5 reasons why Juventus can win the Champions League

Italian football has for the last decade seen a slow and steady decline, going from the lofty height of being labeled the best league in Europe and sporting household names to becoming a league marred with tension and controversies.No team has seen the best and worst of this phase like the Turin giants Juventus. Stripped of two Serie A titles after the 2006 Italian Football Scandal and then relegated to Serie B, they came back to the top tier of Italian football to do it all once again. That’s why they have been able to carve a niche for themselves in the Italian game like no other club.Sometimes lauded, sometimes chided, but no matter what they are subjected to, Juventus are not ordinary. The stronghold that the Bianconeri have had on the Italian game is undeniable. They have created a kind of monopoly in terms of silverware too which seems hard to break – with 31 (33 if the rescinded Calciopoli titles are included) domestic titles to their name and two European championship, it is no doubt that they stand tall as the most successful Italian club.Now, they find themselves once again on the cusp of regaining those lost moments of glory, having bagged the Serie A this season for the fourth year running.The Champions League tells another story for the most established club of Italy. Unlike AC Milan, who are runaway winners when it comes to European success when it comes to Italian teams (seven championships), Juventus have been relatively ordinary in showcasing their European supremacy. A haul of five runners up trophies and just two titles makes it evident that there is still work to be done for them. But with their clinical play, this season Juventus are looking to shake the European voodoo for once and for all and go back to the old glory days. Their 2-1 win over Real Madrid yesterday has given them renewed hope, and although winning the semifinal is still going to be a tough ask, Juventus certainly have the ability to do so, and maybe even go beyond.Here’s a look at how Juventus can win the Champions League –

#1 Lean and mean defence

The semi-final on the broader terms would be a match-up between this Italian defensive stability versus the Spanish attacking volatility. Madrid’s attack line is well documented, but they will have their work cut out against Juventus.

One of the meanest defences in Europe’s major leagues, with only Bayern Munich and Barcelona ahead of them in terms of goals conceded, Juventus have a tough but achievable task to keep the high-flying Los Blancos attack quiet. With 19 goals conceded in the Italian League, the least for the league, Juventus have to thank a stout and well-gelled back line for all the accolades.

Bonucci, Barzagli and Chiellini have, like always, shored up the Juventus defence and they have the tall figure of Gianluigi Buffon behind them to mark the goal. With Allegri’s arrival, this established back line has got a new dimension that sees them move from a back five, which was perhaps a staple of Conte era, to a back four without much of a fuzz.

Allegri has been able to change the back line as per the requirement, which has been made possible by experienced heads in the shape of Stephan Lichtsteiner and Patrice Evra.

#2 Ability to do an \'Italian Job\'

Call it a generalization or a cliché, but Italian teams “know” how to play in crunch games (barring that one night in Istanbul that is). Right from the days of door bolting or Catenaccios ruling the European stage, Italians have been well versed with the art of not losing a tie without caring much about winning.

The famed Italian approach has seen quite a number of underdog Italian sides ending up winning trophies, right from the 1982 to the 2006 World Cup. The way they almost churn results out is something of an art, making the so-called drab and tetchy affairs look like a master class.

Juventus would be banking on this siege mentality that has long driven the Italian game, a mentality that is perhaps embedded in the country’s teams. No doubt Real Madrid would be a tough ask at home, but Champions league has seen stranger upsets, and Madrid themselves were privy to one against the underdog Monaco side who stunned the Galacticos on their way to the finals in 2004.

Perhaps even the underdog tag might just be handy here; with nothing to lose and Madrid in midst of a precarious situation in terms of loss of key players and fight for the domestic title, Juventus may end up doing a classic Italian job over the current European champions.

#3 Carlos Tevez\'s tremendous form

Carlos Tevez is one of the reasons why Juventus seem like a worthy Champions’ League semifinalist side this season. Despite the injuries and dip in form of the usual suspects, Tevez has played out of his skin and led the team to where they are now. El Apache, as he is known, has been the undisputed leader of the forward line, helping the young Spaniard Alvaro Morata in his way.

Morata himself has been raving about the Argentinean, stating that Tevez is a dream teammate who has helped him not only find his feet in the Italian league but also step up to the rigours of first team football.

With 29 goals and 8 assists to his name, the stats are aligned to what a tremendous season Tevez has had. But it is the revival that has all his fans raving, particularly after the rude exodus from Manchester.

In his two seasons in Italy, the Argentine has got his hunger and attitude back on track. The diminutive striker would be a handful for any defense let alone the Spanish champions, and would be aiming for a one last European hurrah before moving back to Argentina.

#4 Pogba and the midfield muscle

Many of the so-called next big things of the football world sometimes stutter after a good season or two. However, the second season syndrome has been successfully negated by Paul Pogba. On the contrary, in his three seasons at Turin Pogba has grown in stature, a worthy reminder of which is the current scenario that sees European giants in the shape of PSG and Barcelona serenading him for a move away from north Italy.

Pogba has become a vital cog in the Juventus machinery, so much so that Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo seem peripheral to the Pogba show. With important goals and vital performances to his name, Pogba would be of immense important to this tie. Unluckily enough, he couldn’t adorn the stage in the first leg yesterday because of a thigh injury, but Juventus would be rooting for the French international to showcase his box-to-box abilities at the Bernebeu in the second leg.

Tactically speaking, even without Pogba, Juventus were able to pip the Madrid midfield which is still in some disarray after Modric’s injury. With Toni Kroos as the deep-lying midfielder, Madrid might again be looming to see a defender partnering him in the midfield to shore it up as they did in the quarter-final with Sergio Ramos serving as sheet anchor.

On the other hand, Juventus have established a kind of core competency with Marchisio, Vidal and Pirlo in the centre of the park, toying with their opponents.

#5 Dwindling opponents

While Juventus have been crowned the Italian champions and sit in a very comfortable position going into the crucial stages of Champions League, the same cannot be said about their opponents. Madrid still have their hands full with both European and domestic titles up for grabs. With Barcelona leading the Spanish league, Real Madrid might have to come up with something rather exceptional if they want to complete a trophy double this season.

No team has been able to defend a Champions League title ever since its inception in 1992, so Europe too offers a rocky road for them.

The biggest miss for them would be their Croatian midfielder Luka Modric. Modric has grown into one of Real Madrid’s most influential figures and has been pretty central to how Madrid knit their game with his pre-assist passes. The midfield looks too flaky for a semi-final line-up, and that may prompt Ancelotti to start Ramos over youngsters Illarramendi and Lucas Silva like he did against Atletico Madrid and Sevilla.

While Gareth Bale was also given a start, Madrid had to deal with the absence of their first-choice striker Benzema who failed to return from his injury. Thus a game away from home will see them rely on a blitzkrieg by their forwards while the rest two-thirds of the pitch is where the game could be decided against an Italian side that is perhaps more suited to such a style of game.