Players and Coaches Change, but Mediocrity Does Not: The Real Problem of Turin is Elsewhere

August 26, 2025 – Juventus FC, the pride of Turin, has long been synonymous with dominance in Italian football. Nine consecutive Serie A titles from 2011 to 2020 cemented their status as Italy’s powerhouse, a club that struck fear into rivals and set the standard for success. Yet, in the years since, the Bianconeri have stumbled into a cycle of mediocrity that persists despite a revolving door of players and coaches. The 2024-25 season ended with a fourth-place finish, qualifying them for the Champions League but far from the glory days. As the 2025-26 campaign looms, fans and analysts alike are asking: Why can’t Juventus break free from this rut? The answer lies not in the pitchside personnel, but in deeper structural, financial, and cultural issues plaguing the club. This article delves into the root causes of Juventus’ prolonged struggles, drawing on recent analyses, transfer data, and expert insights to explain why mediocrity endures in Turin—and what might finally end it.

A Legacy of Dominance, Now a Distant Memory

Juventus’ fall from grace is stark. After their 2020 Scudetto triumph, the club has failed to reclaim the title, finishing outside the top three in three of the last five seasons. The 2022-23 campaign saw them drop to seventh, missing European qualification entirely—a humiliating low for a club with 36 league titles. Even in 2024-25, under interim manager Igor Tudor, they scraped into fourth on the final day with a nervy 3-2 win over Venezia, but their labored performances highlighted deeper woes.

This isn’t for lack of changes on the field. Since 2020, Juventus has cycled through four head coaches: Andrea Pirlo (2020-21), Massimiliano Allegri’s second stint (2021-24), Thiago Motta (2024), and now Tudor as a stopgap. Players have come and gone too—high-profile exits like Cristiano Ronaldo (2021), Paulo Dybala (2022), and Federico Chiesa (2024) were meant to refresh the squad, but arrivals like Dusan Vlahovic and Manuel Locatelli haven’t ignited a revival. Yet, mediocrity lingers: In 2024-25, Juventus scored just 62 goals in Serie A (13th in the league) and conceded 38 (mid-table defensively), per official stats.

The pattern is clear—changes at the top and in the lineup haven’t translated to results. As one Italian journalist noted in La Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus’ “embarrassing” displays, like a 1-1 draw with relegated Salernitana in 2024, expose a team “much stronger on paper but lacking organization and flair.” The real issue? It’s embedded in the club’s foundations, far from the pitch.

Financial Mismanagement: The Poison Pill of Poor Investments

At the heart of Juventus’ woes is a financial black hole created by years of reckless spending and accounting irregularities. Between 2018 and 2022, the club splashed nearly €500 million ($550 million) on transfers, yet much of it was squandered on overpriced flops and inflated wages. The 2018 signing of Cristiano Ronaldo for €100 million plus €30 million annual wages epitomized this—while he delivered 101 goals in three seasons, his arrival ballooned the wage bill to unsustainable levels, forcing sales of key assets like Gonzalo Higuain and Miralem Pjanic at a loss.

Worse, Juventus was embroiled in the “Prisma” scandal, where they artificially inflated player values in swap deals to boost balance sheets—a practice that led to a 15-point deduction in 2023 and bans for executives like former president Andrea Agnelli (two years) and sporting director Fabio Paratici (2.5 years). This wasn’t isolated; it was systematic, involving over 20 deals from 2018-21, per investigators. The fallout? Record losses of €275 million in 2022-23, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which slashed revenues by 20%. By 2025, Juventus’ debt stands at €500 million, limiting their transfer budget and forcing reliance on free agents like Jonathan David.

This financial straitjacket hampers squad building. Rivals like Inter (2023-24 champions) and Napoli (2024-25 winners) invested smarter—Inter with €50 million on Hakan Calhanoglu, Napoli on Scott McTominay—while Juventus chased “plusvalenza” (capital gains) through dubious swaps, leaving a “deeply mediocre squad” bereft of depth. As ESPN noted in 2023, “Years of wasted money have left Juventus in a state of mediocrity.”

(Data sourced from UEFA financial reports and club filings; figures approximate in euros.) Juventus’ bloated costs relative to output explain their inability to compete consistently.

