Although head coach Igor Tudor shoulders the responsibility for their unwanted eight game winless streak, the frugal club hierarchy should also be blamed.
Tudor was second choice, maybe even third or fourth, when he was elevated from interim manager to the permanent role last June.
He arrived as the cheaper option to former Italy manager Roberto Mancini for a nine-game firefighting exercise. He only lost one Serie A match, stunned 1-0 at Parma, and guided Juve to a top four finish to earn Champions League soccer.
Tudor played hard ball with the club, vowing to walk away unless he was promoted to tackle the cash-rich FIFA Club World Cup. Juventus wanted to bring back Antonio Conte, but could not promise him the big bucks to bolster the squad.
Other names were in the frame, but Juve were not an attractive proposition as they were cash-strapped for the transfer window and the squad any new manager would inherit was lightweight overall.
It was a question of better the devil you know by unveiling Tudor as the uninspired choice to lead the Bianconeri for the next two seasons.
Easy wins over two relative minnows kicked off Tudor’s tenure as permanent boss, despite their obvious defensive flaws.
Juventus ignored early reality
Reality set in with back-to-back defeats to a makeshift Manchester City side and Real Madrid, when Juventus were left chasing shadows and looked decidedly second best.
Their first pre-season friendly was an eye opener, held to a 2-2 stalemate behind closed doors by Serie B outfit AC Reggiana. This poor display prompted the club to release funds for Tudor to rebuild.
Tudor swiftly transfer-listed a clutch of players, including some standout Juventus Next Gen graduates and star striker Dusan Vlahovic. This rocked the boat, and to this day there remain unhappy faces within the squad knowing that they are unwanted by Tudor.
Although the club sent some players out on loan and sold a handful, their replenishing actions were tame. Desperate deadline day signings Lois Openda and Edon Zhegrova were a gamble, which has yet to pay dividends.
Tudor has to deal with his unsettled and discontented squad, who are clearly not well-drilled like the leading Serie A teams.
Tudor's tactics fail at Juve
His tactical approach, which has served him throughout a checkered coaching career, of three defenders and a loan striker has been favored at Juventus even though it fails.
Tudor did revert to a 3-5-2 formation at Lazio on Sunday night, with out-of-form forward Jonathan David a flop and partly at fault for the decisive goal.
Marksman Vlahovic was virtually invisible during the second half, but was probably given a rare full 90 minutes. This was probably on the instructions of the club hierarchy, as they wish to sell the 25-year-old in January.
The Italian giants under Tudor are disorganized. They clearly lack confidence and cohesion, having failed to score in their past four matches and slipping down the Serie A table.
The chance to return to the top four in Serie A eluded Juventus, who produced another mediocre display at Lazio. They lie eighth, but just six points behind leaders Napoli and second-placed AS Roma.
Three more league games before the international break offers Tudor an escape route from being sacked for a second time by Juventus. He was given the boot as assistant manager to Andrea Pirlo at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
Serie A rescue mission
Udinese, who are level on points with Juventus, are Wednesday’s visitors to the Allianz Stadium. The Bianconeri travel to newly-promoted Cremonese on Saturday and will host the derby against Torino on 8 November.
Tudor has to pick up points in these trio of matches before the two-week international break, otherwise he will undoubtedly be shown the exit door.
Such a lengthy winless streak and toothless performances would normally have ended up with Juventus axing their head coach. Tudor claims he doesn’t fear being sacked, but he has a good reason to be so arrogant about this.
The Bianconeri are under investigation for a potential FFP breach by UEFA, which affects the financial implications of pulling the trigger on Tudor.
There are numerous names in the frame to take over at the prestigious club, but the squad they inherit is far from fiercely competitive. Another stop gap appointment appears more likely until the end of the season.
Cluster of names for Bianconeri boss
That means Juventus could opt to re-appoint Thiago Motta, who they are already paying after sacking him in March, or bring in former Fiorentina boss Raffaele Palladino. Even Premier League flop Ange Postecoglou could be unleashed for the rest of the season, in the vain hope that he can bag a trophy.
