The Croatian, back at the Turin titans for a third time, was handed a short-term goal of steering Juve to next season’s highly lucrative Champions League.
He’s tackled these to eke out precious points, with Juventus now sitting in fourth spot that at the end of the campaign would be enough to secure a place in Europe’s top club competition.
However, sporting director Cristiano Guintoli is under scrutiny. He made a major error by poaching Thiago Motta from Bologna last summer, and allowing him to dictate transfers.
With the cash splashed to kick-off the 2024/25 season, it appeared to be a brilliant coup to have Motta as Juve did not concede a goal in their first six outings.
It soon started to go pear-shaped for a plethora of reasons. This included injuries to pivotal players, the ever-changing captaincy and Motta’s mentality of trying not to lose rather than being aligned with the Juventus DNA of winning at all costs.
With some questionable comings and goings, a fan revolt and humiliating cup exits, the club hierarchy decided enough was enough. The three-year Project Motta was abruptly brought to an end with former Juve defender Tudor immediately installed in preference to Roberto Mancini.
Tudor to steady ship
Tudor had scooped silverware when he was assistant coach to Andrea Pirlo for the 2020/21 season. Yet the pair were axed, and Juve fans understandably thought that was the last time Tudor would be seen in the Juventus dugout.
Fast forward to March 2025 and Tudor was handed the reins as he has a reputation for being a short-term solution in Serie A.
Fast forward to March 2025 and Tudor was handed the reins as he has a reputation for being a short-term solution in Serie A.
Although he appeared on course to be earning Lazio continental competition in his stint last term, he narrowly missed out to Rome rivals AS Roma and exited the club.
He has kicked off his latest adventure with Juventus by earning narrow victories over mid-table Genoa and lowly Lecce, as well as a credible 1-1 stalemate at in-form Roma.
His next match is Easter Monday’s showdown with relegation-threatened Parma, who have drawn their past five league outings.
Massive matches to tackle
Next month Tudor’s troops will face Lazio and Bologna, who are chasing a top four finish, with results from those two games potentially determining his Juve future.
Should Tudor fulfil his objective of steering the side to Champions League soccer next season, this will trigger the automatic agreement to discuss taking on the role of permanent manager for the 2025/26 campaign.
Collecting precious points has been well received by fans and pundits, although the manner that these have been achieved indicate there’s plenty more work needed.
Fortunately many of the clubs vying for Champions League soccer are set to face each other, which makes it easier for Juve’s journey this term.
The recurring theme of injuries to key players has reared its ugly head, with Federico Gatti, Teun Koopmeiners, Samuel Mbangula and Kenan Yildiz joining long-term absentees Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal and Arek Milik on the treatment table.
Missing players from such a talented squad will not be a good enough excuse should Tudor slip-up in his final six Serie A games.
With Juve dominating the first-half at home to relegation-threatened Lecce last weekend, Tudor tweaked his tactics after the turnaround. However, all of his substitutes appeared to be out of their depth against weak opponents.
Fuming Tudor talks
Tudor was furious after the final whistle as his side stuttered past the finish line, to seal the points with a hard-fought 2-1 success. Italian media reported that he blasted his squad inside the dressing room.
He explained at the pre-match press conference before Juve tackle Parma: “We talked [in the dressing room after the Lecce win], but it was very normal. There was no going over the top.
“The players understand we need to improve, because having five substitutions is important. I saw the lads [substitutes] aware, and eager to do better.
“We’ve been working together for three weeks now and the squad is improving. We’ve increased the intensity to win back the ball quickly. We need to be aggressive and united.”
Apart from facing Bologna and Lazio, the other four matches appear to be viable victories for the Bianconeri. At least on paper.
The fact that Juve have scored just four times in Tudor’s three games, and the two wins were both by a one-goal margin, are a cause of concern. Tudor is renowned as a tough taskmaster at training sessions, and has been trying to rethink the way that they approach set pieces.
This lack of goals is something that he has been trying to fathom out. Koopmeiners and Yildiz, who have both scored since Tudor’s return, are doubts to tackle Parma.
Vlahovic's key to success
He may be forced to rejig his tactical approach for this match. Dusan Vlahovic, his favorite Serie A striker, may not have scored under Tudor but at least he set up both goals against Lecce.
The Serbia striker is Juve’s top scorer this term with just nine strikes, ahead of Yildiz (six goals) and Kolo Muani (five). Tudor could try playing Muani off the shoulder of Vlahovic against Parma, and if that partnership works they may become a regular duo for the rest of the season.
Yet Muani has not started under Tudor, and his lack of sharpness was all too apparent when he appeared as a lame second half substitute for Vlahovic against Lecce.
Tudor added: “We’ll see about the two strikers together [to face Parma]. It might happen, it might not. We don’t have a Plan A and a Plan B, we just have to choose the players in the best shape.
“Vlahovic listens and learns, his work is also appreciated by his team-mates. Clearly, he wants goals and they will come.”
Muani exit expected
There’s rumours swirling around the Italian media that Muani, a loanee from Paris Saint-Germain, could be sent back to the runaway Ligue 1 leaders before his deal expires on 30 June.
Muani is being eyed up by Turkish giants Galatasaray to replace Napoli loanee Victor Osimhen at the Istanbul-based outfit. Osimhen is a goal machine wherever he is unleashed, and recently turned down the advances from Juventus.
Scoring seems to be an ongoing issue for the Bianconeri this term, with Giuntoli busy identifying top-class strikers this month such as Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy, Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, Manchester United’s Antony and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.
The club will only bring in another forward if Vlahovic is moved on in the summer. His contract expires at the end of next season, so Juve would prefer to either cash in before he becomes a free agent or extend his deal. Vlahovic is stalling on talks as he is not prepared to take a pay cut to remain with the Bianconeri.
Giuntoli has also been exploring bringing in a new coach. Yet AS Roma are recruiting, as manager Claudio Ranieri is moving upwards with the club. AC Milan are also expected to make a change as Sergio Conceicao has struggled since his appointment in December.
Giuntoli under pressure
Should Tudor fail at Juve, then Giuntoli could well be shown the exit door. If Tudor secures a top four finish then he’s in with a shot of a one-year contract, but only if the performances dramatically improve.
With Giuntoli in a precarious position, he knows that whoever he recommends to be head coach for the 2025/26 campaign must deliver the goods to save his highly paid job. Already he is delving into the return of chief scout Matteo Tognozzi who was instrumental in signing Vlahovic and Yildiz.
Italy’s best supported team surely warrants a big name manager rather than journeyman Tudor, whose only silverware as head coach was the 2012/13 Croatian Cup with Hajduk Split.
Tudor is not an elite-level coach, he was appointed to simply be a safe pair of hands as he has been at the club before.
Managerial names swirling around about making Juve heavyweights again ooze prestige. They offer entertainment and the chance to win trophies.
Big-name managers
Antonio Conte could jump ship from Scudetto-chasing Napoli to return to Turin, Jose Mourninho’s deal with Fenerbahce ends in June 2026, Roberto De Zerbi is reportedly unhappy at Olympique de Marseille and open to an escape route while ex-Barcelona boss Xavi and former Real Madrid chief Zinedine Zidane are free agents.
Tudor is realistic, and stated: “Every coach lives one day at a time. When a coach arrives, he can be fired even if he’s got a five-year contract all signed.
“You can’t plan too far ahead, you build the future today. You take lessons from the past, but thinking about the future too much creates nothing except anxiety.”
He admitted that Juve’s six-game run-in is not a formality: “You’ve just got to prepare the best you can and then go at it, that’s all that counts. The rest means zero.”