Juventus Win 8-In-A-Row To Set Up Huge Serie A Clash With Napoli

There is no denying that the 2022/23 season has been a tumultuous one for Juventus, yet here in early January they have climbed to second place in the Serie A table after an incredible run of form.

That they have done so despite a huge amount of off-field turmoil – as discussed in this previous column – is testament to the resilience of the squad and their Coach Max Allegri.

It also stands in massive contrast to the way the Bianconeri started this term, when they registered just three wins over the first nine rounds of action. At the same time, an abysmal UEFAEFA
Champions League campaign saw Juve crash out after losing five of their six Group Stage games.

Yet rather than crumble under the pressure that those poor results undeniably brought, the team rallied and unlocked a version of themselves that seemed unthinkable in those early weeks of the season.

Indeed, Saturday evening saw the Old Lady notch a 1-0 victory at home against Udinese, and while that result would be unremarkable in isolation, it actually marked Juve’s eighth consecutive win in Serie A.

During that run, the side is yet to concede a single goal too, while netting 14 at the other end of the pitch despite a lengthy injury list that includes key defenders Leonardo Bonucci and Bremer, midfielders Paul Pogba and Juan Cuadrado as well as star striker Dusan Vlahovic.

One fact that cannot be underestimated is the impact that the return of Federico Chiesa can have on this side, and it was no surprise to see the Italy winger proving to be the difference in Saturday’s victory with a sublime cross to Danilo that delivered the only goal of the game.

But even before Chiesa’s comeback from injury, Allegri and his men have simply pressed on. The football might be uninspiring but it has been undeniably effective, with the Coach taking time in his post-match interviews to praise the stamina and mental toughness of his side.

“We are in a good period of form, but we must raise the bar in terms of performances. We didn’t have the right concentration against Cremonese, it was better with Udinese who are a strong side and we had more chances in the second half,” Allegri told DAZN.

“We brought home the win late on because of good fitness levels and also mental strength. Technical skill is crucial, but if you don’t have that desire to give that little bit extra and get there a few centimetres before your opponent, you don’t win these games.”

The statistics reflect those words too, with figures from WhoScored.com showing that Juve only narrowly edged possession (50.5%) while only having one more shot on target (4) than Udinese (3).

That perhaps serves to highlight the element of good fortune that has come with some of these recent wins, with five of those eight victories coming by just a 1-0 scoreline.

But the run is eerily reminiscent of the 2015/16 campaign that saw Napoli get off to a flying start after 10 games, only for Juve to rally and eventually overhaul Maurizio Sarri’s side and claim the Scudetto.

Next weekend sees Juve take on the only team above them in the table, with a visit to league leaders Napoli (who else!) – who now hold just a seven-point lead over the Bianconeri – awaiting. Allegri is acutely aware of the need to improve if another title bid were to be possible.

“Napoli are still clearly the favourites to win the Scudetto, they have a big advantage, whereas we want to consolidate the top four,” Allegri said during that aforementioned interview with DAZN.

“We’re almost halfway through the season and are doing well. As I said, raising the bar means the performances rather than the results or targets. We have to take it one step at a time, focus on working and achieving the minimum objective, which is a top four finish.”

That may well be a Coach trying to downplay the importance of Friday night’s fixture at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, but Max Allegri and Juventus know that extending their win streak to nine games would blow the Serie A title race wide open.