With 2014 drawing to close, we at Juvefc look back at the good, the bad and the ugly from the last 12 months in what proved to be a pivotal, record-breaking year for Juventus.

 

The Good

Winning the Scudetto

It’s an obvious one, but nothing can compare to winning Serie A for a third season in a row, especially with AS Roma breathing down our necks for most of the campaign. Our first season under Conte was record breaking for all its own reasons (I’m still not sure how we managed to go unbeaten for the entirety of it) while the second was almost like a formality; 2013/14 had a different feel to it, right from the outset. Roma really forced us to raise our game from the opening rounds, winning their first 10 games in a row and suffering their first league defeat at our hands, 18 weeks into the season.

Some might argue that the league is lacking in depth and the gulf in class between Juve & Roma and the remaining sides is too large to make it competitive. If you go back and re-watch some of those games against the likes of Parma, Catania and Genoa, you can see just what it took to grind out those slender away victories against sides that always played their best football when the Bianconeri were in town.

 

 

102 Points

How can it possibly get better than winning a third Scudetto in a row? You do it in style by setting a new European point’s record while winning every league home game along the way. Juventus lost just twice the entire season, the first being a bizarre defeat to Fiorentina when they were 2-0 up and cruising at half time; The second, a lacklustre away loss to Napoli. They were held to 3 draws while winning the remaining 33 league games, scoring 80 goals in the process, conceding just 23 and earning 102 points for the season. It’s impossible to put into words, so i thought i’d use the words of the Juve coach at the time:

 

“It is an incredible and historic feat, which we have achieved all together,” Conte said. “What the players, staff and club have done is something incredible. They have been extraordinarily special and I will never stop thanking them. “Sometimes you forget that victory is an exception, not normality. These lads have achieved something unique together: it will be difficult to repeat the 102 points. All future comparisons will be made with this squad.”   

 

Paul Pogba

There’s nothing I can write here that hasn’t already been written about Paul Pogba. His wizardry. His class. His intelligence. His goals. His commitment. It’s all been covered by far more qualified folk than me. All I can say is that it’s been a long time since Juve have had a talent on their hands that has caught the attention of so many other sides in European football. Best of all, when the rumour-mill went into overdrive about the young Frenchman’s future, he simply reiterated how much he loved life in Turin and playing for Juventus before promptly signing a new contract with the club. I’ll say no more, and leave you with my favourite Pogba moment from 2014 – His goal against Sampdoria.

 

 

 

Qualifying for the Champions League last 16

A goalless draw against Atletico Madrid at home; One of the most nerve-wracking, agonizing 90 minutes in my time as a Juventino, and at the end of it, we were guaranteed a place in the last 16 of the Champions League. It seemed to matter more to me this season – More than the previous two under Conte, perhaps because it felt like there was so much to prove to the rest of Europe. Even without Antonio in charge, we would be ok. Better than ok, in fact. We did well. We didn’t break any records, it wasn’t always easy viewing and we certainly made qualification extremely difficult for ourselves…but it was a great feeling to have come through a tricky group after all the controversy of 2013.  

 

The Arturo Vidal Saga

I’ll keep this one brief – Manchester United wanted Arturo Vidal. So did other teams. He stayed at Juventus. Moving on…  

 

The Bad

Europa League Semi-Final

The ancient pyramids. Crop circles. Bigfoot. Juve’s 0-0 draw against Benfica. The greatest unexplained mysteries of all time, bar none. For 90 minutes Juve dominated possession knowing that they needed a goal to qualify to the final of the Europa League, having lost 2-1 in the away fixture in Portugal. Shot after shot, cross after cross and still the Bianconeri couldn’t find a way past, even when the away side were reduced to 10 men. Perhaps what made it all the worse was knowing the final would be played at Juventus stadium and we were within 1 goal of making it there.

 

 

SuperCoppa Italiana Final

Yes, it was ‘just’ the SuperCoppa, yes, there are far more important trophies out there, but on a personal note, it would have been great to win it for Max Allegri. Two Carlos Tevez goals and 1,020,022 saves from Gianluigi Buffon weren’t enough on the night. Juve only started playing their best football when Napoli equalised and even then it wasn’t enough. Things to take away from the match? Don’t let Giorgio Chiellini anywhere near a penalty. Gianluigi Buffon is still Superman.  

 

The Ugly

Antonio Conte’s departure

Well, i’ve put it off for long enough and thankfully, it’s the last part of this review. It’s time to talk about Antonio Conte and the ‘ugly’ part of 2014…and what can be uglier than losing your coach a few days into pre-season preparations? The same coach that took you from two consecutive 7th place finishes to a season unbeaten and three league titles in a row. The same coach that (along with director, Beppe Marotta) revolutionised the squad over the course of three very important years, bringing in the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba. The same coach that spent close to 13 years as a player at the club, winning almost every trophy imaginable along the way.

I don’t think we’ll ever know the full story or the exact reasons behind Conte’s exit. Some said it was due to a clash of ideas and disagreements with the management, others, a lack of support for changes to the team and the potential sale of key players. What we do know is that Conte gave it all for the team. Victory on the pitch meant everything to him and without him I don’t think Juventus would be in the position they are today. It’s all too easy to dwell on the negative aspect of his departure while forgetting all that he bought to the club in three seasons of unparalleled success. Grazie Antonio

 

 

With all that out the way, it’d be great to hear your views on the year – What were your good, bad and ugly moments of 2014? – Post your thoughts just below.