first-half masterclass from whizzy winger Kenan Yildiz who bagged a brace in the 2-1 triumph over the Sardinia visitors.
Turkish talent Yildiz was given plenty of freedom to roam against Cagliari in the opening 45 minutes, but man-marked after the turnaround and swapped late on for center forward Lois Openda.
Yildiz has worked well with striker Dusan Vlahovic this term, with plenty of creative and fluid moves between the pair. But Serbia star Vlahovic limped off with an adductor injury after 31 minutes. He was replaced by Jonathan David, who failed to muster a single shot.
Spalletti told reporters about Vlahovic's injury: "It is a strain and he will be out for some time."
This leaves a massive void for Spalletti to fill, with only three other forwards in his lightweight squad. Arkadiusz Milik (shin) is sidelined, while summer signings David and Openda have yet to fully adapt to the slow pace of Serie A.
The Bianconeri boss has to make a decision for the Coppa Italia tie, which is Juve’s only realistic chance of winning silverware this season.
David is an out-and-out goal poacher, who was a hot-shot with LOSC Lille in the French top tier. Openda is an unorthodox attacker, who arrived on a season-long loan from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
Spalletti explained: "David could potentially play as a second striker. Openda is a player who thrives on pace and runs into the box. They're both very good at scoring goals.
"David is more of a ball carrier. They're both sensitive and good guys. I'm happy to hug them because that's what they need.
"They'd like to score two or three goals in a row to build their confidence, and become more relaxed. But in football, you also have to earn it and succeed on your own.
“David allowed us to get out there many times [against Cagliari], and he bonded very well with the team. He's a technically clean player, and knows how to handle the ball.
"There were several balls into the box that were always left in the middle, despite having numerical superiority at times. We didn't make the best choice.
"David and Openda are central attackers. There could be other solutions.”
This sounded cryptic from Spalletti, whose only other squad members who possess the ability to attack being Weston McKennie and 20-year-old Yildiz.
McKennie found the back of the net for the Champions League contest at Bodo/Glimt, as did David and Openda. The American ace spent time under Spalletti’s tutelage during the recent international break, with a focus on more attacks, and could play as a makeshift secondary striker.
If selected to face Udinese, the game will be McKennie’s 200th in a Juve jersey. Skipper Manuel Locatelli chalked up his milestone 200th match for Juventus against Cagliari.
Vlahovic’s injury is likely to keep him out of action for the rest of the year, which potentially scuppers his chances of leaving the Turin titans during January’s transfer window.
Yildiz, whose soccer hero is Juventus legend Alessandro Del Piero, sports the same iconic no10 as goal-machine Del Piero. Yet he has never been employed to play the role of a traditional no10, although facing Udinese is the perfect opportunity for Spalletti to give him a whirl.
The other option is to play Yildiz as a false no9 and switch McKennie to the wing. Regardless of Spalletti’s tactical set-up against Udinese, there are three huge Serie A matches for Juve this month.
Defending champions Napoli play host next Sunday to the Bianconeri. High-flying Bologna to play host on 14 December, with AS Roma to face Juventus on 20 December.
Fans and pundits will know by the end of the year whether Spalletti is a hit or miss, with their December Serie A schedule looking very much like a make-or-break scenario. Unless Yildiz is positioned elsewhere and can do more damage