The Bianconeri coach trip has hit the skids after five stalemates on the spin, with Motta’s preference to not lose matches and settle for a draw one of the main reasons why there was a managerial change last March.
Project Motta was cut short, lasting nine months rather than the anticipated three seasons, after his players appeared to lose confidence and seemingly down tools.
Furious fans were up in arms following back-to-back hefty defeats, and many disappointed at the underwhelming appointment of Tudor as interim head coach.
The Croatian one-time Juventus defender has a reputation as being a quick-fix troubleshooter, given nine Serie A games to secure Champions League soccer with a top four finish.
Tudor achieved this on the last day of the season, his fifth win in temporary charge, with no notable eye-catching team displays. It was simply gritty performances that were not pretty and far from entertaining.
Mancini and Xavi overlooked
Despite the availability of former Italy manager Roberto Mancini and ex-Barcelona boss Xavi, both on the summer shortlist at the Turin titans, Tudor was elevated to permanent head coach on a two-year deal.
His FIFA Club World Cup campaign exposed the same defensive flaws that Tudor’s favored 3-4-2-1 formation suffered since his arrival.
The Juventus hierarchy were convinced that they had to splash the cash after the shock 2-2 draw against Serie B minnows AC Reggiana.
Cash-strapped Bianconeri
Tudor missed out on some big names because of financial constraints and was unable to offload numerous squad players. Yet he oversaw a decent run of results during the pre-season warm-up, including a 2-1 success in Germany over Borussia Dortmund.
He was subjected to what seemed to be two panic signings on deadline day, with the arrival of Lois Openda and Edon Zhegrova that are big gambles as neither had managed to enjoy a solid season last term.
The Serie A campaign kicked off with labored wins over Parma and Genoa without conceding, followed by a last-gasp Derby d’Italia triumph in the seven-goal thriller over Inter Milan.
Juventus fans were confident of being competitive this season, but aspirations have come crashing down with five successive draws and Tudor’s tactical approach questionable.
Initially Tudor was picking only his favorites, but after the 4-4 Champions League draw against Dortmund he has been constantly rotating his squad.
He is guilty of trying to appease his main strikers by frequently giving all three minutes, but the Bianconeri have looked lost and disorganized when briefly reverting to a two-pronged attack following chaotic substitutions.
There is clearly a lack of depth in defense, midfield and at wing-back while Tudor has a quarter of strikers chasing a starting berth.
Juve's strikeforce is underperforming
With such a dearth of forward talent, Juventus have yet to strike it rich upfront. Goal poacher Jonathan David has not scored since his Serie A debut against Parma, Arkadiusz Milik is yet to feature since his freak gym pre-season mishap, Openda hasn’t broken his duck in a Juve jersey while Dusan Vlahovic’s four goals have all been as a supersub.
Juventus became only the second side in Serie A history to keep five consecutive clean sheets against AC Milan, following in the footsteps of Triestina who achieved six between 1935 and 1938.
The scoreless stalemate was the first time since Fabio Capello’s run in 2006 that Juventus have registered five draws on the bounce, which leaves Tudor flirting with danger if he wants to remain manager.
Stuttering along in Serie A after six matches is not the end of the world, they may lie fifth but are only three points behind table-topping Napoli. The two Champions League draws, with a visit to Real Madrid after the international break is a major concern.
Del Piero kicks out over Juventus
Even Juventus icon Alessandro Del Piero put the boot in during his pundit appearance on Sky Sport Italia for the clash against AC Milan.
The 2006 World Cup winner explained: “Juve are struggling in attack. The only one who tries to lift the pace is [Manuel] Locatelli, so the attackers get very few chances to score.
“Juve have strength in other areas, but certainly not up front. Those who have started have almost always performed poorly. Vlahovic has only done well as a substitute.
“If you rotate a lot, you keep everyone on edge and you lose your identity. In defense and midfield the ideas are clear.
"Up front Tudor still doesn’t have clear ideas. The team recognises itself in a starting XI, which isn’t there right now, especially up front.”