August’s Monthly Juventus Thoughts: Relatives & Absolutes

Round this time final 12 months, we have been brimming with optimism and pleasure. We had a brand new coach in Thiago Motta and obtained grand guarantees of a brand new “mission,” fashion of play, and period for Juventus.

Sadly, everyone knows what occurred midway via the 2024-25 season. In March, the membership sacked Thiago Motta after barely 10 months in cost and the guarantees of a contemporary fashion of play for Juventus likewise disappeared. This time round, expectations are considerably dampened. After stabilizing the workforce’s kind on the finish of final season, Igor Tudor is the coach for this season and can probably proceed the regular, although unspectacular performances that the workforce had on the finish of final season.

In essence, it looks like this season will likely be a “holding” season. A season wherein we received’t usher in any flashy new fashion of play, a bunch of recent signings, or decide to something completely new, however somewhat one wherein we take the time to determine what the following “mission” will likely be and who will lead it each on and off the pitch.

Juventus nearly achieved the curious document of scoring two objectives in each recreation in August, if it wasn’t for the final recreation of the month in opposition to Genoa. Within the first preseason pleasant of the summer season, we performed to a 2-2 draw in opposition to Serie B workforce Reggiana. Nata Girma scored within the twenty second minute for Reggiana however new-ish signing Conceição equalized moments later. Tremendous-sub Dusan Vlahovic put Juventus again within the lead a couple of minutes after half-time however our underdog opponents produced one other shock when Cedric Gondo scored the fourth and last objective of the sport. Ultimate rating: 2-2.

The Bianconeri confronted stronger opposition within the subsequent warmup recreation: Borussia Dortmund. Fortunately, it was a considerably improved efficiency as we beat the German workforce 2-1. Andrea Cambiaso scored a well-worked workforce objective within the sixteenth minute and bought his second a couple of minutes after the break, catching the goalkeeper off-guard at his close to submit with a fierce shot that went into objective.

Tudor’s workforce managed the sport surprisingly nicely as Dortmund struggled to interrupt down Juve’s stable protection. Sadly, we slacked off on the finish of the sport and allowed Maximilian Beier to attain a comfort objective for the Germans. Ultimate rating: 2-1.

Within the last preseason recreation of the summer season — I’m not counting the Subsequent Gen recreation as a result of followers stormed the sphere a couple of minutes after half ime, which is sooner than standard — Juventus confronted one other workforce with a Croatian coach: Atalanta, with Ivan Juric now in cost in Bergamo. Coincidentally, Dortmund additionally had a Croatian coach (Niko Kovac), so I suppose it’s a great time to be a coach from that nation.

The primary half was fairly uneventful as neither workforce appeared fascinated by spending an excessive amount of vitality on a recreation that was solely every week earlier than the beginning of the 2025-26 Serie A season. The second half was a bit extra fascinating and featured three objectives within the final 20 minutes. Jonathan David scored his first objective for his new workforce with a cracking overhead kick after Nico González noticed his header deflected into David’s path. Vlahovic then doubled the workforce’s result in present everybody that he intends to combat for his place within the beginning lineup regardless of the membership’s need to promote him.

As soon as once more, Juventus fell asleep on the finish of the sport and allowed our opponents to seize a comfort objective late within the recreation. This time, Lazar Samardzic scored to settle the ultimate rating at 2-1 for Juventus.

Now on to the actual enterprise: the season opener at house in opposition to Parma!

As we’ve achieved in the previous couple of seasons, Juventus began the season with a snug victory. It was a stable {and professional} victory that confirmed us that whereas the workforce has many younger gamers, it’s a mature group. The Bianconeri dominated the primary half however solely created a number of clear probabilities in opposition to a Parma workforce that appeared glad with taking part in for a draw. Tudor’s workforce grew into the sport as time went on and bought its reward after an hour of play. Yildiz dribbled his method into the field after a brief nook routine and drilled a low ball to Jonathan David, who flicked the ball into the far nook.

Issues bought a bit awkward when Cambiaso bought a silly crimson card for (softly?) elbowing a Parma midfielder however fortunately tremendous sub Vlahovic scored with what could have been his first contact after coming off the bench. A implausible counterattack led by new signing João Mário, Vlahovic, and Yildiz, resulted within the latter two exchanging passes and Vlahovic ultimately tapping in from shut vary after Yildiz squared the ball to him in entrance of objective. Ultimate rating: 2-0!

