The outspoken Michele Criscitiello launched a blistering tirade against Juventus, and not even the fans were spared.
The Bianconeri have been a club in turmoil for several years now, with players, managers and top directors coming and going.
Following the club’s first defeat of the season at the hands of Como, Igor Tudor’s position is reportedly under great scrutiny, with some believing that the next two clashes against Real Madrid and Lazio could be decisive.
Nevertheless, Criscitiello insists that the Old Lady’s problems run deeper than that.
Criscitiello slams Comolli, Tudor & Juventus supporters
The Italian journalist ranted about almost everyone at the club, beginning with the General Director, Damien Comolli, accusing him of committing a ‘suicidal’ decision.
“A French director with the manager’s presumption can’t even think of leading Juventus. The transfer market was a mess, money was wasted, and above all, the “we told you so” attitude about Tudor,” wrote the Sportitalia editor-in-chief.
“It was a mistake to hire him as a ferryman, a suicide to build a tailor-made project for him. If Tudor has consistently been called upon by average teams to finish the season, there must be a reason.”
Criscitiello then went on to compare Tudor’s appointment to Thiago Motta’s, while noting how the Juventus fans have been more forgiving towards the Croatian only due to his past at the club.
“Managers, whether French or Italian, must understand that coaching Juventus isn’t about gambling; you have to be absolutely sure of the safe side.
“Just as Giuntoli was considered foolish to trust the emerging Motta, we consider Comolli foolish to confirm Tudor when even the stones knew he would only serve to get to the end of the line.
“And if Giuntoli hadn’t argued with Motta, Tudor would never have arrived.
“The blame lies with the manager, but also with the Juventus fans, who (rightly) blasted Motta, partly because of his Inter past, but also granted Tudor an unnecessary line of credit simply for playing for Juve and for bringing grit and determination at a critical moment.”
Is John Elkann the biggest culprit?
Finally, the journalist identified the club’s majority owner, John Elkann, as the main culprit since he has been the one pulling the strings after giving Andrea Agnelli his marching orders in 2022.
“If, however, we want to address the real problem, we must go further. Juventus can choose the wrong director, they can choose the wrong coach, but whoever is in charge is the club’s real problem, because at this rate, the future won’t be built, it will only be postponed.
“John Elkann isn’t a football man, and after Agnelli, he’s bringing Juventus back to the indecent post-Calciopoli era. Thanks to his political and economic power, he sent his cousin on vacation abroad, but Juventus can’t be considered a family power play.”
Therefore, Criscitiello believes Juventus are in dire need of a new mentality that can lift them from their misery.
“Football is tough, and even if you do everything right, you’re not guaranteed to win. So imagine if you picked random directors and bet on the coaches. Overpaid players who don’t perform, and strikers paid a fortune who will be released for free.
“Bari can make these mistakes, but not Juve. Today we’re at a dangerous crossroads. The risk of being left out of the Scudetto race at Christmas and the crazy fear that Inter, Milan, Napoli, and Roma could earn more points.
“The problem, for everyone, is Tudor. And so it is. But the real problem is at the top. If Juventus doesn’t change their tune, the future will have dire consequences.”
2 Comments
Motta lost the team. The draws weren’t the final straws for Motta. It was the 3-0 and 4-0 back to back defeats where the players had zero desire to fight for the manager. And mottas back and forth with the media and throwing the players under the bus. The mid field wasn’t strengthened. Also remember Tudor was not first choice. Conte was, but he rejected us then it was gasparini. Also rejected. We were even linked with Silva from Fulham but after that desperation it made more sense to just stick with Tudor. Also I don’t see the transfers as being Taylor made for Tudor. David was on our radar during Giuntoli. Openda was a desperation buy after the disaster with PSG and kolo. Costa being shipped out I think was due to some unseen forces behind the scenes – would be why Motta took so long to play him. I think the problem with this team is running the entire attack thru Yildiz. He isn’t going to score a lot of goals. Also running the offense thru inverted wingers means a) quality of crosses into the box with not be as good off their dominant foot. With the inside forwards playing on the wings then you are asking for midfielders to make those runs into the box. More ground to cover for them so they will be worn down later in the game. Also they don’t score many goals. So to ask them to score many goals is kinda silly. The wingbacks have not been effective. Since cambiasso came back from his injury last season he has not been the same. Also keeping kalulu as the right back is seriously hampering the offense. The guy we swapped for costa should be playing but he is a liability defensively so Tudor doesn’t want to play him because he plays a high line and that puts a lot of pressure on the back line to cover. That is why kalulu is at rb. Not having bremer in this system really hurts also. If it were the old Allegri style where we park the bus this would be less of a problem. A massive problem we have is the absolutely in ineptitude on corners. It started under Motta and continues. Under Allegri it was one of our offensive strengths. We were getting almost 10 goals a season off corners. Now it’s nothing.
Well said! 100% agreed.
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