Around this time last year, we were brimming with optimism and excitement. We had a new coach in Thiago Motta and received grand promises of a new “project,” style of play, and era for Juventus.
Unfortunately, we all know what happened halfway through the 2024-25 season. In March, the club sacked Thiago Motta after barely 10 months in charge and the promises of a modern style of play for Juventus likewise disappeared. This time around, expectations are significantly dampened. After stabilizing the team’s
form at the end of last season, Igor Tudor is the coach for this season and will likely continue the steady, though unspectacular performances that the team had at the end of last season.
In essence, it feels like this season will be a “holding” season. A season in which we won’t usher in any flashy new style of play, a host of new signings, or commit to anything totally new, but rather one in which we take the time to figure out what the next “project” will be and who will lead it both on and off the pitch.
New season energy
Juventus almost achieved the curious record of scoring two goals in every game in August, if it wasn’t for the last game of the month against Genoa. In the first preseason friendly of the summer, we played to a 2-2 draw against Serie B team Reggiana. Nata Girma scored in the 22nd minute for Reggiana but new-ish signing Conceição equalized moments later. Super-sub Dusan Vlahovic put Juventus back in the lead a few minutes after half-time but our underdog opponents produced another shock when Cedric Gondo scored the fourth and final goal of the game. Final score: 2-2.
The Bianconeri faced stronger opposition in the next warmup game: Borussia Dortmund. Thankfully, it was a significantly improved performance as we beat the German team 2-1. Andrea Cambiaso scored a well-worked team goal in the 16th minute and got his second a few minutes after the break, catching the goalkeeper off-guard at his near post with a fierce shot that went into goal.
Tudor’s team controlled the game surprisingly well as Dortmund struggled to break down Juve’s solid defense. Unfortunately, we slacked off at the end of the game and allowed Maximilian Beier to score a consolation goal for the Germans. Final score: 2-1.
In the final preseason game of the summer — I’m not counting the Next Gen game because fans stormed the field a few minutes after half ime, which is earlier than usual — Juventus faced another team with a Croatian coach: Atalanta, with Ivan Juric now in charge in Bergamo. Coincidentally, Dortmund also had a Croatian coach (Niko Kovac), so I suppose it’s a good time to be a coach from that country.
The first half was quite uneventful as neither team seemed interested in spending too much energy on a game that was only a week before the start of the 2025-26 Serie A season. The second half was a little more interesting and featured three goals in the last 20 minutes. Jonathan David scored his first goal for his new team with a cracking overhead kick after Nico González saw his header deflected into David’s path. Vlahovic then doubled the team’s lead to show everyone that he intends to fight for his place in the starting lineup despite the club’s desire to sell him.
Once again, Juventus fell asleep at the end of the game and allowed our opponents to grab a consolation goal late in the game. This time, Lazar Samardzic scored to settle the final score at 2-1 for Juventus.
Now on to the real business: the season opener at home against Parma!
As we’ve done in the last few seasons, Juventus started the season with a comfortable victory. It was a solid and professional victory that showed us that while the team has many young players, it is a mature group. The Bianconeri dominated the first half but only created a few clear chances against a Parma team that seemed satisfied with playing for a draw. Tudor’s team grew into the game as time went on and got its reward after an hour of play. Yildiz dribbled his way into the box after a short corner routine and drilled a low ball to Jonathan David, who flicked the ball into the far corner.
Things got a little awkward when Cambiaso got a foolish red card for (softly?) elbowing a Parma midfielder but thankfully super sub Vlahovic scored with what may have been his first touch after coming off the bench. A fantastic counterattack led by new signing João Mário, Vlahovic, and Yildiz, resulted in the latter two exchanging passes and Vlahovic eventually tapping in from close range after Yildiz squared the ball to him in front of goal. Final score: 2-0!
We ended the month with a hard-fought 1-0 away win against Genoa. This game followed the same pattern as the previous one: Juventus had more possession and were generally comfortable and solid in defense but struggled to create clear opportunities in attack. David missed a sitter in the first half after ex-Juventus goalkeeper Nicola Leali parried Yildiz’s fierce shot right into David’s path but the Canadian, only a few yards from goal, somehow scooped the ball over the open goal.
Thankfully, super-duper sub Vlahovic came to the rescue once again. This time, he scored a great header in the 73rd minute from a corner delivery from fellow Serbian (and substitute!) Filip Kostic. There was almost another twist in the tale when Genoa hit the crossbar from a corner kick in the 96th minute. It ended up being the last kick of the game as Juventus just about managed to win 1-0 at Genoa.
Juventus Women
Juventus Women played a few friendly and quasi-friendly matches in August. The team beat Zurich 9-1 in the first friendly with the goals coming from Amalie Vangsgaard (3x), the now-Como player Alisha Lehmann (2x), Martina Rosucci, Martina Tosello, Chiara Beccari, and Emma Stolen Godo.
Juventus was on a goalscoring spree in the next friendly game. Just like the men’s team, they beat Dortmund in a pre-season friendly. Abi Brighton, Vangsgaard, Stolen Godo, Paulina Krumbiegel scored the goals to secure an easy 4-0 victory over the Germans. Next, we played against Como in the semi-final of the Women’s Cup — not to be confused with the Serie A Women’s Cup played immediately afterwards. Krumbiegel’s shot and Vangsgaard’s header gave us a comfortable 2-0 victory to setup a final against Inter.