We ended the month with a hard-fought 1-0 away win in opposition to Genoa. This recreation adopted the identical sample because the earlier one: Juventus had extra possession and have been usually snug and stable in protection however struggled to create clear alternatives in assault. David missed a sitter within the first half after ex-Juventus goalkeeper Nicola Leali parried Yildiz’s fierce shot proper into David’s path however the Canadian, just a few yards from objective, one way or the other scooped the ball over the open objective.

Fortunately, super-duper sub Vlahovic got here to the rescue as soon as once more. This time, he scored an excellent header within the 73rd minute from a nook supply from fellow Serbian (and substitute!) Filip Kostic. There was nearly one other twist within the story when Genoa hit the crossbar from a nook kick within the 96th minute. It ended up being the final kick of the sport as Juventus nearly managed to win 1-0 at Genoa.

Juventus Girls performed a number of pleasant and quasi-friendly matches in August. The workforce beat Zurich 9-1 within the first pleasant with the objectives coming from Amalie Vangsgaard (3x), the now-Como participant Alisha Lehmann (2x), Martina Rosucci, Martina Tosello, Chiara Beccari, and Emma Stolen Godo.

Juventus was on a goalscoring spree within the subsequent pleasant recreation. Identical to the boys’s workforce, they beat Dortmund in a pre-season pleasant. Abi Brighton, Vangsgaard, Stolen Godo, Paulina Krumbiegel scored the objectives to safe a simple 4-0 victory over the Germans. Subsequent, we performed in opposition to Como within the semi-final of the Girls’s Cup — to not be confused with the Serie A Girls’s Cup performed instantly afterwards. Krumbiegel’s shot and Vangsgaard’s header gave us a snug 2-0 victory to setup a last in opposition to Inter.

The Bianconere received the Girls’s Cup thanks to a different 2-0 victory, this time over Inter. Stolen Godo continued her prolific goalscoring month with one other objective within the last when her curling shot outdoors the field flew into the highest nook of the objective. Summer season signing Michela Cambiaghi then sealed the victory with a tidy flip and end within the field.

One other recreation, one other 2-0 victory. Juventus beat Parma 2-0 within the Serie A Girls’s Cup on the Stadio Ennio Tardini because of a headed objective from Cristiana Girelli and a splendid lob from Barbara Bonansea. The final recreation of the month was arguably probably the most entertaining one: a 3-2 comeback victory over Everton at Goodison Park.

Everton went forward within the twenty sixth minute because of Japanese ahead Yūka Momiki. They scored a second rapidly afterwards when Ornella Vignola scored via an excellent header. The Bianconere pulled a objective again proper on the stroke of half-time because of an excellent workforce objective completed off by Krumbiegel. Estela Carbonell — one of many a number of Spaniards signed this summer season — equalized within the fiftieth minute and Beccari accomplished the turnaround when she rounded the keeper in a one-in-one and completed in an open objective.

The summer season switch closed on the primary day of September. In contrast to final season, the membership made few big-name signings because it was a summer season that was highlighted extra by departures somewhat than arrivals. Right here’s a abstract of the final month’s transfers:

Juventus realized who their opponents will likely be for this 12 months’s league part of the Champions League. We’ll play, so as, Borussia Dortmund (H), Villarreal (A), Actual Madrid (A), Sporting Lisbon (H), Bodø/Glimt (A), Pafos (H), Benfica (H), and Paul Pogba Monaco (A).

Total, the draw was each troublesome and truthful.

In relative phrases, this draw was fairly favorable. While you take a look at the fixtures that different groups have — like Chelsea, PSG, and Dortmund, to call a number of — you understand that our draw may have been a lot, a lot worse. However in absolute phrases, it’s clear that Juventus may simply screw up in opposition to each single certainly one of these groups.

There are the apparent high groups like Dortmund, Villarreal, and Actual Madrid that require no clarification. However as we’ve seen from the previous couple of years of Champions League motion, Juventus continuously struggles with mid-to-lower stage opposition, each domestically and in European competitions. Each recreation in Europe is troublesome for us due to how typically we’ve fumbled video games that we have been anticipated to win, which is why I feel this draw is troublesome once you take a look at it with out evaluating it to that of different groups.

I’ll say that this new format has resulted in additional balanced attracts than within the prior format. I really feel like within the prior format you’ll extra continuously see groups with comparatively/extraordinarily simple attracts after which one Group of Demise. It doesn’t appear to be that’s the case thus far which makes each recreation extra fascinating and aggressive.

Although I count on us to progress from the League Section, I’m treating each certainly one of these eight video games within the Champions League as finals for Juventus as a result of everyone knows that we by no means make issues simple in European competitors. Fortunately, we’ve got our most troublesome video games first. Andiamo!