Can Juventus Be Fixed Tactically and Find Consistency?

Juventus have been the least consistent and convincing among the top Serie A sides in the early going. No team has been perfect so far, even the two most serious contenders, Napoli and Inter. Therefore, everybody is still bunched up at the top. There’s time to address the issues and be in the mix for the title, although that’s not very likely. On the other hand, Milan and Roma have absorbed the coaching change very quickly, and Atalanta look as competitive as in the recent past. If the Bianconeri are up and down all season long, a spot in the top four will be far from guaranteed.

The Differences with Last Year

A lot of people have rushed to compare the recent string of draws to the beginning of the Thiago Motta era. The similarities are only on the surface. First of all, the struggles could have been attributed to adjusting to a new boss and learning a new system in 2024/2025. Instead, Igor Tudor has been in the dugout for about six months. Secondly, at least the fighting spirit is on point, and everybody seems to be rowing in the same direction. The Old Lady seemed lifeless, if not even listless, all too often under the former Bologna gaffer, especially later on. Ironically enough, the rollercoaster rides most expected last season, given the concepts and pedigree of their former tactician, have happened regularly recently.

The Main Issue

It’s blatant that Juventus lack balance and are suspect defensively. Every time they try to attack with some intensity and conviction, the opponents have prairies on counters. It’s a fire drill whenever the ball is in their box. The return of Gleison Bremer, who needs to be managed better, isn’t the cure for everything.

The last two or three matches have been less wild, but it has come at the expense of the offense, which hasn’t produced as much as in the previous high-scoring contests. Finding a happy medium is paramount. It’s unsustainable to live and die by the luck of the bounce and on whether some players are available and in good form in each match.

No Easy Solution

The Bianconeri have already had to field several different XIs due to injuries and rotation. Their difficulties are beyond changing a player or two, and nailing the selection only goes so far. They have experimented with every iteration of the coach’s beloved 3-4-2-1. Even those that should have been sturdier on paper, for instance, with Pierre Kalulu on the wing or an extra midfielder, Teun Koopmeiners or Vasilije Adzic, in the hole, haven’t brought more stability or protected the rearguard better. In the long run, it’s detrimental to change the starting lineup constantly. The players lose reference points and faith in the boss if the method doesn’t work.

The Short Blanket Syndrome

Fatigue caught up with them in the most recent fixtures, but they also seem stuck between which side of the ball to prioritize. Trying to outgun the adversaries is a strategy that rarely pays off, but Juventus have more talent on offense than in the back. With Edon Zhegrova now healthy and three fine center-forwards in the squad, there’s no reason ever to advance a midfielder, also because they are paper-thin there. Plus, they need more pace and creativity for their frontline to function; otherwise, Kenan Yildiz is bottled up too easily. While Jonathan David and Lois Openda suffer from playing a few meters behind, a 3-4-1-2 with the Turk as the no.10 and two strikers whenever Francisco Conceiçao can’t start isn’t much different. They have a few routes to explore on that end. Instead, they have already exhausted everything they can do defensively with their current scheme, other than Bremer and their other center-backs gelling and going up a level.

Different Formations

The manager has outright nixed a schematic change. The only detour so far has been a 3-5-2, which actually worked okay in the final minutes of the Milan game, as they were at the mercy of their foes beforehand. Still, they can’t really turn to it consistently with so many forwards needing to play. A three-man midfield wouldn’t hurt, but depth is an issue there. The most muscular version would be the one with Weston McKennie joining Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram. The Frenchman and the USMNT staple would be able to contribute more in the final third that way. Still, the American is probably on his way out, which is affecting his status. There’d also be a version with Koopmeiners as a deep-lying playmaker. It’d need some work, and he hasn’t shown enough to bother trying.

Not having signed a top-notch right wing-back has made them lopsided, but it also gives them some flexibility. In a hypothetical four-man line in a 4-3-3, either Kalulu or Lloyd Kelly would handle one flank, with Andrea Cambiaso on the other, so it wouldn’t look too aggressive. The Italian international hasn’t been great and is very proactive, but he has played a lot as a pure fullback. An intermediate solution would be to exploit McKennie’s versatility and deploy him on the wing in their standard tactic. While it wouldn’t be a perfect solution, he’d be more dangerous than Kalulu, who’s been basically a zero on offense, but it’s hard to blame him. He’s much better as a ‘braccetto.’ They actually need to move him back there as quickly as possible. Kelly shouldn’t be a regular just because he’s the only left-footed defender, considering his blunders and shakiness.

The Future of Igor Tudor on the Juventus Bench

The management obviously has a radical tool at its disposal to shake things up, which is changing the coach. The Croat has the trust of the brass, La Gazzetta dello Sport informs. Though like every gaffer helming a top team that’s stuttering, he’s under scrutiny, Matteo Moretto reports (via SOSFanta). While they have different head honchos now, if they didn’t stick by Thiago Motta, on whom they had invested a lot more, both economically and strategically, they can surely move on if they don’t think he’s the right man for the job.

It won’t happen anytime soon, but it’ll be something to keep an eye on. After all, Damien Comolli and co. reportedly didn’t choose the boss directly, as owner John Elkann reportedly hand-picked him. The front office explored every option before confirming him after Antonio Conte snubbed them despite all the chatter. To their credit, they have embraced him, but they’re not overly committed, and he’s relatively cheap. As in the summer, the problem is that hiring only a top coach would justify going in another direction. However, there’s a Scudetto-winning former Italy coach plucking grass in Tuscany now.