Juventus Season Review 2013-14 : Records tumble in front of the Bianconeri juggernaut

A look back at the record-breaking campaign of the Bianconeri as they captured their 32nd Scudetto.

Another great season for Juventus concluded with them winning the Scudetto for the third consecutive year. The relentless threat posed by Roma kept them on their toes throughout the season but in the end Juventus proved too strong for the chasing pack. The defence was in top form once again having conceded only 23 goals all season. With only two losses in league play and a perfect 19-0-0 record at home, it seems that Juventus will not stray far from the pinnacle of Serie A in the years to come. A high-octane attack has produced 80 goals, led by Carlos Tevez (19) and Fernando Llorente (16), along with Chilean international midfielder Arturo Vidal (11). There were minor hiccups along the way, away defeats to Fiorentina and Napoli being amongst the notable ones but ultimately, it was another convincing league display from the Italian giants.

Given their devastating league form, Juventus’ Coppa Italia performance was quite a disappointment. They strolled past Avellino in the round of 16 but once again were knocked out in Rome, this time by Roma. Gervinho settled the contest with a well-taken goal in a tightly contested match.

Juventus faced Lazio in the Supercoppa Italiana at the start of the season. They lifted their first silverware of the season with a comprehensive 4-0 thrashing which was a sign of things to come for their rivals in Italy.This was their sixth triumph equalling AC Milan’s record.

Things were a lot different in Europe, though. For the second season in a row Juventus got off to an unconvincing start. They failed to register a win in their first four games, wasting numerous chances in front of goal and making some criminal mistakes which cost them dearly. Needing only one point in their last game at Turkey, Juventus were shown the door by former Inter Milan star Wesley Sneijder who grabbed the winner in the 87th minute. Even though the pitch in which the game was played was not suitable for a match of that magnitude yet Juventus have only themselves to blame for not getting the points on board in what was a pretty straightforward group. Interestingly, Juventus recorded the second highest number of shots on goal in the group stages of the Champions League this season.

Juventus were demoted to the Europa league and it might have been a consolation for some of the fans had they won a continental trophy after a gap of almost 15 years. They started the campaign by professionally seeing off Turkish club Trabzonspor before narrowly edging out Fiorentina in a closely fought encounter in Florence. Juventus reached the semifinals thanks to an unconvincing victory over a very young Lyon side. But they could not proceed further as they agonizingly lost 2-1 to Benfica over the two legs. Juventus failed to break down a resolute Benfica defence in the second leg and lost the opportunity to play the final in their own backyard.

The Coach: Antonio Conte

Recall the time Juventus were in when Antonio Conte was appointed. They endured back-to-back seventh-place finishes. The objective set to him by the club in YearAi??One was to get Juventus back into the Champions League, in the second year it was to challenge for the Scudetto and in the third year to win the title. A hattrick of titles in these three years was beyond the imagination of any Juve fan. Yet he achieved the unthinkable which has led him to question himself -Ai??Can this team do any better? A shrewd tactician who has transpired his grit amongst his players, Conte has the maximum respect from his troops. Although criticized sometimes for his lack of turnovers in league games, the contract renewal of Juventus manager is the absolute priority this summer for the Juventus board as they look to build on their successful domestic campaigns to mount a challenge in Europe. His celebrations after goals show passion and a deep involvement with his comrades. Players often run across the field to greet Conte after a goal. Conte, an inspirational figure on the pitch during his playing days, never accepts defeat and he has instilled the same spirit in his players.

Finally the strikers come good

Arriving amidst the customary skepticism usually associated with a free signing, Llorente went through a period of extreme difficulty, as the heavy workloads seemed to take a toll on him both physically and mentally. Just when it seemed that he would join the flops like Amauri and Boriello, El Rey Leon turned the corner. With the confidence of his coach and teammates Llorente stepped up to the plate and his injury time winner against Udinese was a decisive moment in his first season in Italy. He was a reference point for the team and his 18 goals this season marked an excellent debut campaign for the Spaniard. A prima punta which was missing since the departure of David Trezeguet, Fernando Llorente is not ai???only beautifulai??i?? but pretty effective in front of goal as well.

