For Juventus fans, last season was beyond their wildest dreams, especially in European competition. Although three campaigns under Antonio Conte had helped the Bianconeri reestablish themselves as Italy's top side, their three Scudetti earned did not translate into success on the continent. Nonetheless, optimism was high that the former midfielder would finally make some progress, especially given how he continued to get the best out of players who had been unfairly written off, like Carlos Tevez and Andrea Pirlo.
Arturo Vidal, largely unknown to most of Europe despite spending time with Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen, had been transformed into one of the continent's top midfielders under Conte. Paul Pogba had grown into a top and much sought after young talent after leaving Manchester United due to a perceived lack of faith from management. All the groundwork had been laid for La Vecchia Signora to reclaim a spot among Europe's elite, with supporters eager to see what Conte would achieve in his fourth season. And then, after three successful terms, he suddenly resigned in order to take over the Azzurri, but if fans were shocked, they were certainly not prepared for whom the club board opted to bring in in his stead.
From Conte to Massimiliano Allegri: A time of change...but also big improvements
Prior to Conte's arrival, Juventus were still struggling to get back to winning ways after fighting their way out of Serie B during the 2006/2007 season, but the Bianconeri were finding sucess hard to come by as the league title was comfortably staying in Italy's fashion capital. However, not only did the ex-midfielder restore pride for the Turin giants, he also did so in some style, setting numerous records in the process.
Under Conte, Juventus re-established themselves as Italy's top team, winning three Scudetti in three seasons
Some of these achievments included becoming the first Italian team to complete a season unbeaten under the new 38-game format and their 102 points earned during the 2013/2014 campaign were the first time a Serie A side had broken the 100-points barrier. Meanwhile, whilst his successor, Massimiliano Allegri had guided AC Milan to their first Scudetto during the 2010/2011 season - their first since 2004 - fans' memories are quite fickle, and most seemingly forgot that to rather focus on his he was unceremoniously (and to be honest, perhaps unfairly) sacked mid-term in January 2014.
However, Allegri eventually proved his doubters wrong, and in some fashion indeed. Not only was the once-lambasted Rossoneri coach able to make sure that Juventus made it four straight league titles, but under him, the Bianconeri won Coppa Italia - the first in two decades - and more important, made an impressive run in the Champions League to reach the finals. Whilst they were not surprisingly defeated by Barcelona, the 3-1 result was not the humiliation some had expected and by far surpassed Conte's best result, which was the quarter-finals during the 2012/2013 season.
With Allegri in charge, some fans had wondered how he would work with Pirlo, given how the midfield maestro had left Milan under not the best of terms. All that was put well behind the duo as the 2006 World Cup winner enjoyed a core spot in the starting XI and played a crucial role in the team's excellent performances last season. Tevez's 29 goals in all competitions - 20 in the league - were not enough for him to win the Capocannoniere, but the Argentinian attacker not only racked up the most goals in his entire career to date, but also was extremely vital in their domestic and continental success.
In his debut season, Allegri not only made sure that the Scudetto remained in Turin, but also guided the team to win their 10th Coppa Italia title (the most of any side in Italy) and to the finals of the Champions League
And Vidal, despite injuries and some off the field controversy, continued to demonstrate why he had quickly become one of the continent's most sought-after midfielders by forming an excellent relationship with Pogba and Claudio Marchisio in the middle of the park.
No Tevez, Pirlo, or Vidal: How will Allegri's new-look side fare this time around?
Some detractors, however, have pointed out that Allegri's success with Juventus in his debut season was almost guaranteed, given that the ex-Diavolo boss had "inherited" one of the strongest sides in Italy. Well, now in his sophomore term, the real test begins as Vidal, Pirlo, and Tevez are no longer with the team, and given their success last season, supporters will expect them to make it five domestic title wins on the trot and to fare well in Europe, too.