The Bianconere won the Women’s Cup thanks to another 2-0 victory, this time over Inter. Stolen Godo continued her prolific goalscoring month with another goal in the final when her curling shot outside the box flew into the top corner of the goal. Summer signing Michela Cambiaghi then sealed the victory with a tidy turn and finish in the box.
Another game, another 2-0 victory. Juventus beat Parma 2-0 in the Serie A Women’s Cup at the Stadio Ennio Tardini thanks to a headed goal from Cristiana Girelli and a splendid lob from Barbara Bonansea. The last game of the month was arguably the most entertaining one: a 3-2 comeback victory over Everton at Goodison Park.
Everton went ahead in the 26th minute thanks to Japanese forward Yūka Momiki. They scored a second quickly afterwards when Ornella Vignola scored through a great header. The Bianconere pulled a goal back right on the stroke of half-time thanks to a great team goal finished off by Krumbiegel. Estela Carbonell — one of the multiple Spaniards signed this summer — equalized in the 50th minute and Beccari completed the turnaround when she rounded the keeper in a one-in-one and finished in an open goal.
Transfers
The summer transfer closed on the first day of September. Unlike last season, the club made few big-name signings as it was a summer that was highlighted more by departures rather than arrivals. Here’s a summary of the last month’s transfers:
- The never-ending saga regarding the potential departure of Vlahovic finally came to an end in August. The big Serbian striker will remain at the club until at least the winter transfer window, when he will be in the final six months of his contract.
- Another saga that has dragged on forever did not reach a conclusion in August. Randal Kolo Muani did not join Juventus because the French team refused to compromise on their roughly €60 million fee. Apparently the negotiations were complicated by the fact that Juventus unexpectedly failed to sell Vlahovic this summer. Kolo Muani eventually joined Tottenham Hotspur on loan.
- The money that we were going to spend on Kolo Muani, we ended up (essentially) spending on Lille winger signing Edon Zhegrova for roughly €15 million and RB Leipzig striker Loïs Openda on loan with an option to buy for €45 million if certain conditions were met. It sounds like those conditions are relatively easy to meet such that it’s basically an obligation to buy after one season.
- Timothy Weah returned to France. This time, he joins Olympique Marseille on loan with an obligation to buy.
- Lisa Boattin has come to this side of the pond after joining the Houston Dash in the NWSL.
- Federico Gatti received an offer to join Napoli but was proud to announce that he rejected it and, better yet, extended his contract with Juventus.
- Martina Cocino has joined Cesena Women on loan for a season. Other Juventus Women who have left the club on loan deals are Cecilia Cavalin and Michaela Martiskova (Bologna), Matilde Pavan (Como), and Giorgia Berveglieri (the wonderfully-named Freedom FC).
- Cecilia Salvai has renewed her contract with Juventus Women till 2027.
- Juventus have signed Portuguese midfielder Tatiana Vanessa Ferreira Pinto from Atlético Madrid on a 2-year deal.
- Arthur Melo, a player whose career has absolutely collapsed in the last few years, will join Gremio on loan.
- Another Brazilian midfielder who has seen his career stagnate has also left the club. Douglas Luiz has joined Nottingham Forest on loan with an obligation to buy. The total package, if all conditions are met, will see Juventus receive €31.5 million. Coincidentally, Next Gen graduate Nicolo Savona followed his teammate to Nottingham Forest and also joined the English team, in a deal worth an initial €13 million and another €2.5 million in bonuses.
- Lehmann, Luiz’s ex-girlfriend, joined Como Women.
- Nico González joined Atlético Madrid on loan with an obligation to buy. Atlético will pay a €1 million loan fee but if González plays the required amount matches for the Spanish team, Juventus will receive roughly €34 million for the deal. There were talks about a potential swap deal between Nico González and the fullback/wingback Nahuel Molina from Atlético Madrid, but Molina ended up staying with his current team.
- And last but not least: Juventus supposedly rejected an offer from Al Ahli for Manuel Locatelli.
Champions League
Juventus learned who their opponents will be for this year’s league phase of the Champions League. We will play, in order, Borussia Dortmund (H), Villarreal (A), Real Madrid (A), Sporting Lisbon (H), Bodø/Glimt (A), Pafos (H), Benfica (H), and Paul Pogba Monaco (A).
Overall, the draw was both difficult and fair.
In relative terms, this draw was quite favorable. When you look at the fixtures that other teams have — like Chelsea, PSG, and Dortmund, to name a few — you realize that our draw could have been much, much worse. But in absolute terms, it’s clear that Juventus could easily screw up against every single one of these teams.
There are the obvious top teams like Dortmund, Villarreal, and Real Madrid that require no explanation. But as we’ve seen from the last few years of Champions League action, Juventus frequently struggles with mid-to-lower level opposition, both domestically and in European competitions. Every game in Europe is difficult for us because of how often we’ve fumbled games that we were expected to win, which is why I think this draw is difficult when you look at it without comparing it to that of other teams.
I will say that this new format has resulted in more balanced draws than in the prior format. I feel like in the prior format you would more frequently see teams with relatively/extremely easy draws and then one Group of Death. It doesn’t seem like that’s the case so far which makes every game more interesting and competitive.
Even though I expect us to progress from the League Phase, I’m treating every one of these eight games in the Champions League as finals for Juventus because we all know that we never make things easy in European competition. Thankfully, we have our most difficult games first. Andiamo!