Grit, determination, leadership and sacrifice for the team ai??i?? Carlos Tevez did it all for Juventus. A model professional who faced numerous questions for inheriting the iconic number 10 jersey, Tevez looked like a seasoned customer in his first season in the peninsula. And to think that he had arrived with the reputation of the bad boy, Tevez did not get involved in any sort of controversies and missed only four games this entire season. Twenty goals and eight assists plus the relentless chasing down of opponents, coming back to help out his defence and fighting for each and every ball, Tevez was a buzzing influence in every game he was involved in. His teammates were full of praise for his attitude on the pitch and Carlitos himself has recently declared Juventus as his ai???new homeai??i??. Voted the MVP of this season by the Bianconeri fans, Tevez will look to enjoy his summer holidays before continuing his journey with the Old lady.

Pablo Osvaldo joined on a free loan from Southampton and began well by scoring two goals in his first two starts. Unlucky not to add any more thanks to some dubious offside calls, Osvaldo would score the winner against his former club Roma in the Stadio Olimpico. Time will tell whether his stay would be made permanentAi??though Osvaldo did not impress that much during his six month stay.

Record breaking campaign

Juventus have won 33 games this season – a new record in Serie A.
The Bianconeri have won all 19 home games this season ai??i?? 57 points from home games beating Milan’s 55 points in 2005-06
14 away wins this season equalling their own previous record set in 1940.
Juventus have beaten every opponent at least once this season- never happened before in Serie A.
Juventus have scored in every single match this season except the 2-0 loss at Naples – first time ever in Serie A.
12 wins in a row from 9th round to the 20th, Juve’s previous best was 10 during 1931-32.
Scoring 88 goals in 43 consecutive games- a new record in Serie A.
Juventus kept 22 clean sheets this year. A seasonal record over the top five European leagues.
Juventus have 102 points this season; surpassed the previous one (97 points) set by Roberto Manciniai??i??s Inter in 2006/07. Highest number of points in a major European league.

Some individual accolades

Win against Atalanta was the 100th victory for coach Antonio Conte (in all competitions).
Antonio Conte has equalled Mourinho’s record of 83 wins in three years.
Carlos TAi??vez and Fernando Llorente , along with Ciro Immobile and Alessio Cerci , are the pairs of the most prolific attack of this Serie A (35 goals).
TAi??vez has won the championship in all nations in which he played: Argentina, Brazil, England and Italy.
Gianluigi Buffon did not concede a goal for 745 minutes between October and December 2013: sixth longest streak by a goalie in the history of Serie A.He made 86 saves in 33 games this season.
Fernando Llorente has the highest number of headed goals this season in Europeai??i??s top five leagues (7).
Fernando Llorente is the highest scoring Spanish player ever in Serie A.
Andrea Pirlo has won the league title in the last four seasons : one with AC Milan and three with Juventus.
This season, Pirlo scored six goals: all direct free kick .
Arturo Vidal is the highest scoring midfielder in Serie A having scored 18 in league and cups.
Stephan Lichtsteiner had eight assists this season- highest for a defender.

Best Player ai??i??Carlos Tevez

Despite having won successive Scudetti going into this season, Juventus no doubt possessed a weakness in attacking department. Alessandro Matri was the top-scorer with just 10 goals in 2011-12, while Mirko Vucinic topped the charts with only 13 last season.This all changed with the arrival of Carlos Tevez from Manchester City at a bargain price of just ai??i??9 million. Domestically, the Argentine has been absolutely unstoppable – forming a productive partership with fellow new arrival Fernando Llorente.Nineteen Serie A goals tell only half the story for a player who has found the net, assisted, run, relentlessly pressed and fought for every ball from the first whistle to the last. He has fitted seamlessly in Conteai??i??s system – his spectacular long range strike versus AC Milan at San Siro perhaps his highlight of highlights.The only black mark against Tevez was his failure to break his five-year European scoring drought until the semi-final Europa League game against Benfica. But that should not disguise what a brilliant campaign the 30-year-old has had.

Best Goal ai??i??Paul Pogba (Juventus 3-0 Napoli)

A goal of unbelievable quality from the Frenchman as he planted an unstoppable volley past the hapless Pepe Reina. The first touch was a bit shaky to say the least but the aplomb with which the dropping ball was smashed into the net was simply a sight to behold.

Defining moment – Pirlo stunner against Genoa

Under the cosh for most of the match and seemingly hanging on for a solitary point, Juventus would have counted themselves lucky to get a point out of their game against Genoa but Andrea Pirlo had other thoughts on his mind. He stepped up to take a freekick from 30 yards out of Mattia Perinai??i??s goal with just seconds remaining at the Luigi Ferraris. A superb hit into the top right corner of the Genoa goal sparked wild touchline celebrations which showed how vital those three points were. This was a pivotal moment in the league which was ultimately decisive in favor of Juventus.

