Heading into their Serie A match against Napoli, Juventus had seemed to have turned the corner after a dismal start to their 2022-23 season. Eight consecutive Serie A victories saw the Bianconeri climb from eighth place in the league to second. On paper, this match against a rival club and the current league leaders appeared to be finely balanced - it seemed as though either club could have left Stadio Diego Armando Maradona with all three points.
However, Juve were immediately handed a reality check. The Turin-based club collapsed to a 5-1 loss; on top of that, such was Napoli's dominance that the final score could easily have been more one-sided. Victor Osimhen scored a brace to extend his lead at the top of Serie A's goalscoring leaderboard. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Amir Rrahmani, and Elif Elmas also scored for Luciano Spalletti's team. The result left Juve 10 points behind Napoli and with their chances of reclaiming the league title they last won three years ago all but gone.
Juve's lengthy winning streak fooled many a casual observer. Their only true high-quality victory against upper-tier opposition during that winning streak was their 3-0 win over Lazio. Even Juve's 2-0 win over Inter Milan was not particularly impressive; that victory was more of a case of "being less bad than the opponent" rather than outright outplaying them. It should also be noted that during the same period of that winning streak, Juve were knocked out of the Champions League and only made it into the Europa League over Maccabi Haifa on goal difference.
Massimiliano Allegri's team have been invariably underwhelming all season long. At first glance, this Juve squad appears to be replete with talent and not only a contender for the league title, but also a team that might threaten to make a deep Champions League run. Neither of those will happen now, in no small part due to the underperformance of players such as Weston McKennie, Moise Kean, Alex Sandro, and Fabio Miretti. While it may be true that McKennie, Kean, and Miretti are all still young, McKennie has clearly regressed from last season while it appears that Kean will never reach the level of a legitimate starter-level player at a club like Juve. When the next off-season comes around, it may be time for Juve to move on from both players as well as Alex Sandro. Miretti, meanwhile, does have intriguing potential; however, his already extensive playing time this season has shown that it may be "too much too soon". Spending next season on loan at a weaker club will be likely to do the hometown youngster a world of good.
Questions also have to be asked about Allegri himself. Could it be that he has overstayed his welcome in the Juve dugout? It definitely can't be questioned that his second stint in charge of Juve has not even come close to the level of his first between 2014 and 2019. Many Juve fans have already called for Allegri's dismissal; these calls peaked following their 2-0 loss to Maccabi in October. The club's recent winning streak somewhat quelled these sentiments, but they are likely to be renewed following this most recent crushing defeat. Was this, in fact, the final straw? It remains to be seen - but it would not be surprising if it were.
The off-field uncertainty surrounding Juve cannot be ignored. Less than two months ago, the club's entire board including then-president Andrea Agnelli resigned in the wake of issues surrounding Juve's financial statements. This may have in turn had a spillover effect onto the field, though its effects may not have been felt until now; it must be kept in mind that the incident took place during the World Cup break.
Juventus are now an embattled club in so many ways. As such, the fact that this is shaping up to be a "lost season" should not come as much of a surprise. That being said, it's one thing for a team to come up short despite giving their all in the face of adversity. It's quite another for Juve to capitulate in the manner that they did. Their prospects as of right now do not look good at all.
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