It was the first day of a new era in Turin as Juventus won 1-0 against Genoa on Saturday, marking the debut of manager Igor Tudor with the three points, thanks to a gem scored by Turkish striker Kenan Yildiz. The Bianconeri are fully in the race for the top four with teh win, with Bologna currently holding the last spot of the Champions League qualification with a one-point margin with nine games left before the end of the season.
Juventus decided to sack Thiago Motta during the international break after a poor and disappointing start to the year, as Juventus were eliminated in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals against Empoli and in the Champions League playoffs against PSV.. Due to a series of issues and more, the club opted to sack the former Bologna manager and hired club icon Tudor to lead the team until the summer, when Juventus will also participate in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
The new era under the Croatian manager started with a win against Patrick Vieira’s side thanks to the goal in the first half which also showed a different approach of the former Lazio coach. In fact, it was the same Tudor who gave the ball to midfielder Teun Koopmeiners to resume the game quickly, and the former Atalanta player served Yildiz who scored a spectacular opening goal of the day in Turin.
Of course, there are many things that need to be improved, but the first game under Tudor showed that this team can react and qualify for the Champions League in the next nine Serie A games. Let’s take a look at what worked and what didn’t in the first match under Tudor at Juventus.
What worked well
First of all, the home fans welcomed the former Juventus defender with positivity in his first game in charge at the Allianz Stadium, showing that his past and link with the fanbase was one of the key reasons why Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli wanted to appoint him until the end of the current season. The team immediately showed a reaction on the pitch, at least for the attitude of the players that pressed the Genoa team since the kickoff and tried to avoid allowing the opposition to keep the ball. Both sides didn’t have many chances to score, and they were more aware of not conceding rather than producing chances.
Despite the injury of Italian defender Federico Gatti in the first half, which forced Tudor to make an early substitution, Juventus defensive phase was solid enough as the Bianconeri only conceded three shots on target to Genoa, showing that Tudor wanted to make a shift after Juventus latest disappointments, when they conceded seven goals in the last two Serie A games against Atalanta and Fiorentina. On top of that, Turkish talent Yildiz shined and scored the winning goal in the first half, underlining his importance in the team after a challenging first part of the year. It’s a new start for him and also for other players that might have a different motivation under the new head coach.
What needs to be improved
Talking about the players, midfielder Koopmeiners struggled again, and he’s probably the face of this season as he arrived in the summer of 2024 from Atalanta with a lot of expectations, but then things didn’t go as planned. Tudor decided to name him in the starting 11, but again, some of his decisions on the pitch were disappointing. For example, in the first half, he had a nice chance after Juventus recovered the ball in the attack and had the option to serve both Kephren Thuram and Dusan Vlahovic in the box, but the Dutch midfielder opted to shoot from outside, and the ball went out wide. At Atalanta, he became one of the best midfielders in the league, and not only that, but so far he has not showed it at his new club.
Similar issues for another key player, Vlahovic, who had a difficult time with Thiago Motta over the last weeks. Tudor decided to start him, but again he didn’t show his potential and he wasn’t at his best in Turin. Tudor in the past showed all his consideration for the Serbian striker, but in the next games, he will also have to make a decision between him and Randal Kolo Muani, who arrived in January on loan until the end of the current campaign. If Vlahovic doesn’t deliver, Tudor can’t do much.
Add Comment