Much as Barcelona have found out to their cost, life after losing your star player can turn very difficult indeed, as Juventus are finding out thus far this season. 

Issues were already starting to cause the Turin side much chagrin last time around, with Andrea Pirlo only managing to steer the Old Lady of Italian football into the top four on the final weekend of the season, and returning boss Massimiliano Allegri is having to continue to steer the Juventus ship through choppy waters.

From 2011 to 2014, Antonio Conte reigned supreme, leading Juventus to three successive titles, then came Allegri in his first stint, winning five Serie A titles on the trot. In 2019-20 Maurizio Sarri led Juventus to another championship, albeit by a single point, which was an indication that the competition was catching up.

The way Juventus have fallen from grace is a combination of complacency, investment in their squad, managerial chopping and changing, and a vast improvement by the competition. One only has to look at the way Serie A’s title race is shaping up, with Juventus well and truly out of the picture and a top-four separated by just four points.

What Can Juventus Achieve This Season?

If you were to make use of your Virgin Bet free bets and back Juventus to secure a Champions League berth for next season, then you’d be taking one hell of a risk, to say the least.

Allegri has inherited an ageing defence, an average midfield, and an attack lacking some real cutting edge. Fortunately, the returning Juventus boss remains one of the best managers in the game, and he knew the risks before he penned the deal to start his second spell at the club.

Losing Cristiano Ronaldo so late in the transfer window left them unable to get anywhere near effectively replacing him. All they could do on the 31st of August was bring Moise Kean back to the club, and that’s clearly not a deal that would have been made if the club had time and funds to bring in an experienced prolific marksman to lead the line.

Defeats to Empoli and Napoli, alongside draws with Udinese and AC Milan, represented a shocking start to the season, and they’ve been playing catch-up ever since. Allegri has a squad with quite a bit of deadwood, and the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Arthur, Dejan Kulusevski, Weston McKennie, and Federico Bernardschi are all surplus to requirements. 

Allegri needs Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala to deliver the goods this season, and at present, that’s not the case. The pair have a grand total of five Serie A goals this season, which is a paltry total. 

Usually, Juventus would at least be able to count on a rock-solid back-line, but again, this hasn’t been the case this season. 

Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, with a combined age of 71, are no longer the players they used to be (though clearly, with Italy over the summer, they were steadfast and reliable). 

Could the Champions League Be a Welcome Distraction?

Juventus have benefited from an average Champions League group, earning themselves qualification to the next phase with a game to spare, so maybe Allegri can put his proverbial eggs in that basket?

If the Italian giants can benefit from a helpful draw, they could push further in the competition, and it may offer the club respite from the struggles they face in the Italian top tier? They are now seven points off Atalanta in fourth spot, and that bridge only looks like widening, so a cup run may be Allegri’s main ambition for this transition season.

Nucleus of Quality Young Talent

Allegri’s bloated squad does contain a number of players of real quality, either in the early stages or peak periods of their careers. Dutch defender Matthijs de Ligt is a rock-solid performer; Federico Chiesa showed what he could do during his nadir at the Euro 2020 finals, as did Manuel Locatelli. 

Also, you feel that Dybala could genuinely be a footballing mega power; he has the talent, and at 28, might be capable of adding a prolific edge to his game.  

Ongoing Off-Field Issues

This being Juventus, there are, of course, more than a few off-field issues that could come back to cause Allegri and co a real headache. First, there’s their connection to the ill-fated European Super League, a tournament that they’d never deserve a place in based on current form. Secondly, there is the investigation by Italian financial authorities that relates to transfers made by executives past and present.

Juventus could be charged with false reporting and accounting, and the penalties could range from steep fines to demotion, and of course, we’ve been here before. 

Short Term Pain, Long Term Gain?

There is a sense that Allegri has the backing of his bosses and that he’s in place to get the Juventus ship back on course. This season, like last, was an exercise in watching past glories vanish as old domestic enemies surge on ahead. Juventus will, for sure, battle back, and it’s more a case of how long it will take to do so.

Allegri would do well to mount a big overhaul of his playing squad over the summer, and if Juventus have Champions League football to offer new additions, then clearly, he’ll be able to get better quality players. 

So that makes this transition season one that has a lot riding on it. Serie A titles are, for now, not on the menu but putting in a push for the top four is a possibility (just about) with the players in Allegri’s hit and miss squad.