5 important things that Juventus must do next season

It has been an exhilarating week for fans of La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady) as Juventus are affectionately called.

A 93rd-minute goal by the recently recovered Paulo Dybala helped the team grab a precious 1-0 win away at Lazio and following Napoli’s 4-2 loss to AS Roma a day later, the Bianconeri are now in the driving seat for the Serie A title.

This important result was followed by the drama at Wembley as 2nd half goals by the Argentine striking duo; Gonzalo Higuain & Dybala (him again) coupled with heroic defending gave Juve a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspurs and qualification to the quarterfinal stage of the UEFA Champions League.

While manager Massimiliano Allegri and his team deserve plaudits for these performances, these games have only served to highlight certain issues within the team that needs to be addressed next season if hopes of European domination are to be realized.

Here are 5 of the changes that need to be made for the team to move to the next level:

#5 Reduce the average age of the squad

Hector Bellerin is in the age bracket that Juve should be looking at

The experience and know-how of the Juve team came to the fore against Tottenham in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie.

However, it will be noted that for long stretches of the tie in both legs and in certain games in Serie A this season (games against Atalanta & Sampdoria come to mind), the usually immaculate defence has been gotten at by opponents who attack with speed; the age of the team is one of the reasons why.

With an average age of 30, the team has one of the oldest squads in the top European leagues and while the experience helps the team out of difficult situations, the inability to keep up with opponents have often led to these difficult situations.

Of the team’s registered 25 man squad for this season, only about 5 players are under the age of 25 and this has become a problem that needs to be addressed.

Juve has an established reputation for being a sort of Lazarus pit where older players go to be reborn but given the changing face of football across the continent, the board and manager Allegri should be looking at bringing down the average age of the squad by signing younger players next season.

Rumour has it that Spanish right-back Hector Bellerin is on the club’s shopping list and at age 22, he is in the correct age bracket that should be considered for rejuvenating the squad.

#4 Start playing a proper defensive midfielder

A defensive midfielder is needed to free up Pjanic's creativity

Claudio Marchisio, Blaise Matuidi, Sami Khedira, Stefano Sturaro are good midfielders but all have one thing in common; as good as they all are, none of them is a defensive midfielder.

The four midfielders mentioned are all typically box-to-box midfielders who do their best work by driving forward from midfield to either support the attack or help press opponents high up the pitch.

The Bianconeri have always been known for having a quality midfield and while the current crop has some very good players, none of them is a specialist in intercepting opposition attacks, breaking up play and shielding the defence.

This has forced coach Allegri to deploy Miralem Pjanic as the defensive screen as he has shown more discipline that the aforementioned quartet.

What this has done, however, is to rob the team of the creative influence of one of Europe’s finest regista (deep lying playmaker) as Pjanic is now preoccupied with shielding the defence and not dictating play and making the creative moves he is brilliant at making.

This has forced Dybala to assume the mantle of being the team’s sole creative focus.

Young Uruguayan, Rodrigo Bentancur seems to be the long-term solution and needs to be given more games while the constant rumours about Liverpool’s Emre Can joining on a free transfer refuses to go away.

#3 Improve the overall quality of the playing squad

Juventus should consider replacing players like Mario Mandzukic

Looking at the current Juventus team, one might be tempted to think the club already has all it needs to transcend its current status as one of Europe’s giant teams occupying the lower rung after the big three (Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich).

Juventinos believe and rightly so that they belong on the same level as the aforementioned trio but the inability to go the extra step in Europe and win the Champions League has become a stick with which the team has been beaten especially by fans of other top Italian sides like AC Milan.

The Turin-based side is fourth on the all-time list of appearances in a UEFA Champions League final with nine appearances.

Real Madrid (15), AC Milan (11) and Bayern Munich (10) are the three teams ahead of Juve and while Los Merengues, the Rossoneri, and Die Bayern can proudly point to their hauls of 12, 7 & 5 titles respectively; Juventus have only won 2 of the nine finals they have been in.

Recent final defeats in 2015 & 2017 (both against Spanish opposition) show that there is still a lack of world-class quality running through the team and significant (and younger) upgrades are needed in the team.

It is doubtful if the team possesses the desired quality to win the UCL this year and even in Serie A, the other big teams are beginning to take steps towards matching up with the Bianconeri.

Recruiting quality younger players and ridding the team of older non-essential ones should be a priority next season.

#2 Find a long-term replacement for Gigi Buffon

Buffon has been a great asset but he will need to be replaced soon

Juventinos love and respect the brilliant and charming goalkeeper (so too does a large population of football enthusiasts from all over the world) but the time has come to determine whether his continued stay as the club’s number One is really in everyone’s best interests.

When a list of the best goalkeepers in the last 30 years is made, Buffon’s name will feature prominently but as with all things, Father Time seems to be catching up with the legend.

Heung Min-Son’s opener in Wednesday’s UCL tie was one that 3 years ago, Gigi would have caught with ease but he has begun letting in soft goals and is being bailed out by the quality of the defenders in front of him.

While he has not suddenly become a terrible goalie, his reflexes after making saves to stop rebounds, decision making on coming off the line to close down attackers and diving have become noticeably slower and more laboured.

Juve fans will always remember Gigi for all his fantastic performances since his goalkeeper-record transfer from Parma for €52m in 2001. His loyalty in going down with the club when they were relegated in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal in 2006 secured his legendary status at the club.

However, the club must begin to make moves to either replace him immediately or ease him out gradually.

There are doubts as to whether current number two, Wojciech Szczęsny has the ability to replace a legend like Buffon.

Given Juve’s long tradition of having a top Italian goalie (Dino Zoff, Angelo Peruzzi, Buffon and many more), an audacious move for the new Gigi: AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma would ensure that the club’s goalkeeping needs are met for the next decade.

#5 At all costs, Dybala must not leave the club

La Jo can be the key to ending Juve's UCL hoodoo, the club must keep him at all costs

The legend of the number 10 at Juventus is one that never seems to fade. At various times in the club’s storied history, the jersey has been worn by some of the finest talents in world football.

This is the jersey that has been worn by such legends as Omar Sivori, Michel Platini, Roberto Baggio and Alessandro Del Piero.

The team’s current number 10 has shown that he has the ability, skills and the temperament to be as big an influence in the team’s successes as the past legends were.

La Joya (The Jewel) as Dybala is aptly nicknamed is truly the jewel in the Juventus crown (above the likes of even record signing Gonzalo Higuain) and it is crucial that the 24-year-old Argentinian stays at the Allianz Stadium for as long as possible.

His passing, dribbling, finishing, set-piece ability, and intelligence are hallmarks of the greatest Argentine players to have worn the number 10 shirt (Diego Maradona & Lionel Messi) and given how successful Napoli & FC Barcelona have been when they built their teams around these two geniuses, Juventus must do the same with Dybala.

This means resisting any attempt by any of Europe’s moneybags to get the Argentine international and while such a deal would definitely be rewarding in terms of finances (the club stands to make up to 7 times its original investment of €32 million), it would signal that the Old Lady are now a selling club and are no longer interested in competing for the top prizes in football.

FC Barcelona and the Manchester clubs; City & United have been mentioned as interested suitors for Dybala and they all can certainly afford whatever it is that Juve may demand.

If Juventus want to be taken seriously, Dybala’s continued stay at the club is essential and made the focal point of the team as he has the qualities needed to become a Bianconeri legend.