Juventus Draws Again: Tudor Risks Following in Thiago Motta’s Footsteps

The happy times were short-lived. Shortly after the thrill of a landmark win against Inter Milan, Juventus have started to sink into reflection. With a 1-1 draw against Atalanta at the Allianz Stadium in Serie A’s fifth round, Juve have recorded three straight draws.

Dropping points repeatedly is never a good sign, and the frustrating performance in the home draw against Atalanta has sounded an alarm: Coach Igor Tudor might be sliding into the very mistakes made by his predecessor, Thiago Motta.

No More Excuses

While the previous two draws against Borussia Dortmund and Verona could be justified by fatigue due to a congested and crucial schedule, there is no excuse for the draw against Atalanta. Tudor’s squad had a full week of rest and did not need to travel since they played at home at Allianz Stadium. Yet, the situation not only failed to improve but problems became even more apparent.

Juventus players surprisingly appeared weaker in one-on-one duels, especially noticeable in the goal conceded. Kamaldeen Sulemana effortlessly dribbled past 3-4 black-and-white striped defenders before finishing past Di Gregorio. Juventus’ defense was pierced as easily as soap bubbles. Individual errors persisted. Vasilije Adzic, the derby hero, made a costly turnover leading to the goal, while Bremer, who is trying to regain his peak form, missed a headed clearance that almost proved disastrous. Alarmingly, this was the fifth goal Juventus conceded from shots just outside the 16.5-meter box in the past half month, revealing that the defensive vulnerability in the space before the penalty area remains unpatched.

Then, the ghost of the Thiago Motta era reappeared. Juventus once again struggled with the chronic issue of converting their dominant possession rate (67%) into clear chances and goals. They were stuck, lacking creativity, and overly reliant on the inspiration of young talents capable of making breakthroughs like Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao. When these players were contained, underperformed, or absent, the attacking efficiency of the "Old Lady" immediately plummeted. This was the main scenario that led to the disappointing record of draws which cost Thiago Motta his job a year ago.