The sensible choice would be to bring in either Mancini or Lucianco Spalletti, both having won the Scudetto. The former Italy head coaches each boast exemplary knowledge of Serie A players.
Former Barcelona boss Xavi offers a winning mentality, which has always been part of Juve’s DNA. While other big names are most unlikely to consider a club without the promise of big bucks for the winter transfer market.
Tudor’s recent record of five draws on the bounce followed by a hat-trick of defeats without scoring are unacceptable for a club the stature of Juve. Wins are always going to be the only currency for any Juventus manager.
Motta was axed after nine months into his three-year Project Motta in Turin, yet Tudor has dodged that bullet despite a worse record and relentless substitutions that seem wayward.
Tudor uses words as defense
Tudor has an excuse for switching players that creates huge gaps in midfield: “Things happen that force changes one way or another, so a team can’t always look the same because there are always variables.
“A coach knows their players better than anybody. I spend every day thinking about how to get more out of my players.”
Yet fans and pundits firmly believe that Tudor is out of his depth. Whenever the TV cameras panned the Juventus hierarchy inside the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Sunday there were grim looking faces.
Juve’s hands are not tied to Tudor forever. They picked him over managers with a winning record because he was cheap, and as a one-time Juventus player has the potential to win over supporters.
It is time to cut their losses and realize that bringing in Tudor was a false economy. Juventus are already forking out €12 million (US$14m) to pay Motta and his coaching staff, with wielding the axe on Tudor and his colleagues likely to cost just over half of that amount.
Motta re-appointment at Juventus
Bringing back Motta to tackle the rest of the season would be a massive gamble although financially sensible. He was never popular with fans and most of the dressing room. His penchant for not losing matches proved to be his downfall, but surely if he was given a second shot he would go hell for leather by chasing victory in each game.
If Motta managed to turn things around and propel Juventus up the table then his return, albeit until the end of the season, would be deemed a masterstroke. He knows the majority of players and at least produced much more entertaining games than Tudor has served up.
Should Motta be given a second bite at the cherry and fail, the onus would be on the club hierarchy to admit they made a mistake and return to the drawing board with a totally different approach.
Tudor’s time is up, regardless of the next Serie A results. His dour demeanor and bizarre tactics are not exactly lifting the spirits of his disheartened squad. The only thing he seems to be doing right is with his press conference words.
Words are all very well and good, but he needs actions and on the pitch the Bianconeri are lackluster. Tudor is expected to be shown the door when there’s an international break, just like Motta was, in order to cause little disruption.
Chiellini disguised Juve reality
Despite Giorgio Chiellini’s reassurance that Tudor’s position is safe, the reality is that the man initially brought in as a troubleshooter is ironically now the trouble. His mischievous comments about not getting the summer signings were a swipe at the club hierarchy, and specifically general manager Damien Comolli.
As Comolli arrived from a five-year stint in Ligue 1, he will also be bearing in mind bringing in an established manager from the French top tier for a salvage job.
Mancini, Spalletti and former Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic have all recently turned down approaches from cash-rich clubs to become head coach. All three appear to be out of the price range of Juventus, but if the Bianconeri splashed the cash would get a top-class manager who has the potential to stop the rot.
Tudor appears to only ever be a short-term quick fix no nonsense manager, not someone who offers longevity as Juve have discovered. He is aware that his days are numbered, regardless of the results from the next three Serie A games as he seems unable to re-establish Juventus as a top team.
Intriguing fortnight at Juventus
It is bound to be cloak and dagger time again at Juventus over the next couple of weeks, with another underwhelming appointment for such an elite club surely only viable until the end of the season.
A summer reset button is required for Juventus. A cull of players may not be necessary, as whoever takes over from Tudor could get the best out of certain squad members.
Tudor cannot even get a goal by playing his three highly-paid strikers at the same time, and failing to find the net for four games on the spin is not something Juventus are used to.
Time to end the agony for Juventus and their fans, and maybe make a surprise choice with their next managerial appointment. The club reappointed Max Allegri, so the return of Motta is plausible but does not align with the ambitions of the Juve club adored across the globe.