Despite not losing a match this season, in both Serie A and the Champions League, Juve have been underwhelming as they annually pitch high standards.
A rotten run of stalemates leaves Juventus in fifth place, yet just three points behind league leaders Napoli. They have tackled Atalanta as well as both Milan teams in their six Serie A games, so things are not as bad as it looks on paper.
Cesc Fabregas’ Como is Juve’s next game following the international break, with only a splattering of the Bianconeri on international duty. Gleison Bremer’s long-awaited return has resulted in the defender having to undergo further surgery on his knee.
Tudor, under immense pressure as there are similarities to Thiago Motta’s nine-month stint in Turin. Both managers only boast mediocre records, with trying not to lose matches seemingly more important than winning matches.
Their insistence on constant rotation, which perplexed fans, pundits and players alike, is not good for consistency or tactics.
They each believe in one tried and tested formation, which when it works delivers positive results but when it flops leaves huge question marks about their suitability at such an elite club.
Juventus is a demanding place for managers, where being in the hunt to win the Scudetto and reaching the Champions League quarter-finals are the minimum goals.
Tudor given leeway about goals
As second choice Tudor was selected to lead the Bianconeri, elevated from interim manager to permanent head coach last June, his goals have been reduced to be more realistic.
Juve are no longer the force they once were, which is highlighted by a lightweight squad overall despite the talents of winger Kenan Yildiz and top scorer Dusan Vlahovic. The pair are touted to leave the club either during the winter or summer transfer windows.
Tudor’s task is straightforward. He needs to finish in the top four to achieve lucrative European action next term, while also guiding Juve into the Champions League knockout stages.
The Serie A chase for a top four finish, which secures Champions League soccer, has started to hot up. AC Milan, AS Roma, Atalanta, Inter Milan, Juventus and Napoli are the main contenders, with big-spending Como yet to click this campaign but expected to soon be in the mix.
The weekend’s clash between Como and Juventus is a mouthwatering contest, with both managers urgently seeking maximum points to maintain an interest in the race for a top four finish.
For Tudor’s troops to taste defeat at rivals Como, ahead of the daunting trip to Real Madrid for a Champions League contest, could kick off the beginning of the end for the Juventus head coach.
Fabregas, who is also a shareholder at Como, is a young and pretty inexperienced manager who is cutting his teeth at the club. He is expected to soon attract admirers from Serie A giants and the Premier League, having impressed during his playing career at Arsenal.
Tough games at Como and Real Madrid
Juventus could soon be seeking yet another managerial change, should the side be humiliated by both Como and Real Madrid. It only took back-to-back hefty defeats for Motta to be given the boot, and that was when his squad appeared to down tools and not give their all for the manager.
Morale is low at Juve, which has filtered throughout the squad in all positions.
Shotstopper Michele Di Gregorio, a safe pair of hands during last term’s season-long loan from AC Monza, has recently made rare errors between the sticks. He will feel unsettled as AC Milan and France no1 Mike Maignan is being strongly linked with Juventus.
Defenders Joao Mario and Daniele Rugani are clearly not part of Tudor’s long-term plans. The midfield is a mess, most notably Motta’s marquee signing Teun Koopmeiners who has yet to replicate his fantastic form at Atalanta.
Juve would look very ordinary without winger wizards Francisco Conceicao and Yildiz, with the pair providing the only creativity at the club.
Dilemma to appease Juve's strikers
The quartet of attackers are seriously happy by the look on their faces. Goal poacher Jonathan David has only bagged once this term, scoring on his Serie A debut against Parma. Deadline day signing Lois Openda has yet to break his duck.
Arkadiusz Milik has yet to take to the pitch for the Bianconeri, while Vlahovic is winding down his contract so frequently is reduced to a second-half substitute appearance.
That leaves three highly paid strikers jostling for a starting berth. Even if they are given the nod, they realise that they will not last a full 90 minutes as Tudor insists on making chaotic changes to appease his forwards.
Haphazard and often aimless substitutions alter the formation, which results in huge gaps in both defense and midfield for opponents to exploit. Juventus look lost when these changes are made, as there’s no longer a balance to the team.
Two draws in the Champions League, conceding six goals, does not bode well for the trip to Spain and Real Madrid's home cauldron.
Juventus players given a break
Tudor has surprisingly given his squad members not on international duty two days off. Maybe that will quash his long-running lame excuse at press conferences that his team were tired, although he can bring that up about those players who are away from Turin.
Juventus are still paying Motta’s contract until he gets another coaching role, and if they decide to axe Tudor will no doubt be in the same position. As the Croatian, a one-time Juve defender and previously sacked assistant manager with the Bianconeri, only earns €3 million (US$3.5m) a year then it will not be such a financial blow.
The club’s decision to install Tudor, who has failed miserably with various Serie A clubs, was based on finances. He was the cheaper option compared to the likes of big earners such as former Italy coach Roberto Mancini and ex-Barcelona boss Xavi.
Far from exciting displays during Tudor’s nine-match stint as interim manager should have deterred the Italian giants from giving the 47-year-old a shot at leading the club. It was a false economy to make such an uninspiring appointment, with it only being a matter of time when he will be given the chop.