Three different bosses in the Juventus dugout since sporting director Giuntoli arrived from Napoli has led to chaos both on and off the pitch.
Tudor’s position was always deemed as a stop gap, because of his history as a short-term Serie A troubleshooter. Although the 47-year Croatian has publicly voiced that would like to extend his deal for next term.
When Giuntoli arrived at the Turin giants, having been involved with Napoli’s first Scudetto in 33 years, Juve were intent on returning to their glory days with this signing.
Max Allegri was in charge of team matters, but his return to the club where he had proved a tactical genius as head coach didn’t pan out. There were dull soccer displays and he only scooped the 2024 Coppa Italia trophy before being given the boot last year.
It was all cloak and dagger shenanigans behind the scenes, with Giuntoli hand-picking Thiago Motta to fill Allegri’s shoes. The former Italian international outrageously had a verbal agreement with Giuntoli while Allegri remained in charge.
Although there was much fanfare about Motta’s arrival, based solely on the strength of a single season with Bologna, this belief in Project Motta soon collapsed. He lasted nine months with a plethora of reasons for being given the heave-ho.
Tudor was brought in to steady the ship with nine league games remaining. His only objective is to score a top four finish, which would earn Champions League soccer next term.
Goal scoring issues
Scoring goals, which became a problem for Juve after their initial six Serie A matches, has surprisingly continued under Tudor. There’s only been four goals in as many games since the former Juventus defender returned to the club last month.
Attacker Kenan Yildiz, who has broken a couple of club records this season, wants to follow in the footsteps of his Juve hero Alessandro Del Piero. He had bagged two goals under Tudor, and seemingly got his groove back after stuttering under Motta since the turn of the year.
Striker Dusan Vlahovic, the club’s leading scorer this term, appears to want an escape route before he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2025/26 campaign. His high salary demands and transfer fee has deterred any bids from European sides.
Goals are urgently needed if Tudor is to prove his worth to the club hierarchy, having previously been sacked as Juve assistant coach to Andrea Pirlo. Securing a Champions League berth will trigger talks for Tudor about a season-long contract.
Yet there are numerous other candidates waiting in the wings for the coveted role, with Atalanta’s Gian Piero Gasperini the overwhelming favorite to be given the nod.
Napoli’s discontented head coach Antonio Conte, who was a big success story when he was Juventus manager, is also in the mix. He tends to leave clubs when he isn’t given the money he demands for transfers, and can be considered a disruptive figure.
Although Conte is a proven winner, and a fan favorite with the Juventus Ultras, the club will no doubt be cautious about a return after Allegri’s second coming didn’t go to plan.
Pressure on Turin giants
The current instability on and off the pitch is almost unheard of at the Turin titans. Finding a suitable successor to Tudor, should he not be offered a contract extension, firmly rests on the shoulders of under-pressure Giuntoli.
The critical decision to appoint an effective replacement to lead Juventus forward is down to Giuntoli, who is coming to the end of his second season.
He was trusted by the club board to implement a rebuilding process, with Project Motta originally a three-year plan. Yet Giuntoli allowed Motta far too much power when it came to transfer ins and outs, which proved costly and led to the coach being shown the door.
Yet Giuntoli may not remain an important figure at Juve much longer. Should Champions League qualification elude the club, it will mean that Giuntoli’s two managerial appointments have failed.
Guintoli contract clause
There is a clause in Giuntoli’s five-year contract that Juve could exercise. If in the third year the two parties are not satisfied with the work done, they can terminate the agreement.
He could be given the chop after the Club World Cup finals in the United States, especially if Juve fail to dazzle in the highly lucrative tournament.
Tudor has arguably not got the best out of Juventus in his four games at the helm, although he did produce a standout result with the 1-1 stalemate at Champions League-chasing AS Roma.
Following Juve’s shock 1-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Parma, Tudor’s next three matches should determine whether he has a shot of being appointed permanent head coach for next season.
Monza, who prop up the Serie A table and are staring at relegation, visit the Allianz Stadium on Sunday afternoon. They did beat Juve in their first Serie A meeting, squeezing an historic 1-0 success in September 2022. A similar upset would be a disaster for Tudor and Juventus.
Serie A showdowns
After Monza Juve travel to Bologna followed by Lazio, which will shape their season. These two opponents are as super eager for points as Juventus, because they are among the seven sides chasing Champions League qualification. Scudetto hopefuls Inter Milan and Napoli are expected to collect the other two berths for Europe’s leading club competition.
Guintoli’s future, having pushed for two intriguing managerial appointments, could rest on positive results against Bologna and Lazio.
He was not considered to be a gamble for Juventus when appointed, but things are going wobbly. Guintoli’s next suggestion to become head coach needs to be a sure bet such as Conte, ex-Barcelona boss Xavi or former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane.
Should he provide candidate names of coaches with limited experience and no trophies, the club may have doubts about Guintoli’s decision making and part company.
The Bianconeri require results rather than long-term plans. The next Juventus head coach needs to possess extensive experience and a proven winning track record to get back on track, and give the ongoing turbulence the boot — or axe Guintoli and Tudor.