Juventus manager Igor Tudor oversaw the two opening league fixtures without conceding a goal with flat displays yet maximum points, to beat Parma and Genoa.
Inter Milan, perennial Scudetto contenders and Champions League finalists in two of the past three seasons, were sent home deflated after a stoppage time winner decided the fiercely-contested Derby d’Italia in favor of Juve.
Yet since that shock success, Juventus have registered two draws with alarm bells ringing. Two added time goals saved their Champions League opener in a thrilling 4-4 result against visiting Borussia Dortmund.
Depleted Hellas Verona came close to springing a surprise result on their own patch, with the league contest with a share of the spoils.
With Atalanta to tackle at the weekend, who have become draw specialists this term, there are obvious comparisons between Tudor and former head coach Motta.
Hiring unproven former Juve center-back Tudor was the cheapest option for the board, and could prove to bite them on the bottom before his two-year contract expires.
Motta was brought in to sprinkle his magic on the Turin titans, and for a while he did.
Although picking Motta, who had eked out 23 draws in his 70 Serie A games at Bologna along with dismal records at both Genoa and Spezia, never seemed to be the perfect match.
His Juventus stint only resulted in three defeats but an incredible 11 draws from his 27 games at the helm.
Motta made magnificent start
Motta kicked off with back-to-back 3-0 triumphs over Como and Hellas Verona before three scoreless draws on the bounce against AS Roma, Empoli and Napoli started Juve’s slide down the Serie A table.
They returned to winning ways with a 3-0 success at Genoa, only for all three league matches last October ending all square. From late November to mid-December Motta’s men had reeled off four successive draws against teams they were expected to beat.
A hard-fought 1-0 victory over AC Monza got the Bianconeri back on track only to wobble again by reeling off three draws on the spin.
The rot had set in with fans, media and pundits calling for draw specialist Motta to be axed. With the writing on the wall, the former Italy international upped the ante with his team selection to drum up six wins from seven games.
Exits in the Coppa Italia and Champions League piled the pressure on Motta, before they inexplicably collapsed in their next two Serie A contests.
A hefty 4-0 home defeat to Atalanta was followed by a 3-0 hammering at Fiorentina. It appeared that Motta’s troops had laid down their tools with the intent to get their manager fired.
Nine games to earn respect
After Motta was given the bullet, Tudor was installed on an interim basis. The wily Croatian was given nine Serie A games to secure Champions League soccer, which required finishing in the top four or to be shown the exit door.
Despite a shock 1-0 defeat at Parma, he orchestrated five wins and three stalemates with some insipid displays. This was an identical record to his short stint at Lazio, when he was installed as a troubleshooter boss.
Juve’s late winner at Venezia, in their final Serie A game of the season, proved to be enough to pip rivals to fourth spot in the Italian top-tier. Tudor was later rewarded with a two-year deal to be permanent manager.
Tudor was selected to take over the reins for a plethora of reasons, but he was second or third choice and the cheaper option.
Juventus obviously didn’t consider his Serie A track record, and may well become worried by the turn of the year.
Tudor axed by Udinese
Tudor’s bitty seasons at Udinese saw him net five draws in 25 matches at the helm, but suffer 10 defeats. Those reversals included shipping in a staggering 11 goals in successive defeats to Atalanta and AS Roma, which ended up with Tudor getting the boot.
He returned to manage Hellas Verona for the 2021/22 campaign, ending up with 11 draws out of 35 matches before joining Olympique Marseille for a single season.
Tudor has not got the perfect squad at his disposal, with a plethora of players having been on the transfer list all summer.
Like Motta, Tudor is rigid about picking his favorites and sticks to a tried and tested formation. Both have scored a high percentage of draws at the Juventus helm, with these stalemates one of the main reasons why Motta lost his job.
Tudor, as a former Juve ace, appreciates the club’s mentality for winning but has to implement that with his squad and stop being so inflexible with players and his tactical approach if he wants to be the manager next season.