Juventus: What does the future hold for the Old Lady?
It was less than ten years ago that Juventus were relegated to Serie B after the Calciopoli scandal rocked Italian football. Juventus would only be kept down in Serie B for one season before returning to Serie A with also the Serie B trophy to its name.
Just recently the club along with the other clubs accused (Milan, Reggina, Lazio, Fiorentina) have been freed from their accusations after a lack of evidence against the club became clear. So exactly how could the Italian Sports Justice System allow such a case to go forward to begin with? It’s the Italian government and that goes hand-in-hand with corruption above all other things. Fast-forward nine years from the now false scandal that shook Italian football and Juventus have not only won four straight Scudetti (league titles), but they’ve also reached the Champions League Final and fell just short against maybe one of the best attacking sides ever assembled.
The majestic Champions League match reached its end and Juventus left the Olimpiastadion in Berlin with their heads held high. The tifosi of La Vecchia Signora made their appreciation felt as they welcomed back their heroes in the middle of the night back to Torino at the Turin Airport as seen below.
Yet, what would become of this Juventus team moving forward?
Looking into the crystal ball there are a few certainties. Sporting Director Beppe Marotta has done wonders working the market for the most opportune investments. He has done a job that even the great cigar smoking director of the past, Luciano Moggi, has applauded. The club needs to prepare for life after Andrea Pirlo who has been the soul that La Vecchia Signora needed during this dominance of Italy. It seems as though Pirlo is on the verge of becoming the third Designated Player for the expansion team in New York City of the MLS.
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Tevez also seems likely to be on his way back to his hometown club Boca Juniors to be closer to his family. Llorente could be on his way out with Tottenham and Atletico Madrid circling. Rumors of Arturo Vidal joining his compatriot and close friend Alexis Sanchez at Arsenal after the Copa America are ripe. Yet, the biggest name of the summer being dangled around media tabloids and rumor sites across the internet revolve around Paul Pogba.
When playing the game of “What if” when it comes to transfers, it is all simply a matter of speculation. Should these departures take place there are key figures Juventus would have to replace. Carlos Tevez would require a 30 goal scorer to fill his boots. Andrea Pirlo is quite simply irreplaceable as the ‘Regista’ or in simpler terms, the deep-lying playmaker. Llorente is replaceable especially considering his pedestrian season this year with the arrival of his young protege, Alvaro Morata. Along with Llorente’s likely departure will be Simone Pepe, Alessandro Matri, and Luca Marrone for certain. Paul Pogba staying at the club or moving on for the big pay day will be what could make or break the club.
If Paul Pogba were to be held on to by Juventus then it would be a clear statement to the rest of the footballing world that Juventus are not here to just offload their biggest assets. Instead the club would be demonstrating they are here to compete consistently. To become a top club as they were this year then you need to have the best players playing in your kit as opposed to offloading to a direct threat. There are only a handful of clubs that could afford the $130 million dollar Frenchman. Beppe Marotta has made it clear Juventus do not need to sell and are not seeking negotiations. Juventini throughout the world can sleep easy knowing that Paul won’t be sold this summer.
The other factor is age. Juventus are getting older and especially in the back with Chiellini reaching 31 next season. Meanwhie, Barzagli will be 36-years-old, Evra 35- years-old, and Lichsteiner also reaching 31. If there is any area of the Juventus squad that needs a jolt of rejuvenation it’s the backline. Fortunately, Juventus will be getting back a fit Martin Caceres and they have acquired the full rights to Daniele Ruggani of Empoli.
Ruggani is the next big thing amoungst Italian defenders and what better mentors to have at a club than Bonucci, Barzagli, Evra, and Chiellini. Did I mention Gianluigi Buffon as a captain organizing the defensive line? This past season Daniele Ruggani played in all 38 games for Empoli without being subbed out of the game and he received 0 cards in the process. There are no other statistics needed to reinforce the pedigree of the young 20-year-old Italian defender.
Up front, Juventus have acquired Paulo Dybala the 21-year-old playmaker from Palermo at a reported deal worth 32 million Euro and can reach up to 40 million Euro with performance bonuses. This is a player seen as the perfect heir to Tevez’s role in this current Juventus squad. It is Dybala’s former President, Maurizio Zamparini, that dubbed him “The next Messi”. While it is unlikely for any player to impact a game as Messi does, it still bodes well for a club showing they are willing to take a chance on youth and spend big doing it.
Reports in Italy also seem to indicate that Juventus are bringing Domenico Berardi back to the club as well as and Simone Zaza from Sassuolo. Berardi is only 20-years-old and would add the needed pace and inventiveness Juventus are lacking at right wing while Zaza would be a like-for-like replacement of Fernando Llorente. These moves seem to be motivated by the UEFA rule indicating each club must have a minimum of eight players from the league nation in the 23-Man Roster.
Should the Pirlo move take place it wouldn’t negatively impact Juventus as much as the average fan would think. Marotta is back at it with the signing of Sami Khedira from Real Madrid on a free transfer. Juventus have made a killing in the Bosman market and it is their frugal, but savvy spending that has seen them capable of building a side to fall just short of a European Treble.
The Old Lady of Italian football is financially stable and is poised for continued dominance of Serie A. The expectations will be higher next season because anything less than a Champions League semi-final appearance will be seen as a disappointment in Italy after this past season where Juventus were anticipated to only reach the quarterfinals.
Teams in Italy are continuing to rebuild to try bridging the gap with the Italian champions. As Juventus have shown with their resurgence from Serie B and a scandal that is proving to have no merit – Rome wasn’t build in a day. It has taken nine years and during those nine years the foundation was laid down for the success of domestic dominance. Now begins the tasking of piecing together a new generation for the prime push in Europe. Teams such as: Napoli, Milan, Lazio, Inter, Fiorentina are still some ways off from challenging for the Scudetto. Roma seem to have their foundation in place, but lack the center-forward to really drive their attack forward with decisiveness.
Juventus will not be letting go of their grasp in Serie A for at least two or three years time with their current output. The mentality left behind by Antonio Conte meshed with the tactical savviness by Allegri has created a lethal combination domestically, but it has also found its value in Europe as we have seen this year. The Old Lady is rising as a fire from the ashes like a Phoenix and she will continue to bridge and seal the gap between herself and her European adversaries.