Leonardo Bonucci could hardly believe what he was hearing. “I won’t say it annoyed me, but I was certainly let down by the attitude of the fans over the course of the 90 minutes,” he said. “Juventus need to be supported and yesterday there were people who already started grumbling after 20 minutes.”
The match in question was Juve’s opening Champions League clash with Sevilla. They were held to a frustrating scoreless draw, with summer signing Gonzalo Higuain rattling the crossbar.
Days later Juve gave what Coach Massimiliano Allegri described as one of the worst technical performances he has seen three decades, in a 2-1 loss to rivals Inter. The twin results raised questions about the Turin giants. Are expectations surrounding the team too high? Bonucci seems to think so. Giorgio Chiellini added that Juve never have and never will be Real Madrid. Fans cannot expect regular thrashings. After signing the likes of Higuain, Miralem Pjanic and Medhi Benatia, plus highlighting the Champions League as a major objective this season, just what is acceptable?
They go into this weekend’s clash against Empoli a point clear at the top of Serie A. The fixture list produced a difficult start, with the Bianconeri opening up against four of last season’s top eight – plus Sevilla in Europe. They looked better in demolishing Cagliari, but produced a lethargic performance against Palermo. It was a match decided only by an outrageous own goal. Allegri acknowledged it was a poor night at the office.
Given the summer additions this Juventus squad has the hallmarks of one still under construction. Allegri has chopped and changed regularly. Some of that forced, still it is not the Juve many expected.
The Sevilla match was case in point. The negative visitors rarely threatened Gianluigi Buffon, yet Juve retained three central defenders. They have mostly stuck to that base throughout the season and switching on a more regular basis must be considered. That match led to the grumbles and yet Juve are top of Serie A and their Champions League group. The boss says they are doing what they must and that is to win matches. It was also a much better showing against Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday. The 4-0 win was Juve’s biggest away from home in the Champions League since smashing Rangers by the same score in 1995-96.
It does ask the question of whether only domestic success is enough for Juventus. Already the dominant force in calcio, they weakened both Napoli and Roma with their summer signings. The run to the Champions League Final in 2015 whetted the European appetite. Now 20 years since their last triumph it is the trophy fans crave. The club too.
While that is an ambition, Juventus cannot rest on their domestic laurels. The Inter match showed why. As did last season, when it took a momentous recovery from an awful start to claim the Scudetto. There are challengers waiting in the wings, from Napoli and Roma to a resurgent Nerazzurri.
There are improvements the Old Lady can make. Higuain leads the scoring with five goals, but until Paulo Dybala’s goal on Tuesday he was the only striker to find the back of the net. Juventus will also need to get more out of Pjanic. He was shackled in the deep-lying midfield role against Inter, whereas he’s had more of a say when playing alongside the central figure in a three-man midfield. The latest example was against Dinamo as Pjanic scored and created a goal. That has to be the position for the Bosnian heading forward, especially with Claudio Marchisio close to returning.
Juve must also improve defensively. All four goals conceded in Serie A have been from crosses into the penalty area, including three from corners. They were nearly caught out by Dinamo too. It is unusual for a side normally so miserly. Even Buffon caught the bug against Sassuolo.
While clearly not at their best, Juventus have won the majority of matches so far. Their Champions League group is manageable, while players will be returning from injury heading towards the final stretch before Christmas. And it’s a long season. Allegri is looking to the long haul. Seasons are not won or lost in September, as the Bianconeri showed last season. Despite their issues there is a sense Juve can go up a gear. For now, expectations must be kept in check.
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