Juventus and Chelsea have been two of the biggest stories of the 2015 2016 football season so far, for how they followed remarkable campaigns in 2014 2015 with disappointing starts this fall. However, while Chelsea have only continued to fall further into the hole in England, Juventus have turned things around in Italy. With a 2-0 away victory against Lazio last Friday, the Zebras notched their fifth Serie A victory in a row. They are now the only Serie A team to have won each of their last five games and are rapidly climbing their way back into Serie A title contention.
The Slow Start
To be fair, you could have anticipated Juve's slow start to the 2015 2016 season-and some soccer pundits even did. In 2014 2015, Juventus won their fourth Serie A title in a row and went all the way to the finals of the UEFA Champions League. However, the summer transfer window saw the football club losing three of their most valuable players: Carlos Tevez, Arturo Vidal, and Andrea Pirlo, all nominees for the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award.
Adjusting proved difficult for Juventus as they embarked on a quest for a fifth straight national soccer title. After losing their first two games (against Udinese and Roma, respectively), the Zebras dipped to 17th place on the Serie A standings table. They continued to play inconsistent soccer throughout the first 10 weeks of competition, only netting three wins along the way. In fact, Juventus went the first 10 weeks of the Serie A season without ever seeing the inside of the league's top 10-an almost unheard-of occurrence for Italy's top football club.
The Fast Break
In week 11, though, things seemed to turn around for the Zebras. On Halloween, Juventus hosted Torino and won a 2-1 victory to push themselves to 10th place on the Serie A standings table. The club haven't lost a game since-either in the Serie A or in the Champions League, where they are guaranteed a spot in the round of 16.
Indeed, the last month and a half has been a joy for Juventus fans, who have gotten to watch their team rediscover their ability to win. In fact, the Zebras haven't even allowed their opponents to score a goal since a 3-1 win against Empoli on November 8th-winning shutout victories against AC Milan, Palermo, and Lazio in the Serie A, as well as a 1-0 triumph over Manchester City in the Champions League.
Juve's fast break has been the product of teamwork, rather than the spoils of a single player's star-making performance. Captain Gianluigi Buffon has held strong in the goal-managing six clean sheets in Juve's 15 league games this season. And with Tevez-the top Juventus scorer from the past two seasons-out of the picture, other players have rallied to revitalized the football club's offense. Paulo Dybala is the leading scorer right now, with seven goals in Serie A play and eight overall. But Mario Mandzukic, Paul Pogba, Alvaro Morata, Simone Zaza, and other players throughout the Juventus lineup have stepped up to contribute goals, as well.
Title Chances
The question now is whether or not Juventus can still compete for the Serie A title. Following the Lazio win last week, they're in fifth place, with 27 points in the standings and a goal difference of +11. Comparatively, Inter Milan are leading the way with 33 points and +9 in GD. Fiorentina are second with 32, Napoli are third with 31, and Roma are just one point ahead of Juventus, with 28.
At the moment, Internazionale are largely relying on the stunning work of goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, who has kept a remarkable nine clean sheets this season. Fiorentina and Roma are the best offensive squads on the table, but Roma, at least, are vulnerable offensively, having conceded 18 goals in 15 games. Even Juventus, with their early rough patch, have only conceded 11.
At the very least, the Zebras seem to have solid chances of surpassing Roma and maybe Napoli to become a top-three contender. Inter could be a more difficult target, due to their impressive defense. But if Juventus can continue their winning streak, then it's only a matter of time before they are back in the driver's seat in the Serie A.
We should know more about Juve's title chances after next weekend when they host Fiorentina on December 13th. Root for the Zebras with a new Juventus jersey 2015/16 from Soccer Box!
Juventus Back in Serie A Title Contention after Five-Game Winning Streak
December 08, 2015