Juventus Off To A Bright Start Under Igor Tudor

Juventus got off to a positive start in the post-Thiago Motta era, as Igor Tudor’s side emerged victorious with a slender 1-0 win against Genoa at the Juventus stadium on Saturday evening.

A stunning goal from Kenan Yildiz, a player who was ostracised in the final weeks of the Motta reign, was the match winner, and kept Juve in the hunt for fourth place in the table.

Tudor didn’t rock the boat for the game against the Rossoblu. Having only been in the job a week, Tudor altered the formation slightly, shifting from Motta’s limp 4-2-3-1 system to a more dynamic 3-4-2-1.

Yildiz was paired with Teun Koopmeiners to function behind Dusan Vlahovic, another who had fallen foul of Motta but was restored under Tudor. The Croat is a massive fan of the Serb, and intends to build his attack around Vlahovic.

Yet the path to rebuilding the former Fiorentina man will be long and arduous. Vlahovic had a poor game in Turin, his touch deserted him when it mattered most and performed like a player low on confidence.

Randal Kolo Muani, who’d started so well upon signing for the club in January, didn’t even get off the bench.

Yildiz produced one of his best performances in a Juve shirt. Goal aside, the player instantly looked more threatening playing behind Vlahovic than out on the left wing.

Yildiz hadn’t scored for Juve since the derby win against Torino on January 11, a period of well over two months, and had fallen down the pecking order under Motta towards the end.

No longer burdened with the job of defensive diligence like he was under Motta, Yildiz looks like a different player under Tudor. While it’s still very early in Tudor’s reign, the signs are that Yildiz will get a new lease of life.

Tudor’s football will be more vertical and less possession-based than under Motta. There were elements of this in the win over Genoa, less keeping the ball just for possession’s sake.

Juve’s run-in in the final eight games is relatively more straight forward compared to Bologna, with the Rossoblu holding the final Champions League spot. The two sides meet on May 4 on what could be the decider for the final spot.

With Juve spending $216m last summer, the pressure is on the club to qualify for Uefa’s premier competition again for next season. Under Tudor they are off to a great start, yet the same was also said about Motta and his reign nine months, and look how they turned out.

Yet Tudor is a man who understands Juventus, having served the club for nine years. His demand for sweat, intensity and hard work chimes with Juve’s historical DNA. At least for now, he’s the right man to steer the ship in these choppy waters.

He’s off to a bright start, now on to the next game, against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.

Can Tudor bring the ship in in one piece? That remains to be seen.