The Champions League is a tournament that all the greatest clubs in the world always have one eye on. But not Juventus. They’ve pretty much set their sights on winning it this year because Juventus as a club, belong right up there with the greats.
However, when it has come to the Champions League over the past decade or so, they have flattered to deceive. With the abundance of riches in their squad, they have sewn up Serie A for five years in a row and few would be placing bets against them sealing a sixth this year. However, ‘The Old Lady’ is not going to be satisfied till she meets an old acquaintance – The Champions League.
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It is well known that the club have had the Champions League in their sights and came ever so close in 2015, only to meet Barcelona and MSN in the peak of their powers that night at Berlin. The club were destined to lose their charismatic midfield machine Paul Pogba to United, for a fee that was just too good, and they had no choice but to let him go.
Sitting back and counting the moolah is not what the Turin-based club have done and they have splurged in the market on some excellent talent. We take a look at some of the reasons why 2016-17 could be Juventus’ best and most desperate attempt to win the Champions League:
Defence and squad depth
Juventus have one of the ultimate squad depths in Europe with the purchases they have made in this transfer market. The biggest capture was Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli to bolster their attack at a cool €76 million. This is in addition to strengthening their superb defence, which is built around the Italian trio of Bonucci, Barzagli and the evergreen Chiellini – a man who missed that Barcelona final through injury.
The likes of Evra and Lichtsteiner have been joined by Bayern Munich’s defensive rock Benatia along with the ageing but still bombarding Dani Alves from Barca. Alex Sandro too is an excellent attack-minded fullback, and with that sort of roster, teams will find it extremely challenging to get past them. Even if they do get past the defence, Juve’s last man and inspirational captain, the legendary Gianluigi Buffon, is not going to make things easy for attacks around.
Higuain and Dybala
Much has been spoken about Gonzalo Higuain’s capture from Napoli and how he has entered the pre-season overweight. One thing that he also has an appetite for is finding the back of the net. The Argentinian poacher found the back of the net 36, yes, 36 times in Napoli’s campaign last year to equal an 85-year-old goal-scoring record in the Serie A set by Gino Rosetti.
He left the rest of the pack behind, with the second highest scorer in the league last year being compatriot and now teammate Dybala, who found the net 19 times. With these two up front and Mandzukic, the backup plan, Juventus have goals written all over them – at least on paper.
Higuain has always been known as a stocky striker and his return from holiday with a little belly might be unsettling for some fans. However, if he produces the kind of form he is capable of in Europe, the Bianconeri faithful might as well name a pizza after him.
On the other hand, Dybala is young, effervescent and will be raring to go in his second season at the club. Having already proven himself at the highest level in his debut season, this is the time for him to take some of the weight off his shoulders and share the goalscoring burden with the big man up front. Maybe this partnership could prove to be the turning point in Juventus’ fortunes in Europe and only time will tell.
Pjanic – the midfield maestro
With Miralem Pjanic joining Juventus, the club have got a midfield genius who can change the game in an instant with a killer pass. He also possesses brilliant technical and dribbling abilities and at 26, is entering the prime of his footballing years.
He, too, will be absolutely motivated for the European push this year and with the attacking prowess of Dybala and Higuain to feed, a lot of fireworks are expected.
Midfield headache for Allegri
Juventus also bolstered their wings by snapping up highly talented Dinamo Zagreb winger Marko Pjaca, and seem super intent on letting Europe know they mean business this year. With Mario Lemina moving from Marseille, the midfield seems to be jam-packed and players will be pushing themselves to be in the manager’s immediate plans.
With the likes of Khedira, Sturaro, Asamoah and club stalwart Marchisio all vying for the midfield positions, Massimiliano Allegri will have a pleasant headache with the squad that he chooses to send out. Juventus have not looked this strong in recent times and it will be absolutely entertaining to see how the players are rotated around the year to fit in with the various competitions this year.
The ultimate push
One thing is for sure, though, Juventus have never looked more desperate for a European crown. Only time will tell if Allegri is the man to deliver it for them and if their investment has gone in the right direction. The Serie A will probably take a backseat and if they do not win the Champions League within the next two years, then it will count as a failure for Juventus.
Italian fans will be glad to see such a diverse array of stars in such a dull period for the league, though that does not bode well for the other clubs. Juventus are more or less the sole Italian flagbearers in the highest European stage and whether Gigi Buffon finally gets his hands on the coveted “Big Ears” trophy (one he has never won in his illustrious career) will all lie on the team’s togetherness and ethos.
