Article by Raffaele (@ItalianoCalcio)
Stop me if you’ve heard this said within the past six years, ‘Juventus has won the scudetto’. “Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop”. Okay, I get it, you’ve heard it. Juventus has won the scudetto for a 6th straight year, a remarkable run.
Prior to this six-year run of domestic dominance, Juventus had two consecutive 7th place finishes. In 2011, Antonio Conte took over as Juve’s coach and a new era had begun. Not even the most diehard Juventus fan could have predicted what was about to unfold. Conte demanded a lot from his players; focus, effort, commitment, and perfection. The players responded to Conte and went from a 58-point season, to an 84-point season and winning the scudetto. In Conte’s first season as Juve’s coach, the club went unbeaten; 23 wins and 15 draws. The next two seasons under Conte saw a lot more domestic success; two more scudetti, including a 102-point season. Despite all the domestic success Juventus had under Antonio Conte, they weren’t able to translate that into European success. It left Juventus fans yearning for a bit more.
Antonio Conte shocked many by walking away from Juventus during the summer of 2014 and had many scratching their heads. The man that turned Juventus around was leaving and questions about the Bianconeri’s future were swirling. Whoever was chosen to replace Conte, could they realistically replicate the success that he had? Max Allegri; former Milan manager, was chosen to replace the fiery Conte. Allegri had won a scudetto with Milan, but towards the end of his tenure with the Rossoneri, he was much maligned and criticized. The appointment of Allegri came with a lot of criticism. Juventus fans were concerned that Allegri would crash this Ferrari he was given.
Allegri kept the engine going at Juventus and they did not skip a beat. Juventus has now won three scudetti under Allegri, despite shuffling in and out some key players like; Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, and others. Allegri was able to take Juventus to another level, a level that saw them become far more competitive in Europe, while maintaining their domestic dominance. Allegri guided the Bianconeri to the Champions League final in 2015 against Barcelona. The Tuscan coach has them back in the UCL final this year, where they will square off against Real Madrid.
A lot of credit for Juventus’ success is given to their stingy defense of Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci, and Chiellini. They deserve a lot of praise, however the Bianconeri have truly had this success because they’ve played as a team; making sacrifices, buying into each other and the message Conte and Allegri have conveyed. Mario Mandzukic is a perfect example of making sacrifices for the good of the team. Mandzukic is a natural striker, scoring goals is what he is supposed to do. Juventus has Higuain and Dybala to take care of that. Allegri decided to play Mandzukic as a winger, anything but his natural position. Mandzukic did not complain about it, he accepted his new role and did a great job at it. The Croatian understood making sacrifices would ultimately benefit the team. GonazoloHiguain and Miralem Pjanic joined Juventus this past summer for this exact reason. They wanted to win a scudetto and compete in Europe. Both knew joining their respective former club’s rival would bring them a lot of criticism, but they didn’t care, winning is what they wanted most and it is what they got.
Please don’t say that Juventus’ dominance has come at a time when Serie A as a whole has not been at its best. Yes, it is true, but Juventus deserves their proper credit. Over these six years, Juventus has gone from the best team in Italy, to one of the best 2 or 3 teams in all of Europe.
Juventus’ dominance in Italy has been well documented. This 6th straight scudetti is a Serie A record. Over these six years, Juventus has a stunning winning percentage of 73%. They have only lost 20 Serie A games over the 6 years. Consider this, 17 teams have lost at least 20 games in a single season over these 6 years. Juventus has also won Coppa Italia three straight years, that is 12 in total, a record. The three straight Coppa Italia titles is also a record in Italy. Juventus will look to beat Real Madrid in the Champions League final next month, to try and win a historic treble.
From Conte to Allegri, from Pirlo, Tevez, Vidal, Pogba, to Higuain, Pjanic, Khedira, Dybala; it has not mattered. The success on the field has remained a constant. Juventus shows no signs of letting up anytime soon and certainly will be favorites heading into next season.
