What a difference two seasons can make.
Back in 2020, Juventus won the Scudetto. While the Bianconeri, then under the leadership of Maurizio Sarri, were far from their best, they did just enough to edge out Inter by one point to win their ninth consecutive league title.
It, to date, would be the last time La Vecchia Signora were on the winner's podium as far as the Scudetto was concerned. A year after winning their 36th league title, Juventus were dethroned as Inter clinched their first Scudetto since 2010, and last season saw AC Milan finally win the coveted prize after 11 long years. Interestingly, the Nerazzurri and the Rossoneri were the last teams to win the Scudetto before Juventus's nine year undisputed reign as champions of Italy.
This season, Juventus now have Massimiliano Allegri back on the tactician's bench, but it is safe to say things have not gone as planned. Last weekend saw La Vecchia Signora shockingly drop points during a 1-0 loss to newly promoted Monza, and it is not surprising that fans are up in arms regarding the team.
Cries for Allegri to be sacked have grown louder, but reports claim that several Juve execs are still opting to stick with the struggling coach - at least, for now.
Meanwhile, skipper Leonardo Bonucci has also drawn the ire from ultras due to his perceived lack of leadership ability and inability to rally the side. Specifically, the ultras noted that "Bonucci has never been a leader and never will be: not at Treviso, nor Pisa, nor Bari, nor Milan and certainly not at Juventus [because] a good soldier does not necessarily make a good general."
The defeat to Monza means that Juventus have now won just one of their last five Serie A games and have slid to eighth in the table. Although it is still early, their performances in the Champions League, which saw them lose to PSG and then Benfica, have been hardly encouraging. Indeed, Juventus are facing an early exit from a tournament that they have been desperate to end a decades-long wait for a title, and overall have won just two of their last nine matches across all comps.
At the moment, the team are on break for the latest international pause. It will be very interesting to see if this hiatus will help Juventus regain focus as they prepare for a busy campaign across all fronts, and more significant, how long the difficult situation between the fans, the coach, and the club's skipper will endure in what has been shaping up to be a very unpleasant campaign for the Italian giants so far.
