Their Club World Cup campaign kicked off with plenty of goals and self-belief against minnows Al-Ain FC and Wydad AC. Then it turned sour for Juventus, they were outplayed in their back-to-back defeats against Manchester City and Real Madrid.
Juve head coach Igor Tudor initially arrived as a quick-fix troubleshooter on an interim basis in March. After steering the side to next season’s Champions League, courtesy of a Serie A top four berth, he was handed a two-year permanent contract.
His squad that travelled to the cash-rich 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was a motley crew, which included injured players, those promoted from the Juventus Next Gen and loanees.
Juve’s defensive frailties were exposed in all four matches, but only punished by Manchester City. Shotstopper Michele Di Gregorio prevented what could have been an embarrassing result against Real Madrid.
Lacking service to set up goal-scoring opportunities was apparent against the Spanish side. Loanee winger Francisco Conceicao ended up as the only Juve player to muster a shot on target against Real.
Vlahovic could be frozen out
Dusan Vlahovic’s services were severely missed, but he remained benched throughout the tie. Maybe it was following his outrageous scolding of standout team-mate Kenan Yildiz against City that resulted in the 25-year-old being dropped.
His days are definitely numbered, despite wanting to see out the final year of his highly lucrative contract by not entertaining offers from AC Milan, Al-Ahli Saudi FC and Fenerbahce.
Although a potential swap deal for Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho could be on the cards if Viktor Gyokeres signs for Arsenal.
Juve’s top summer target was lethal 27-year-old marksman Viktor Gyokeres, with his transfer from Sporting Lisbon becoming a long-drawn out saga. Arsenal, Juventus and Manchester United were the only options, with a done deal still not sorted.
Vlahovic, maybe anticipating that he would be frozen out like his former team-mates Danilo, Federico Chiesa and Dean Huijsen, controversially liked an Instagram post from Real’s Jude Bellingham congratulating the team’s 1-0 triumph over Juve.
New marksman on the verge
His replacement as next term’s Juventus center-forward appears to be almost over the line. Juve are poised to sign US-born Canada striker Jonathan David.
David was sounded out in April by the Bianconeri, when Cristiano Giuntoli was sporting director. The arrival of Damien Comolli did not deter the club, who set a mid-July decision deadline from David.
Things have swiftly been sorted since his contract with LOSC Lille expired at the end of June, and Canada were knocked out of the CONCACAF Gold Cup last Sunday.
Italian media outlets have today claimed that an agreement has been sorted, with free agent David expected to soon arrive at Continassa for medical examinations and to sign a contract. That would mean snubbing the overtures of Barcelona as well as Premier League sides Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United.
David scored 109 goals in 231 appearances for Lille, lifting the 2020/21 Ligue 1 title in his first season at the club. He has a prolific international record, finding the back of the net 35 times in 66 games.
Attacking replacements lined up
Although the deal has to be finalized, Juve have also set their sights on additional firepower. Attackers Samuel Mbangula, Arkadiusz Milik, Vlahovic and Timothy Weah are clearly not part of the Piedmont club’s plans under Tudor.
The club are trying to land either Napoli outcast Victor Osimhen or FC Porto hot-shot Samu Aghehowa, as last season’s loanee Kolo Muani is likely to be sold to a Premier League club by Paris Saint-Germain.
Tudor is dangling the carrot of Champions League soccer next season for potential acquisitions, but has been overwhelmed by the list of names.
Guintoli compiled a lengthy wishlist of players he singled out. Recently appointed Comolli and new director of football strategy Giorgio Chiellini have added further names. The goal remains the same, to return Juventus to their glory days with eye-catching and entertaining performances.
Club World Cup highs and lows
Apart from the convincing win over Al-Ain FC, and the unconvincing but flattering result against Wydad AC, there’s been nothing to shout home about until Tudor’s tenure.
Juve’s squad was never going to be good enough to beat moneybags Manchester City or star-studded Real Madrid, so Tudor cannot really be blamed for tasting his first back-to-back defeats at Juve.
A massive summer revamp is urgently required, and to keep hold of Di Gregorio and Turkish talent Yildiz. The ball seems to be rolling with David’s imminent arrival and the strong possibility of Vlahovic swapped for Sancho.
Exciting times could be on the horizon if Tudor can find the right balance of new recruits, rather than the club keep opting for misfits. He also should consider more flexibility with his tactics, rather than stick to his predictable and one-dimension 3-3-2-1 formation, if he wants to deliver success.