The Italian top-flight has slowly become one of the most exciting leagues across Europe. That is especially true since Juventus lost their grip on Serie A’s crown back in 2021. Following a poor 2019/20, in which they did nab a ninth successive league title, they have dwindled into a level of mediocrity never expected off of them.
But their recent resurgence might spark hopes of a relatively quick comeback for The Old Lady. However, how much truth and faith can be laden onto it is too early to decipher. Juventus is one of the biggest clubs in Italy, and their resurgence is of great importance to the league and fellow challengers for varying reasons.
This is specifically why fans and fellow Serie A enthusiasts should take the Turin giants’ rise to the top of the Serie A table with a pinch of salt.
Still no goal scorers
One of the key deciding factors to winning a football match is scoring goals. On paper, Juve has done a fantastic job of securing 9 wins from their 13 matches played so far. But upon diving deeper, one realizes that they have averaged just over 1.5 goals scored per match in that time. Over the course of the season, it will result in just 58 goals, which is alarmingly low to sustain a serious title challenge.
Alongside their relatively low scoring rate, they do not have a designated go-to player for goals. On one hand, it means they are not over-reliant on a single striker or forward to aid their attacking demands. Yet, on the other hand, it means their attackers are not doing enough. This is backed up by the fact that players like Arkadiusz Milik, Moise Kean, Federico Chiesa, and Dušan Vlahović have averaged more than 2.5 shots per game individually. But none of them have managed to land more than 1.5 shots on target per 90.
Only Chiesa has managed to break the 40% barrier for shots on target this season, with the other stars playing in midfield and defense. If they have any hope of mounting a serious title challenge, something has to give.
An aging backline
The age-old football adage still stands true to this day: “Attack wins you matches, defense wins you titles.” That is especially the case for Juventus and their recent history. Every great title-winning campaign witnessed a defensive core that helped them cross the finish line ahead of the rest. But that defensive core has now gotten quite old.
Wojciech Szczęsny, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Filip Kostić, and Daniele Rugani are all 29 and over, with all of them playing more than five of their 13 games except Alex Sandro. If by some miracle they were to snatch the title away from the likes of Inter, AC Milan, and Napoli, there exists a high likelihood it will be a one-time affair should they continue to rely on aging experienced heads.
They are some of the best in their position, we have to credit that, but their declining status will be ringing alarm bells in the Juventus boardroom apart from the scandal they are already a part of. But it’s not all doom and gloom for Juventus.
Something to look forward to?
Juventus has started rectifying their squad with some of the acquisitions brought in over the past 12 months. Moise Kean, Timothy Weah, and Bremer are young stars who could develop massively over the next couple of years, giving the Old Lady some much-needed top-performing stars from their past dealings.
With young prospects like Facundo González also in the ranks, and the likes of Fabio Miretti and Kenan Yıldız already demanding minutes in the first team. The future could turn out better than their recent past sooner than one might expect.