Two defeats and a draw to start her season in Serie A. Suffice to say that the Old Lady was far from the score on the first three meetings of the 2021-2022 financial year, with in particular a surprising 1-0 defeat at home against the promoted Empoli.
On the lawn of La Spezia, last week, Juventus was once again jostled but ended up winning in pain 3 goals to 2 before continuing this Sunday with a new victory against Sampdoria, still on this narrow score.
In the Champions League, Massimiliano Allegri's men got off to a good start by crushing the Swedes of Malmö 3-0 away.
Despite everything, Juve struggles to convince in the proposed game and can no longer count on Cristiano Ronaldo to improve many offensive situations.
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The game: poorly oiled collective and dangerous pragmatism
Whether against AC Milan in the second period or against La Spezia (2-3), Juventus has shown real difficulties in offensive construction and bases its success mainly on individualities more than on its collective strength.
But it is especially the coaching of Massimiliano Allegri which challenges since the start of the season.
Against Sampdoria, while the Turinese were leading 3 goals to 1, the transalpine coach made the choice of safety by releasing two offensive elements in order to cement the defensive sector.
Result: Juve retreated and was scared at the end of the match after the reduction in the score signed by Candreva.
Same observation last week against AC Milan where the Rossoneri took advantage of the caution of Juventus in the second half to equalize.
This offensive reluctance of Allegri does not date from yesterday but now Juve can no longer count on Cristiano Ronaldo to stack goals and kill matches permanently.
CR7: a departure not replaced
Eager to leave Italy, Cristiano Ronaldo flew to England and Manchester United in the last moments of the transfer window at the end of August. If the passage in Turin of the six-fold golden ball is mixed, he leaves at all the same with a total of 101 goals in 134 appearances under the black and white tunic. The departure of the Portuguese with a staggering salary has cleaned up the accounts of Juventus, mired in financial difficulties, but also deprived it of a significant offensive force that has not really been replaced. “
When you lose a player like Cristiano… It has already happened to us, I think of Pirlo, Buffon, you cannot replace them,
” said Giorgio Chiellini in an interview with
L'Équipe
.
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Ronaldo's top 5 goals for Juventus in Serie A (2018-2021)
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This task could now fall to the excellent Paulo Dybala, 3 goals and 2 assists in all competitions in 6 games, but the Argentine is once again betrayed by his physique.
Injured against the Samp this Sunday, he will not be in the game against Chelsea and could miss three weeks of competition.
In addition to Dybala, Juventus can count on Alvaro Morata, also forfeited on Wednesday, and Moïse Kean to play this role of advanced striker.
However, these two players do not box in the same category as a Lukaku, Benzema or Lewandowski.
Where all contenders for the final victory in the Champions League have a world-class number 9, the departure of CR7 has left this position orphaned by a striker capable of registering around thirty goals each season.
A breath of youth
This reality can be explained by a change of strategy within the management of Juventus. The Old Lady now wants to rejuvenate even if it means giving up certain high-sounding names in favor of promising young players like the Dutchman Mohammed Ittharen, recruited this summer and then loaned to Sampdoria or even the return of the former Parisian Moïse Kean: "
The" ambition and will are simple: to maintain a competitive team, but with a different project which involves a rejuvenation of the workforce
”, confirmed the sports director of the Bianconeris, at the beginning of September, in
Tuttosport
.
A breath of freshness and youth which can explain a certain delay in lighting and a lack of reference points.
We will have to be patient to see Juventus shake Europe again.