For the majority of their existence, Juventus have been recognised as one of the dominant forces not just in Italy, but across all of Europe. However, over the course of the last decade or so, there’s been a creeping sense of panic amongst the fanbase.
That’s especially true with respect to Serie A. It’s been five years since the Old Lady last took home the Scudetto and outside of the scandal that led to their drop out of the top tier, that’s their longest drought without a championship since the late 80s. There are several reasons for this, and perhaps one of the biggest was their financial concerns a few months back.
The belief earlier on in the campaign was that there was no real stability behind the scenes and that if the club failed to qualify for the Champions League, big decisions would’ve had to have been made with regards to selling some top players.
Thankfully, they may have been able to avoid that fate as a result of finishing 4th, but it feels as if it may be time to take a closer look at the last few years of action in Serie A to see whether or not there’s been any kind of sustained progress made in the hunt for that elusive title that Napoli, Inter and AC Milan have been sharing between them.
This season saw Juve finish one place and one point worse off than 2023/24. They also matched their 70-point total from 2021/22, with their last five finishes being 4th, 3rd, 7th, 4th and 4th.
From the outside looking in, that tells the story of a sleeping giant as opposed to a team that can still seriously threaten at the top of the table. It also draws comparisons to clubs from other national leagues that have experienced similar periods of stagnancy, with one of the perfect examples being Arsenal over in the Premier League.
Are fans going to be happy with Champions League football? Yes. Will they be satisfied with winning the Coppa Italia? Perhaps, but this is a club that has won the league title 36 times. At this point, if you were to find the best price to bet on them to win the 2025/26 championship through AceOdds, you wouldn’t feel particularly confident.
They need to be more aggressive in the transfer window, but it seems like they’re still being held back, maybe as a result of the aforementioned financial restraints. They have some star players and a lot of quality in their ranks, but what they’re missing are a few legitimate leaders who can guide this great club forward into their next golden generation.
Igor Tudor serves as an interesting appointment following the exit of Thiago Motta, mainly because it’s the first time they’ve had a foreign manager in charge for almost 20 years.
If he’s given the right kind of backing in the summer, it’ll be fascinating to see how he navigates his way through a landscape full of rivals like Napoli, Inter and Atalanta, all of whom are taking big strides forward.
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