This summer has seen a time of significant modifications within the squad. With Tevez's departure, Pogba now has assumed the coveted no. 10 jersey, showing that the young French midfielder is ready to step up and assume more responsibility, but it's yet to be seen whether he can deliver on those expectations. Marchisio, who has proven an apt deputy in the deep-lying play-maker position for Pirlo does not have the same skill-set as his international teammate - but then again, who does - and will be feeling the pressure once he returns from injury to fully embrace that role. As shown this past weekend during their shocking loss to Udinese, Simone Padoin in that postition is like fitting a square peg into a round hole and surely supporters will hope they have seen the last of that Allegri experiment.
And in terms of transfers, the club have attempted to reinforce their attack by acquiring young Argentinian starlet Paulo Dybala and experience Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic. Of the two, although Mandzukic has more pedigree and has shown his top goal-scoring abilities by netting 20 goals across all competitions per season since signing for Bayern Munich in 2012, he is by no means is a carbon-copy of Tevez, whether in skill set or overall playing ability. Dybala, the man who many expect to eventually become like his esteemed counterpart is still a raw talent who needs time to grow both in confidence and overall ability.
Allegri did earn himself some points by winning his first trophy with his new-look Juve team - with Dybala and Mandzukic playing a huge role in their team's Supercoppa Italiana win over Lazio in Shanghai. Yet, that will not be enough to satisfy fans, many of whom are still concerned about the team's overall competitiveness following the departure of three key players.
Juventus started off well by winning the Supercoppa Italiana earlier this month, but still have quite a lot of work to do to assuage supporters' worries
The opening day loss to Udinese - the first ever at home for Juventus in their history and their first home loss since Sampdoria beat them in January 2013 - did not do much to quell followers' worries. La Vecchia Signora have traditionally been excellent on matchday one, and in fact, prior to this past weekend were the team whose 182 goals scored and 53 wins made them the most successful team on opening day in all of Italian football's top flight.
In fact, Juventus had won their last 31 opening games - both home and away - and before the defeat against Udinese, the last time they had lost their Serie A opener was in 2010, when they went down 1-0 to Bari on the road. And with the reigning Serie A champions being placed alongside Premier League powerhouse Manchester City and Europa League champions Sevilla in the "Group of Death" for this year's Champions League, the concerns certainly have not vanished.
Against the Zebrette, Juventus not surprisingly enjoyed most of the possession, but were frustratingly inefficient in front of goal in a game that they should have easily defeated their visitors, who had not beaten them since 2011. Next up on the menu will be Roma, a team that has attempted to challenge them for the Scudetto during the past two seasons, but to no avail, and the onus will be on Allegri to get things right for the team to earn their first three points of the season at the Stadio Olimpico.
Naturally, with any new faces, there are bound to be some growing pains, and Juventus are not expected to win each and every single game in their domestic and continental campaigns this season. However, the loss to Udinese has certainly undone any progress the team had achieved by coming home from China with the Supercoppa Italiana, and so should they manage not to depart Italy's capital with a positive result, the rumblings of discontentment will only grow louder.
Is it too soon to tell whether this "new-look" Juventus side will be able to match the success built over the past few seasons, especially sans the services of stars like Tevez, Pirlo, and Vidal? Well, for starters, the trio are simply unique and hence cannot be replaced. However, they have made some smart purchases,including Sami Khedira on a free and young Brazilian defender Alex Sandro from Porto. Most recently, they also brought in Juan Cuadrado after the Colombian failed to flourish Chelsea, despite his solid performances with Fiorentina - a calculated gamble that they will certainly hope will pay off.
All in all, though, they will need to quickly get back on track after starting off on the wrong footing. So, whilst the season is still in its early stages, the team will certainly make some small amends by kicking things off with a win against the Giallorossi prior to the upcoming international hiatus. As things stand, this new Juventus have yet to make the grade, but a season is a marathon, rather than a sprint; hence there still await numerous opportunities and tests ahead both in Italy and in Europe before May 2016 rolls around.
