Why Juventus deserve the Scudetto


As a Milanista it is never easy admitting that one of your team's biggest rivals is deserving of claiming the title they won the season prior. But as waves ebb and flow so does the success of a team and it goes without saying that it is never easy to defend a title: even less so when a team has been hit by a constant tsunami of injuries.

Coming into this season I favoured Milan to net a back-to-back success, all while carrying the underlining  fear of last's year's surprise package Napoli along with Juventus- who were debuting in their new stadium.

Too much had changed at Inter during the summer which left tags to a late '80s sides, while the Roma project was a big question to be asked within its first season. Even Napoli's inexperience and small squad didn't quite give me the belief that they would be reliving the Maradona days.

Narrowing it down I felt that Juventus were the only potential threat that could end Milan's chances of a Scudetto brace and as it currently stands, I am yet to be proven wrong.

Napoli, Lazio, Udinese are all pushing for third, while Roma’s and Inter’s erratic season has also resulted in them gunning for a spot in Europe (mathematically even a potential Champions League spot).

As it stands, coming into the final 6 games of Serie A, Milan sit second and one point below Juventus who occupy- for this season- their rightful place at the top of the leader board.

Some Milanisti may have done a quick double take there, but yes, I did use the word 'rightful'.  Juventus deserve to be on top and I will go on to explain my reasoning behind my thought process.   

Last season many felt that the Rossoneri's season was won thanks to their transfer market strategy. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho, along with Antonio Cassano and Mark van Bommel were all thrown into the set-up in the summer and winter transfer windows.

This has been a similar situation for the Bianconeri by bringing in- amongst others- Mirko Vucinic, Stephan Lichsteiner, Arturo Vidal and the most ironic of them all: Andrea Pirlo.

They are four players, who may not be raking in the Ballon D'ors, but who are nonetheless effective and know how to get the job done. Along with the debuting Serie A coach Antonio Conte, the Old Lady have by no means looked like they were in need of a walking; playing some attractive football.

The freshness of Conte coupled with the hunger for success has seen him squad eager to taste the dolce that comes along with victory.

In Italy there is a saying: “il campionato si vince contro le piccole” [the championship is won against the smaller teams] but to be a champion you have to be on top of your game at all times, and this is what has been Juve’s biggest advantage.

Unbeaten in 32 domestic games, the Bianconeri have won 18 and drawn four less than their winnings. Conte also holds the best record in Serie A at home with his side accumulating a total of 38 points, but it is against the top sides where has risen to the occasions.

Taking a look at the five clubs below them, Juventus beat Milan and played the second leg out for a draw; saw the Bianconeri take off 4 points from six off the defending Champions.

Against Lazio maximum points was taken on both occasions, Udinese and Napoli- only managed to muster one point off Juventus, Inter succumbed to two defeats and Roma played for a draw with the second leg yet to be played. Marking a grand tally of 27 from a possible 33.

To be the best you have to beat the best and Juventus have proven not once but on several occasions they can hold their own more than once against the big clubs. Massimiliano Allegri on the other hand hasn’t quite mastered this feat.

The Via Turati outfit has only picked up 16 points from a possible 33, the same top teams mentioned’ with Juventus in the equation and not the second leg still to be played against Inter; a significant difference of note.

To be at the top you have to beat your biggest competitors in order to extend the gap over them and Milan failed to do that, as they have only managed two wins over Roma and one over Udinese.

A point of departure, for arguments sake on the Rossonero side of things, would be the amount of injuries Milan have had and surely they may have had better results if a full squad was at Allegri’s disposal.

It may be a fairly reasonable argument but the reality goes down to Milan Lab and their coaching techniques used, which are part to blame for the infinite amount of injuries.
Juventus have clearly found a method of training in which they are able to keep their squad fully fit and have minimal injuries despite the long season. Crucial to success is the importance of maintaining a fit squad throughout the demanding campaign.

I always try and look past my natural bias when watching Milan’s biggest rivals, but truth be told; this season I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Juventus play.

From the endless runs of Lichsteiner on the flanks, the startling form of Claudio Marchisio at the beginning, Vucinic finally finding his feet and the reminiscent displays of Pirlo in 2006 is mouthwatering.

Even though Sulley Muntari’s disallowed goal against Juve may carry weight on that one result, there are plenty of matches in which Milan should have sealed the deal and didn’t, and Juve should have had penalties and didn’t.

Not focusing on how the Bianconeri would have managed if they had played in Europe this season too, overall, the passion, exuberance and cohesiveness in which Conte has managed to create with this side has left me impressed and believing they deserve the long awaited success.

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