Ownership and Management: A Culture of Complacency

The Agnelli family’s ownership, while historic, has fostered a culture of short-termism and entitlement. Post-Calciopoli (2006 scandal), Juventus rebuilt under Andrea Agnelli, but his era prioritized glamour signings over sustainable growth. The 2022 resignation of CEO Beppe Marotta (now at Inter) marked a turning point; his replacement, Paratici, oversaw the disastrous Ronaldo era and Prisma schemes. Agnelli’s ousting in 2023 amid the scandal left a power vacuum, with sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli struggling to stabilize the club.

This trickle-down effect manifests in poor decision-making. Managers like Allegri, rehired in 2021 despite his first stint ending in 2019, prioritized defensive solidity over attacking flair, leading to “embarrassing” displays where Juventus “don’t play at all.” Motta’s 2024 arrival promised innovation, but his sacking after a mid-table slide showed the board’s impatience. Tudor’s interim role, while yielding a top-four finish, was “labored and lacking flair,” per reports. The result? A squad without identity, as noted by fans and analysts: “Juventus needs at least two top midfielders… Gave up Pogba is ridiculous.”

Cultural issues extend to the fanbase and stadium. Attendance at Allianz Stadium averaged 37,634 in 2024-25—down from sell-outs in the 2010s—reflecting disillusionment. Season tickets fell to 20,000, with fans citing “mediocrity” as the reason. Unlike Bayern Munich or Manchester United, Juventus hasn’t leveraged its national appeal (No. 1 in 13 Italian regions) to rebuild engagement during tough times.

Squad Building and Youth Development: Talent Wasted and Untapped

Juventus’ transfer strategy has been a disaster. High-profile buys like Vlahovic (€70 million in 2022) and Chiesa (€40 million in 2020) underperformed due to injuries and tactical mismatches, while sales of stars like Dybala (free to Roma) eroded creativity. The midfield, once a strength with Pogba and Pjanic, is now “directionless,” lacking a “genuine creative engine.” Locatelli and McKennie provide work rate but not vision, leading to low goal tallies and wasteful finishing, as seen in the 2025 Napoli loss where Vlahovic missed a hat-trick’s worth of chances.

Youth development offers hope but has been underutilized. Juventus Next Gen, their academy, debuted 31 players in the last six years, including Fabio Miretti (50 senior appearances by 2025). Yet, loans—up to 60 players per season pre-UEFA limits—stunt growth, with 50% playing less than half their games. Unlike Barcelona’s La Masia, Juventus hasn’t integrated talents like Miretti and Nicolò Fagioli consistently, opting for expensive veterans instead. As Allegri noted in 2024, “Italian football must go down this path” of sustainability, but Juventus lags behind Atalanta and Inter in youth promotion.

Tactical and Psychological Hurdles: Beyond the Coach

Tactics under recent managers have been conservative and predictable. Allegri’s 3-5-2 emphasized defense but stifled attack, leading to “cortomuso” (winning by a nose) results rather than dominance. Motta’s possession-based style clashed with the squad’s mentality, resulting in a “steep learning curve” and psychological fragility—evident in collapses like the 2025 PSV playoff loss (3-1). Players lack the “swagger” of past eras, with a young squad (average age 25) covering ground but crumbling under pressure.

Psychologically, the club suffers from a post-Ronaldo hangover and scandal stigma, fostering entitlement without resilience. As one analysis put it, “Juventus have lost their fear factor.” Rivals like Napoli (under Conte) and Inter have built cohesive units, while Juventus’ “arrogance” leads to “pathetic build-up.”

The Path Forward: Breaking the Cycle

To escape mediocrity, Juventus must address these roots. Financially, adhere to UEFA rules and cut wages (target €200 million by 2026). Management needs stability—Giuntoli should prioritize youth over gambles, targeting midfielders like Randal Kolo Muani for creativity. Tactically, commit to Tudor’s 3-4-2-1, integrating academy gems like Miretti. Culturally, rebuild fan trust through transparency and youth success.

As 2025-26 approaches, with Tudor judged on the Club World Cup, Juventus eyes a top-four finish and Scudetto challenge. But without systemic change, mediocrity will persist. Turin deserves better—the real problem isn’t the players or coaches; it’s the foundation they’ve been built upon. Only by fixing it can the Old Lady roar again.