CHAMPIONS IN REBUILD: PART FOUR: JUVENTUS FC
CHAMPIONS IN REBUILD
PART 4/4
JUVENTUS FC
-Samarth Purohit and Mitansh Kagalwala
We're back with the fourth and final installment of our Champions In Rebuild series, where we take a loot at clubs that once dominated the footballing world, but have since fallen down the pecking order, and are currently in a state of rebuild. In Part 4 of the Champions In Rebuild series, we visit Turin and the Allianz Stadium, to meet with the most successful side in Italy, the Old Lady in their famous black-and-white stripes, Juventus FC.
THE PAST
Juventus. A name synonymous with the Serie A, the Bianconeri
are the record Scudetto champions and are the pride of Italian Football.
Nicknamed the Old Lady, the name “Juventus” ironically is Latin for youth, the
Turin-based side have won 36 Serie A titles (Scudetto’s) since their inception
in 1897.
Juventus went through a short period of dominance in the
early 20th century, but would fall off in the years leading up to
the Second World War. They eventually reclaimed the title towards the end of
the 1940’s, and continued to win on and off in the following decades, but their
first true stretch of footballing dominance and greatness would begin in 1971,
when Juve won the title after a gap of 5 years. 1971 would mark the beginning
of Juventus dominance as we know it today, as the Turin giants won 5 league
titles in the following decade, picking up a UEFA Cup continental triumph in
1977 on the way. That European triumph was under the stewardship of manager
Giovanni Trapattoni, who steered the Italians’ dominance into the early part of
the 1980’s. During this period, Juventus boasted the backbone of the Italian
national team which won the 1982 World Cup.
In 1982, Juventus won their 20th Scudetto, becoming the first team in Italy to do so. The 1980’s and 90’s saw legends such as Michel Platini, Paolo Rossi, Zbigniew Boniek, and, later, Zinedine Zidane, don the famous black-and-white stripes. Juventus added three more titles to their trophy cabinet in the 1990’s, to have 25 Italian top flight championships at the turn of their century. The Old Lady added another European triumph to their honours list, winning the UEFA Champions League (its past equivalent) in 1996, under coach Marcelo Lippi.
Into the 21st century, and Juventus won two
titles back to back, in 2001-02 and 2002-03, as Lippi returned to the dugout
following Carlo Ancelotti’s dismissal. His 2002-03 Juventus side consisted of
some of the world’s greatest to ever play, including Gianluigi Buffon, David
Trezeguet, Pavel Nedêd and Lillian Thuram. They reached the Champions League
finals in 2003, but lost to Milan on penalties in an all-Italian game.
THE CALCIOPOLI SCANDAL
Fabio Capello was appointed manager in 2004, and led the
club to two more consecutive first placed finishes, in 2004-05, and 2005-06.
Juventus were at their highest in Italian football, having won four consecutive
domestic titles, and had become a force to reckon with in Europe. Like a movie,
however, that’s when it all came crashing down.
In 2006, as allegations swam, Juventus were named as one of
the 5 clubs linked to the Calciopoli scandal, a matchfixing scandal that shook
football to its very core. The scandal was uncovered in May of 2006, when
investigators were able to intercept a number of telephone conversations that
proved relations between referee organizations and team managers during the
2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. Juventus, along with Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and
Reggina were accused of influencing the referee organizations to select
favourable referees for their games.
As a consequence, Juventus were stripped of their 2004-05
(left unassigned) and 2005-06 titles (handed to Internazionale). The club were
also relegated to Serie B for the 2006-07 season and were also given a 9 point
deduction for the 2006-07 season.
Many key players, like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Fabio Cannavaro
and Lillian Thuram, chose to leave the club in the wake of the scandal.
However, others, including Alessandro Del Piero, Gigi Buffon, David Trezeguet
and Pavel Nedved chose to stay out of loyalty to the club, and to help Juventus
in getting back to the top flight as quickly as possible. Youngsters from the
Primavera, the youth team, like Claudio Marchisio and Sebastian Giovinco, were
also successfully integrated into the first team. Both these factors combined
meant that Juventus won Serie B in 2006-07, and were promoted to Serie A despite
the 9-point deduction.
THE RISE
A string of managers followed Juventus’ promotion back to
the top flight. Claudio Ranieri led the Old Lady to a 3rd place
finish and Champions League qualification in their first season back, but was
sacked in the following season after a string of poor results. Ciro Ferrara
took over from Ranieri, to not much success, and was himself sacked when
Juventus found themselves sixth in the table and out of the Champions League
come February 2010. Alberto Zaccheroni succeeded Ferrara. However, Juventus
still finished in seventh. Andrea Agnelli became president of the club in 2010,
and appointed Luigi Delneri as manager for the 2010-11 season. However, Delneri
also suffered from poor results, and Agnelli appointed former player and
beloved Antonio Conte as his replacement.
