The tough-talking Croatian, whose previous stint with the Turin titans ended with an unceremonious exit at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, has the option to stay for an additional season with the team that he previously played for in defence.
The 47-year-old was brought in as a short-term troubleshooter by the then sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, to clean up the mess of the Project Motta debacle.
Giuntoli insisted on nabbing Thiago Motta from Bologna last summer, but the three-year plan proved too hot to handle with manager Motta lasting just nine months.
Last March the club had two options, either install former Italy head coach Roberto Mancini or opt for low cost and less demanding Tudor.
Money talks, yet in this case it was all about saving the dollars by picking Tudor to tackle the remainder of the season.
Nine league matches to propel Juventus into a coveted top four finish, which would earn a place in the lucrative Champions League, was Tudor’s task.
Shock reversal
He stuttered his way through with five victories against teams that Juve were on paper expected to beat. The Bianconeri shared the points against highflying rivals AS Roma, Bologna and Lazio. They suffered just a single defeat, stunned 1-0 at relegation-threatened Parma.
It took a last day victory at Venezia, who will play in Serie B next season, for Juventus to secure fourth place. This proved to be Tudor’s sole away win.
Finishing fourth was greatly helped by other teams slipping up during the final few weeks, who gifted Juve the opportunity to play in Europe’s leading club competition.
Tudor’s reward was to earn talks with the club hierarchy, although straight after the 3-2 win at Venezia he made an uncharacteristic outburst that came across as a threat.
Tudor appointed
Playing hard ball did the trick for Tudor, who was today officially installed as permanent manager. This ended the speculation about bringing in Mancini, ex-Barcelona boss Xavi or even Lille head coach Bruno Genesio.
His tactical approach did not tend to win over soccer purists, despite favoring high-pressing play and preference for a defensively solid 3-4-2-1 formation.
This should be free-flowing as wing-backs have more freedom, but only in the last two games did Juventus produce much in terms of entertainment.
Tudor’s initial seven matches were dour displays, with missed opportunities to score from set-pieces and the target man hardly fed any loose balls.
Wind of change
It appeared to be time up for Tudor, until he altered his ways in a bid to prove his worth.
A workmanlike 2-0 home win over Udinese should have seen more Juve goals, and the triumph at ailing Venezia was the first time that Tudor’s troops had found the back of the net more than twice.
The jury was still out on fan forums, with Juventus keen to replace Tudor with a safe pair of hands.
Antonio Conte, who had a hat-trick of Serie A titles with Juve, was the club’s top target. He opted to stay at newly-crowned Napoli, which scuppered former Juve boss Max Allegri’s chance to go there and instead he has joined AC Milan.
Gian Piero Gasperini was always going to leave Atalanta. As Juve were expected to judge Tudor on how he fared at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, he signed for AS Roma.
Candidates tumbled
There were others lined up, but they kept falling by the wayside except for Mancini and Xavi. Both had been sounded out, but would prove much more expensive than promoting Tudor.
In the end the club hierarchy have backtracked and gone with their back-up plan by retaining second choice Tudor.
Apart from shooting his mouth off after the Venezia win, Tudor tends not to let his emotions get the better of him during press conferences.
His strong connection to the club in three spells, and therefore being able to relate to Juve’s winning mentality DNA, on top of winning over most of the dressing room favors Tudor.
Sticking to favorites
This appointment will be music to some of the players, but not squad members will be happy. Tudor, just like Motta, tends to have his favorites and sticks with them.
Motta would at least rotate his squad, but to such an extent that they got confused and lost momentum. Tudor displays more determined characteristics, so will stick to his guns about players until they get right to prove his choice was correct.
Fringe players, and those down the pecking order, will only ever get a shot under Tudor when there are injuries. He is single-minded over his selections, which could prove his downfall over the course of a season.
With no distractions, having been dumped from cup competitions, during a three-month stint is very different from tackling an entire campaign.
Serie A schedule
The Serie A fixtures have been released, with Juve handed a tricky opening six games but an easy run-in on paper. Under Motta they set the Italian top tier alight with energetic performances and dominant displays during their first six games.
Injuries turned the season on its head, the side lacked confidence and Motta was happy to ensure his team became draw specialists in both league and Champions League action.
If Tudor can sort out the set-pieces to generate scoring opportunities, and can revert to the same attitude as his past two matches then the Club World Cup could reap rich rewards.
The club are rated in the top 10 most likely teams to win the cash-rich tournament, and should have few problems progressing out of their four-team group.
Group games
Tudor’s first game as permanent manager will be Wednesday’s clash against UAE giants Al-Ain FC in Washington.
They tackle Morocco’s Wydad AC on 22 June and complete their round-robin schedule against defending champions Manchester City on 26 June. The group winner and runner-up progress to the last 16 knockout stages.
Tudor should be confident that Juventus can prove to the world that despite the Italy national team’s struggles, Italian club soccer is alive and kicking.
If Tudor fails to make an impact in the Club World Cup then the hierarchy will be expected to throw big bucks to attract new tried and tested players.
Inexpensive candidate
Yet Juventus have picked Tudor because he is their fallback man, a much cheaper option than other potential candidates. They appear to happily splash the cash on fresh legs rather than a manager with a proven track record.
He may have won back-to-back Serie A titles as a Juve player in 2001/02 and 2002/03, but his only managerial silverware was the 2012/13 Croatian Cup with Hajduk Split.
Expecting Tudor to suddenly be in the running to win the Scudetto next term is a pipedream and an unrealistic goal. Juve have gone for a budget friendly boss, so they should not be surprised when they realise it’s often true that you only get what you pay for.