Thanks to Saturday’s victory over Sampdoria, Juventus claimed their fourth consecutive Serie A title, continuing to exert complete dominance over their opponents on the peninsula. Clinching the Scudetto with four games to go – and with the likes of Inter, Napoli and Milan all struggling to keep pace – this run shows little sign of slowing in the immediate future.
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It is a predictable triumph, and yet it was seen very differently last summer. Antonio Conte’s shock resignation on the second day of pre-season training rocked the club to its core, with many believing that would allow AS Roma to close the gap. The Giallorossi had enjoyed a fine 2013-14, and it took a new record of 102 points from the Old Lady to hold them off, with Rudi Garcia’s side expected to be even stronger in their second season.
A day after Conte turned his back on the club, those doubts intensified as Max Allegri was appointed as his successor, the coach who had been dumped by AC Milan just five months earlier as the San Siro giants imploded. With Alvaro Morata, Roberto Pereyra and Patrice Evra as the only real additions to the squad, nobody could have predicted what followed in Turin, the new man overseeing a remarkable campaign in his very first year.
Using an intelligent mix of experience, tactical nous and excellent man-management skills, Allegri has led the club to not only the league title, but also to the final of the Coppa Italia and a place in the last four of the Champions League. That is a far cry from last year’s group stage exit, and those accomplishments are testament to just how good the Bianconeri have been over what has been a truly testing season.
#OnThisDay, 2 May 2015. Juventus win Scudetto number 33 in #SampJuve. Let’s get the party started! #4Ju33 pic.twitter.com/8HLAcrYKdt
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 2, 2015
The team initially continued just as they had ended the previous year, employing the 3-5-2 framework which had been at the heart of everything positive they had accomplished under Conte. Yet when the side faltered in October, Allegri quickly changed to a more orthodox four-man defence to use what he labelled a “4-3-and then we’ll see” formation. It paid immediate dividends, as Juventus smashed no fewer than seven goals past Parma in only the second game after the switch, and it was clear the side were playing with much greater freedom than they had previously.
The coach of course deserves huge credit for the way he has somehow managed to improve upon what Conte had built, but the players too have made significant strides forward. Leonardo Bonucci has matured into a genuine leader in defence, and has also weighed in with important goals against Roma, Fiorentina and Lazio. Claudio Marchisio – who made his 300th appearance for the club last week – became adept in Andrea Pirlo’s creative role whenever the bearded genius was absent, with the attack perhaps making the most marked improvement.
Netting twice against Fiorentina in midweek, Tevez surpassed last season’s tally of nineteen goals with five games to spare and has also scored six times in the Champions League, ending a drought which stretched all the way back to his time at Manchester United. Speaking in an interview with El Pais earlier this year, the striker stated his belief that the coaching change had benefitted him greatly.
“With Allegri, I have more freedom of movement than under Conte. Under the previous Coach, we played with two strikers, in fixed positions and close together,” Tevez explained to the Argentinean newspaper. “Under Allegri we only have a fixed position when we don’t have the ball, but we’re more free to play the way we want to play when we attack. Conte was demanding, a winner. You couldn’t relax for a second with him, either in training or during the game.
“Winning was everything for him, there was nothing else. Allegri is more relaxed, he gives us a rest, especially after a victory.”
It is perhaps that final sentence which sums up this season for the Bianconeri, as the former Milan boss has clearly allowed his players to coast at times, with recent losses to Parma and Torino being prime examples.
Previously, the club would have fielded a full strength side in each and every game possible, never seemingly aware of the detrimental effect that would have over time. Allegri has managed the challenge of competing on multiple fronts much better, and Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid – their first semi-final appearance since 2003 – is testament to that ability.
Juventus are champions of Italy once again, but this time it’s different.
