Juventus from Bad To Worse
Photo by Alessio Morgese/NurPhoto via Getty Images
It’s safe to say things are not looking good for the Old Lady. They have lost to both Benfica and PSG in the Champions League, and it’s looking like they will be playing in the Europa League for the first time since the 2013/14 campaign. Also, to rub salt into the wounds, they sit eighth in Serie A and just lost to newly promoted side Monza in a shocking 1-0 defeat.
In this game, the team looked very poor, and to make matters worse, forward Angel Di Maria was sent off in the 40th minute because of a red card. After the game, he went on record to say he was to blame for the loss that the team suffered at the hand of Monza. Manager Massimiliano Allegri, who won a Serie A title with Juventus every year before he first left in 2019, is back in the driver’s seat. However, the veteran manager is in some hot water, which he’s not used to.
Since then, the team has had a fall from grace- where they have not won the Scudetto since 2020, have not made it past the Round of 16 in the Champions League, and have lost to teams that they used to beat easily. Porto, Villareal, and Lyon were all teams that gave Juve an early exit in the Champions League.
Allegri has always had a “never panic” attitude and always tries to keep his cool when the future looks bright for the team. However, fans are panicking because of how horrific the team’s 2022/23 season has been. Also, fans have made it clear that Allegri should not be the man for the job anymore. Despite this, Juventus cannot simply give him the sack so easily.
To fire him, Juventus needs to fork over €20 million to buy out the remainder of his contract to get rid of him, which is a lot of money. He also has years remaining on his contract. The owners of Juventus are the richest family in Italy. Still, the team needs more financial backing than even they can provide. Sometimes Andrea Agnelli takes the cheap route when it comes to signings and decides to go with the less expensive options for players.
Case in point: he missed out on Memphis Depay and Roberto Firmino this past summer because the team thought they were too expensive. Also, new signings like Kostic and Bremer have not stepped up to the call of duty and haven’t given the performances that the team needs right now. Dybala, De Ligt, and Chiellini are being missed dearly right now.
Big headaches for Juventus also include the injuries the team has suffered. Pogba is out and won’t be back on the field until 2023. However, his family drama should be the least of his problems. Likewise, Chiesa has been out since last season after tearing his ACL. He is not expected to return to play until October, but, like Pogba, it’s unclear exactly when he’ll return. Additional players who are out include Rabiot (with calf problems), Kaio Jorge (expected to return in late October), Locatelli, and Alex Sandro. Also, active players like Di Maria and Szczesny have had problems staying fit.
Put lightly; there is no easy solution for what is happening in Turin. The last thing Juventus fans want right now is a finish outside the top four, but with each passing week, it’s looking more and more likely. It’s unclear right now whether hope is on the horizon. Still, as time moves forward, it looks more and more unlikely that Juventus will turn things around. They might sink into a bigger hole than they thought possible before the season started.