Scudetto race: Is this the end of Juventus’s dominance?
Since 2012, there’s only been on team on top of the Italian football summit: Juventus. After suffering a humiliating demotion to Serie B in the mid noughties, Juventus came roaring back during the 2011/2012 season. Then under the leadership of former Bianconeri midfielder Antonio Conte, the fallen Turin titans marked their return to the league summit in emphatic fashion by finishing the campaign sans a single defeat. That was enough to help them pip AC Milan to the coveted title on the 37th matchday, when they beat Cagliari 2-0 while the Rossoneri fell to a 4-2 defeat to inter.
Having won their first Scudetto since 2003, the question was: Was this a fluke? Or were Juventus really back among Italy’s top teams?
Conte would prove the latter as he successfully guided La Vecchia Signora to two more titles before Massimiliano Allegri was appointed as his replacement in 2014. Allegri initially wasn’t a popular choice for many Juventus supporters, who were still reeling from Conte’s resignation and departure to take over the Italian national team. However, the former Milan coach, who was back in his first managerial position since being unceremoniously sacked by the Rossoneri, quickly won them over as he became the first manager to win four straight league doubles (Scudetto and Coppa Italia). Under his tutelage, Juventus also made it to their first Champions League final in well over a decade. Although they lost on both occasions (in 2015 to Barcelona and in 2017 to Real Madrid), it was still a notable achievement as it helped Juventus show that they were ready to mix it up on the European frontier as well.
Yet, despite winning an unprecedented five straight Scudetti, Allegri was shockingly given his marching orders in 2019, with Juventus’s hierarchy bringing in Maurizio Sarri. This was a highly unpopular appointment, as Sarri had failed to win any trophies during his time at Napoli. Although he’d led Chelsea to the Europa League final – and thus winning his first ever major trophy – many Bianconeri fans weren’t convinced that the club would continue to flourish under his management.
To some extent, they were proven correct. Sarri did win the Scudetto – Juventus’s ninth on the trot and his first ever in Serie A – but saw his team beaten in the Coppa Italia final by his former side, Napoli, and were shockingly eliminated in the round of 16 by Lyon. Moreover, Juventus had to really work harder than anticipated to win their ninth consecutive league title, and actually lost three of their last four matches of the season. That included back to back defeats to Roma and Cagliari, plus a 2-1 reversal to Udinese. In fact, had Inter, who finished just one point behind, not drawn as many matches, it’s very likely that the Nerazzurri, who are now managed by Antonio Conte, would have ended Juve’s dominance at the Serie A summit.
Indeed, 2020 was a very odd year due to football being paused following COVID-19’s spread from Wuhan, China to the rest of the world. In a modified Champions League, teams like Lyon and Leipzig surprised everyone by making it to the semi-finals, while many domestic campaigns ended up finishing way later than anticipated. Meanwhile, for Sarri, winning the Scudetto wasn’t enough, and he was given his marching orders just one year after arriving in Turin to make way for another former Juventus player: Andrea Pirlo.
Pirlo’s appointment marks the third manager for Juventus in just three years, and so far, the 2006 World Cup winner has faced a true baptism by fire. Juventus have found that their rivals have closed the gap, and in fact, for the first time in many years, the Bianconeri have never been in top spot at any point this season. Instead, it’s been a close battle between Milan and Inter, both of whom are seeking their first Scudetto in over a decade, while Roma are hoping to position themselves as dark horse contenders. The highest position Juventus have achieved so far is third, and they ended 2020 in shocking fashion as they suffered a rather embarrassing 3-0 home loss to Fiorentina.
While they became the first team to beat Milan this season, they also lost 2-0 to Inter and were beaten 1-0 by Napoli. In addition, they dropped valuable points against the likes of Hellas Verona, Benevento, and Crotone in one-all stalemates that should have been comfortable wins for a team of their stature. Clearly, Juventus are still trying to find their footing under their new manager, which is certainly understandable as it’s never easy to find a rhythm when there’s a managerial merry-go-round taking place in the background.
Despite some issues, there have nonetheless been some bright aspects to Juventus this season. The Bianconeri finished top of their Champions League group thanks to a resounding 3-0 win over Barcelona at Camp Nou, and they conceded just four times. Two of those were during their matchday two defeat to the Blaugrana in Turin, during which Cristiano Ronaldo was out with COVID-19. Ronaldo, now 36, has continued to be a reliable presence up front, with 18 goals in Serie A and 25 across all competitions, and not surprisingly, he was a key protagonist during Juve’s 3-0 rout of Barcelona as he scored a brace.
Another player who’s impressed this season is American international Weston McKennie. The Texas-born midfielder, who is on loan from Schalke, made history last year by becoming the first American to sign for Juventus, and he’s certainly made a strong case for being signed permanently. He scored his first Champions League goal during the 3-0 win over Barcelona as well as has chipped in with four Serie A goals to date. It’s not surprising that he’s become a mainstay in Pirlo’s starting XI and he’s been an excellent representative for American football as the USMNT looks to have more of their players plying their trades in Europe’s top leagues.
However, will players like McKennie and Ronaldo be enough to ensure that the Scudetto remains in Turin? As of now, it doesn’t look like it. Juventus sit eight points behind league leaders Inter, and although they still do hold a game in hand, the Nerazzurri have started to really put some distance between themselves and everyone else. They recently cruised to a 3-0 emphatic win over Milan in last weekend’s Derby della Madonnina, and while they haven’t been without flaws, Conte is running a very well-oiled machine. Unlike Juventus and AC Milan, Inter don’t have European football to overstretch them and now can focus solely on winning their first Scudetto since 2010.
Juventus, of course, shouldn’t be counted out. After all, winning nine Scudetti on the trot is nothing to scoff at, and they have the same number of Scudetti as Milan and Inter combined. The Milan duo lag far behind Juve’s 36, and currently sit on 18 trophies each. Both the Rossoneri and the Nerazzurri, interestingly, have also finished as runners-up on 15 occasions, and this is the first time since 2011 that they occupy the top two spots. For now, it certainly looks like the battle for the league title will be between the city rivals, unless if something dramatically changes between now and May.
What is certain, though, that no team’s dominance lasts forever. It’s simply impossible to win all the time. Over in Germany, Bayern Munich, who have turned the Bundesliga title battle into a one-horse affair, are now finding that the chasing pack have finally started to close the gap. Meanwhile, PSG have been battling hard to keep the likes of Lille and Lyon at bay, and Les Parisiens are in danger of giving up their crown this season. Juventus is no exception. It was bound to happen at some point, and this may be the season in which the title departs Turin after nine years and heads to another major Italian city. As to whether it’s Inter or Milan who lifts the coveted prize – we’ll just have to wait and see.
