http://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2017/09...

Juventus Striker Gonzalo Higuain rightfully gives the Barcelona crowd the middle finger as he takes his place on the bench after being substituted on 9/12/17 during Juventus' 3-0 defeat at Barcelona Credit: La Marca

Clearly a lot of things went wrong during the 90-something odd minutes of the first round of the Champions League campaign for Juventus. There are many factors that led to their 3-0 defeat at the hands of Lionel Messi and company but year after year, I sit having the same question after each important match against Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. I ask myself, “What happened?” I mull it over in my head and the question then becomes, “Why should I be asking myself what happens?” Surely Juventus should be one of the premier teams in the world and among European counterparts. Juve is established in the upper echelon of European club football, but for some reason, they struggle heavily against the “perennial bad boys” of Europe. Last year, Juventus was rated the second best club in Europe after smashing Barca 3-0 in Torino at Juventus Stadium and should have been very confident. Instead, they dispatched AS Monaco easily and then came out flat against Real Madrid in the Final.

When Juve walked out onto the pitch in Cardiff last June, they seemed to lose their identity. They shied away when it mattered most. They lost their mental toughness, creativity, and persistence. They let Real Madrid have their way and never really seemed to have an answer for the bad luck they had in the first half down 2-1 because of two lucky deflections. They had a comeback on the table and ready for the taking but they shrunk. They gave it all away and that mentality began even before the game began when head coach Massimiliano Allegri decided to change the formation in order to counter the Madrid offense. Instead, he revealed clear deficiencies in the Juventus midfield and exposed the defense to wave after wave of Madrid attack. Allegri has failed as a tactician.

Coaching issues do not seem to garner much attention at Allianz Stadium. Allegri’s shortcomings seemingly go unnoticed especially after big games. Allegri sometimes shows his stubbornness by failing to make the right lineup choices from the beginning of the match and has to make adjustments later in the game after Juve has already suffered at least mental defeat because of Allegri’s original shortcomings. They go into halftime with a close game and come out in the second half worse off than the first! What kind of club plays an excellent first half but then quits on the game instead of returning to the pitch motivated and ready to make the comeback? Allegri is very clearly inept at managing his team and motivating them. It seems that instead of telling them they can, he makes them feel that the game is won and lost in the opening half. Managers should be inspirational. Allegri is not and seems to instead cause trouble. His very public arguments with his own players should be alarming enough but somehow Allegri escapes much of the criticism. His angry row with Leonardo Bonucci during a game last season with Palermo may have been the reason that Juventus lost one of their mainstays in defense to rival club AC Milan. Even his star player, Paulo Dybala refused to shake his hand after he had been substituted during a game.

Where is the outrage? Allegri surely is no brilliant tactician though he gets a lot of credit as one. His squad selections are often suspect and he seems to occasionally lose the respect of his own players. Allegri is not Antonio Conte. He has not revolutionized a failing team and created a new force to be reckoned with. When Allegri was chosen to replace Conte, he took over a strong team with a very bright outlook that competed in multiple Champions League tournaments and had some decent success. Allegri did manage to take even stronger more developed sides to the finals of the Champions League twice in the last 3 years yet he has failed in both attempts to bring home glory to Turin. He also failed to include Stephan Lichtsteiner in the squad for the Champions League which put them in a big predicament when Mattia De Sciglio picked up and injury and had to be substituted for a central midfielder in Stefano Sturaro with no other suitable replacement at right fullback. So, Allegri excluded the veteran fullback, Lichtsteiner and included the nearly useless Betancur. His poor decision-making left Juventus very vulnerable and it showed when Messi finally found space to score and Barca eventually found the back of the net twice more even though Sturaro performed admirably, he should not have been placed in that type of position if the coach was able to make reasonable personnel choices like failing to include a versatile outside back and midfielder like Lichtsteiner.

Twice, Allegri tried to switch tactics or formation just before the final instead of sticking to his guns and relying on the methods that enabled them to reach the finals in the first place. Of course, the players are the ones playing the game, but Italian coaches and teams often strictly adhere to their tactical instructions putting their faith in the system rather than purely talent and creativity. Italian sides are often well-versed in their respective systems when compared to more free-flowing teams found in Spain or other leagues. When the coach in an Italian team fails to choose the right tactics or make adjustments or even fail to choose the correct squad for a match, the whole team and mission is compromised.

Many Juventus supporters seem to chalk up these stumbling blocks to the idea that these clubs are just better than the Bianconeri. I would argue to the contrary that Juventus should aspire to equal these clubs instead of conceding defeat. Juventus should never back down from a team in the same tier. Juventus is a club with rich tradition of success and has historically been one of the most important and influential clubs in Italy, Europe, and the World. Juve is every bit the club that Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern are. Public perception that these teams are in a league of their own is and should be a farce. The Bianconeri are just as talented as any other side in Europe and the world and they should play that way. Part of the Juventus identity is pride in the shirt. Pride and loyalty make Juve special.

All the players who have worn the famous black and white stripes understand what the club stands for and what it means to represent it. The culture of winning that trickles down from the clubs owners to the eleven men on the pitch. Many have spoken of the tremendous winning culture at the club. They teach players how to be winners and right now that seems to be lacking. This Juventus- Barcelona game seemed to hearken back to the Final of the Champions League in Cardiff. Juventus went into the dressing room at the half down one goal and lost by three. They came back out looking much worse than when they started.

The team looked hopeless and helpless and incapable of staying out of their own way. Their passing was dismal and inaccurate. They failed to really connect to their striker and wingers while Paulo Dybala was playing too far forward to really find space and do anything remotely effective. This tires out a midfielder like Miralem Pjanic who has a lot more space to cover and responsibility. Dybala playing further forward creates a gap between the defense and the forwards which is problematic for a team that was already weakened defensively by Leonardo Bonucci’s summer departure. Juventus is better when it sticks to its true defensive nature and defends with at least nine but preferably all eleven players behind the ball working together to ensure defensive success and converting that into offensive opportunities to suffocate opposing offenses and turning against them on the counter attack. They seem to have lost their identity or if they are trying to change it, then they have certainly failed to establish who they are. The disconnect between offense and defense is the most troubling. A high press renders the front four for the Bianconeri ineffective and uninvolved. Then when counters are squandered, they count as double because opportunities are few and far between. Juventus need to take a long look at themselves and as what is preventing them from reaching that last peak. They need to recognize their deficiencies which are not in their personnel necessarily as much as how they are used. Though they made some impulse buys like Benedikt Howedes from Schalke 04 and strange purchases such as Rodrigo Betancur from Boca Juniors to add depth to positions that are either not needed or in Betancur’s case just not up to the caliber of a European Championship team, this team is strong and needs to produce results to show it because Olympiakos and Sporting CP showed in their match that they will not lay down and take their beating. They will both fight tooth and nail. Barcelona played well and there is no denying that today they were well organized and their intent was clear. Lionel Messi is otherworldly and I cannot stress that enough because he and his counterparts deserve a lot of credit. Barcelona is a very talented team but Juventus should have had an answer for them or at least put up a fight. Going forward however, Juventus must understand that nothing is guaranteed in a difficult group like this and being at the bottom of the group should not be comfortable right now. Maybe that will light the fire under this team and bring about some shakeups. It is clear to see that the manager does not fit the club and the tactics should be thrown out with the bathwater here because the mentality needs to change in order for Juventus to clear that last hurdle to solidifying this team’s success over the last 7 years.