Under Conte, Juve went unbeaten for the entirety of the
2011-12 domestic season, winning the title on the penultimate matchday after a
tight title race with Milan. That “Invincible” squad included the immortal Gigi
Buffon, defender trio Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, and Andrea Barzagli,
Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio in midfield, and Alessandro Del Piero in
attack.
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Juventus won the 2012-13, and the following 2013-14 season to
record three consecutive scudetto’s. In 2013-14, Juve dominated with a whopping
102 points and 33 wins recorded. They also reached the semi-finals of the
Europa League, losing against Benfica, and missing the opportunity to contest
the final, which was to be played at the Juventus Stadium.
In 2014-15, Massimiliano Allegri replaced Conte in the
dugout, and led the Old Lady to a fourth straight domestic title in his first
year, and achieved a record 10th Coppa Italia final to confirm the
domestic double. Juventus also reached the finals of the UEFA Champions League,
for the first time since 2002-03, beating Real Madrid en-route in the
semi-finals, only to lose to the other Spanish Giants FC Barcelona 3-1. The
following season, Juventus once again picked up the domestic double, becoming
the first team to do it in consecutive seasons.
In 2017, Juventus notched a record 6th
consecutive Serie A title, and once again reached the UEFA Champions League
finals, losing to Real Madrid this time, 4-1 the final score to the Spaniards.
The following season, Juve won the scudetto once again for a seventh (!)
consecutive time.
In the 2018 summer transfer window, Juventus broke the
record for the highest fee paid by an Italian club, and for a player over
30-years of age, with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid. The Portuguese
star led the Italians to an eight straight Serie A title in the 2018/19 season.
Following Allegri’s dismissal after the 2018/19 season,
Maurizio Sarri was appointed to the post of manager, and the Italian led the
Old Lady to an unprecedented 9th consecutive league title. A
glorious feat, but one which only made Juve’s fall harder.
THE FALL
Maurizio Sarri was sacked on August 8th 2020,
just a day after Juventus’ disappointing European exit at the hands of Lyon,
marking another failure for the Italians on the continental stage. On the same
day, former legend Andrea Pirlo was appointed to the hot seat, to much hope
(from Juventus fans) and doubt (from the rest of the world). The squad at the
Italian’s disposal was ageing, with much of the squad past their prime.
Pirlo struggled to truly impress his style upon the Old
Lady, leading to lacklustre performances and poor results. The team lacked a
strong midfield, with Arthur, Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot and Rodrgio Bentancur
failing to inspire. Juve’s defence still depended heavily on 37- year old Giorgio
Chiellini and 34-year old Leonardo Bonucci, despite the arrival of Matthijs De
Ligt, whose adjustment to the top had not gone as planned. The only saving
grace for the Old Lady was Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 36 goals in 44 games.
At the end, Juventus forfeited their long-held title to Inter, and just barely
qualified for the Champions League themselves, finishing just a point above
Napoli.
The following season brought key departures in the form of Pirlo,
who was sacked, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who left for old club Manchester United.
Massimiliano Allegri was brought back, and expected to steady the ship and
claim the title that was rightfully theirs. Unfortunately, Juve have looked
worse than before, if anything, playing some truly dreadful and boring
football. Manuel Locatelli was brought to in add some backbone to the midfield,
but he hasn’t had the impact expected, and Juventus’s midfield still looked
non-existent. To further compound Allegri’s woes, Federico Chiesa, Italy’s
shining star at Euro 2020 and Juventus’s new talisman, picked up a
season-ending injury, reducing Juventus’s attack to an uninspired weapon that
lacked creativity and threat.
THE PRESENT, AND THE FUTURE
Juventus currently sit 4th in the Serie A table,
six points above Roma, who have a game in hand. On the continental front,
Juventus were knocked out in another “upset” by underdogs Villarreal in the
round of 16. Juventus’s football has been drab, boring and non-threatening, the
biggest example being Juventus only just managing a draw against 9-man Bologna.
Still, Juventus’s future maintains some hope. Allegri is a
proven manager, and, provided the right tools, he could certainly guide the Old
Lady back to the top. Juventus made some smart signings in the 2021/22 winter
transfer window, signing top talent Dusan Vlahovic for 75 million, and picking
up a bargain in Denis Zakaria for just 8 million to bolster Juventus’s
midfield. Vlahovic especially has hit the ground running, scoring for fun,
netting just a few minutes into his Champions League debut against Villarreal.
Given the Serbian is only 22 and has just shifted to a new system, the young striker
will surely only get better. Matthijs De Ligt also looks to be finally
adjusting to the Italian giants, and with Federico Chiesa returning from injury
to partner with Vlahovic, Juventus fans will be looking to the 2022/23 season
with renewed hope.
At the end of the day, whether Juventus finish 1st, or 4th, or 10th, or are relegated once again to the Serie B, the Old Lady will always bounce back, head held high. The rightful champions of Italy will return, with the fans singing “Storia De Grande Amor” from the pitch and the players writing footballing epics on the field, Juventus will once again conquer Italy and Europe.
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