Serie A 2019-20: 5 reasons why serial winners Juventus' domestic dominance is set to continue

Juventus are the record 35-time Serie A champions and have won the last eight titles (record for the most number of consecutive titles).

One of 12 teams to have won the Serie A title since the league transitioned to its present (single round) format, Juventus have garnered a slew of league records.

The Bianconeri have the most goals (5037), most wins (1555), most consecutive wins (17), most consecutive home wins (33), most wins in a season (33), most home wins in a season (19), most points in a season (102) and longest unbeaten streak in a 20-league season (38 in 2011-12).

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring Juventus' 5000th Serie A goal in a 0-1 win at Torino

Juventus' legendary keeper Gianluigi Buffon holds the record for most clean sheets in Serie A (292) and most clean sheets in a season (21 in 2011-12 and 2015-16). Buffon is the only player to win 9 Serie A titles (all for Juventus).

Here are five reasons why the Bianconeri's eight-year Serie A reign is set to continue this season:

#1 Return of Gianluigi Buffon

Gianluigi Buffon is the only player to win 9 Serie-A titles and has the most clean sheets in Serie A history (292). During Juventus' eight-season title winning run, the Bianconeri had 163 clean sheets (out of a possible 304).

Excluding last season when Buffon played for PSG in France, Juventus tallied 147 clean sheets (out of a possible 266) in 7 seasons, with Buffon alone contributing 121. The Bianconeri registered more clean sheets than any other team in every season during this period and tallied an average of 21 clean sheets during this span.

Following Buffon's departure to PSG last season, Juventus' season clean sheet tally dropped to 16 (second best behind Napoli's 17) during the 2018-19 season as they stuttered to get over the line to seal a eighth straight title.

With the legendary keeper back in the Serie A for Juventus this season, the Bianconeri look good for another season of dominance in Serie A.

#2 The Cristiano Ronaldo factor

Following a slow start to his debut season by his staggering standards, Cristiano Ronaldo opened his Serie A goal tally for Juventus in his fourth game for his new club and hasn't looked back since.

The Portuguese marksman scored 21 times in 31 appearances in his debut Serie A season, which marked the first time since John Charles (1958 also for Juventus) when a non-Italian player scored 20 goals in his first Serie A season.

It was the tenth consecutive top flight season where Ronaldo scored at least 20 league goals, and the eleventh time he did so in his last 12 seasons.

In a 3-0 win at Empoli, Ronaldo scored in a record ninth consecutive Serie A away game (also Giuseppe Signori for Lazio in 1992-93).

Ronaldo scored Juventus' 5000th Serie A goal in a 1-0 away win at Torino, and his second leg hattrick against Atletico Madrid helped Juve overhaul a first leg deficit to reach the Champions League quarterfinals.

Ronaldo is a big game player and has shown the penchant to shoot into prominence in the biggest games.

The crown jewel of Juventus' attacking trident, Ronaldo is expected to hit the ground running in his second Serie A season and lead Juventus' goal charge.

#3 Arrival of Matthijs de Ligt

The youngest captain in a Champions League game (19 years) scored the goal for Ajax which knocked out Juventus in the quarterfinals.

While Ajax's attacking play attracted a lot of attention, it was the defensive solidity provided by De Ligt which contributed to their win over Juventus. The defender exhibited a maturity far beyond his teenage years as he adroitly marshaled the Ajax backline with his clean tackling, positional sense, aerial prowess and astute reading of the game.

That impressed Juventus enough to swoop up De Ligt's services in a Serie A record deal of 85 million euros.

Touted as one of the best young defenders in Europe, De Ligt is expected to lead the Juventus defence in the years to come as ageing defensive stalwarts like Bonucci, Barzagli and Chiellini recede into the background.

#4 Away form in the league

As is true for the other top leagues across Europe where most top teams win most of their home games, the same holds true for the Serie A as well. But it is often the away form of teams which determines the destination of league titles.

During their eight-season title winning run, Juventus won 98 games on the road (out of a possible 152). During the same period, the respective second placed team's cumulative away wins tally read 87 (43 by Napoli in 4 seasons, 32 by Roma in 3 seasons and 12 by Milan in one season).

In a tactical league like the Serie A, it's a significant difference. The ability to absorb pressure exerted by home teams in front of partisan crowds and eke out favorable results is something that Juve have excelled at better than any other team during this period. That is unlikely to change this season.

#5 Home fortress

Juventus just do not lose at home. During their last eight title-winning seasons, the club racked up a staggering 127 home wins out of a possible 152 - a home win rate that was 12 percentage points better than the cumulative tallies of the respective second placed teams during this period.

During this span, the Bianconeri were beaten at home on a miserly five occasions, going unbeaten at home in five of the last eight seasons.

rresponding cumulative number for the second placed teams during this period is 12 home losses (Napoli - 5 in 5 seasons, Roma -5 in 3 seasons and AC Milan - 2 in 1 season).

Away wins set up Juventus' title charge. Home wins complement that and steer the team over the line. It's been a trusted template of success for the Bianconeri, and one they are unlikely to dither away from.

Edited by Musab Abid