Top Five Best Individual Performances

Fernando Llorente (Juventus 2-0 Livorno)
Carlos Tevez (Juventus 4-0 Sassuolo)
Arturo Vidal (Juventus 4-1 Lazio)
Gianluigi Buffon (Genoa 0-1 Juventus)
Paul Pogba (Juventus 1-0 Bologna)

Top Three Team Performances

Juventus 3-1 Inter
Milan 0-2 Juventus
Lazio 1-1 Juventus

Flop of the season : Angelo Ogbonna

Much was expected from the ex-Torino captain after his big money move in the summer. But so far Ogbonna has failed to live up to the high expectations from him. Comfortable on the ball and very confident while moving forward, Ogbonna lacks the game reading skills and subsequently has been caught out on a number of occasions most notably against Lazio when he lost sight of Klose behind him which led to the dismissal of Buffon in goal. Ogbonna has to step up his game next season to justify his price-tag. He was a squad player and he rarely impressed in the 16 games he appeared in. But it must be kept in mind that Leonardo Bonucci had a similar first season at Juventus. Ogbonna has plenty to improve but it would be a mistake to discard him this early.

Catastrophic moment of the season

With just three minutes left on the clock, a flick on from Didier Drogba set through Wesley Sneijder who expertly placed the ball in the back of the net with the help of the inside post. A heartbreaking moment for the Juve fans which no doubt has slightly overshadowed the record breaking campaign of the Bianconeri. Keeping aside the debates regarding European experience and budgets, this Juventus team is capable of doing much better and surely this early exit at the hands of a team who only finished second in the Turkish league was a very bitter pill to swallow.

Most Disappointing Performance of the season (Napoli 2-0 Juventus)

Absolutely toothless display from Conteai??i??s men who lacked ideas and were second best in every area of the pitch. Only the heroics of Gigi Buffon gave the scoreline a respectable look. It was definitely a night to forget for the champions.

Youth Report

Extremely positive season for a number of co-owned players of Juventus who most likely will be a part of the main team within the next couple of years.
Ciro Immobile (Torino): 22 goals, 3 assists, Capocannoniere – Phenomenal.
Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo): 16 goals, 6 assits – Star in the making.
Manolo Gabbiadini (Sampdoria): 8 goals, 4 assists, tactically sound – Impressive.
Honorable mentions : Richmond Boakye (Elche), Nicola Leali (Spezia), Simone Zaza (Sassuolo), Daniele Rugani (Empoli) and Fausto Rossi (Real Valladolid).

Lessons for next season

The disappointment of missing out on a continental silverware took the sheen off an extraordinary domestic campaign and while Juventus will lament their elimination at the hands of Benfica and Galatasaray, the thought that 2013-14 has been anything other than a success for the Bianconeri is pretty disrespectful. Juventus lifted the Scudetto for a third consecutive time, an achievement they have only managed once in their history way back in the 1930s which meant Antonio Conte has done something which neither Giovanni Trapattoni nor Marcello Lippi managed during their trophy-laden years with the club. Supporters and observers demand and expect La Madama to contest the latter stages of the Champions League, but it must be kept in mind that this is Conte’s third year in the job. And also it is only the second campaign of his career where he has needed to balance domestic and continental obligations.Doubts remain over his choice of formation, with the 3-5-2 criticized as unsuited to challenge in Europe.

Juventus will enter next season with similar insight into what is required of them at the highest level, and they will be expected to contest much longer in the Champions League. This yearai??i??s group-stage exit was hugely disappointing. To do so they may yet need one more attacking option such as Barcelonaai??i??s Alexis Sanchez who can make the difference in the final third against a team as resolute as Benfica were in Turin. Manchester Unitedai??i??s Nani has also been linked with the club while their co-ownership in Sassuolo starlet Domenico Berardi hints that the club management are looking at this type of a player. Delivering one (or even two) of those should be Beppe Marottaai??i??s main priority this summer. They will also benefit from having their star forward Carlos Tevez enjoying a summer off. Strike partner Fernando Llorente struggled in the early part of the season but he has flourished since, adding 18 goals of his own and forming an excellent tandem with Tevez, which bodes well for next season.Their performance in Europe may have been extremely disappointing this season, but the experience, combined with having Tevez and Llorente together and another attacking option to come, should make 2014-15 an even better year for Juventus.

Tags: Juventus

Juventus Season Review 2013-14 : Records Tumble In Front Of The Bianconeri Juggernaut

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