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#3 Juventus' home fortress
The Bianconeri hate losing a Serie A game at home. During their nine consecutive Serie A title-winning seasons, Juventus have lost on a miserly six occasions at home while racking up a staggering tally of 143 wins (out of a possible 171). In five of these nine campaigns, the Bianconeri did not lose a home game.
To put these numbers into perspective, the corresponding second-placed team during this period have cumulatively conjured 14 losses at home (Napoli - five in five seasons, AS Roma - five in three seasons, AC Milan - two in one season and Inter Milan - two in one season).
Juventus' 1-3 defeat to AS Roma on the last day of the 2019-20 season was their first Serie A home loss in 40 games since losing by a solitary goal to Napoli in 2017-18.
During their nine title-winning seasons, Juventus won 108 games on the road (out of a possible 171). In the same period, the respective second-placed team's cumulative away wins tally read 100 (43 by Napoli in 4 seasons, 32 by Roma in 3 seasons, 12 by Milan in one season and 13 by Inter Milan in one season). In a tactical league like the Serie A, it's a significant difference.
The ability to absorb pressure exerted by home teams in front of partisan crowds and to eke out favourable results is something that Juventus have excelled at better than any other team during this period. That is unlikely to change this season.
Away wins set up Juventus' title charge. Home wins complement the same and steer the team over the line. It's been a trusted template of success for the Bianconeri, and one they are unlikely to dither away from.
If Juventus manage to improve their away form (they lost as many as six games on the road last season) and continue their reputation of being stingy hosts, there could be no stopping them from winning a tenth consecutive Scudetto.
#4 The Andrea Pirlo factor
Juventus' desperation to win the Champions League has cost the jobs of their last two Serie A-winning managers, with club legend Andrea Pirlo handed over the reins of the team to end the Bianconeri's 25-year title drought in the competition.
The decision to appoint Pirlo was met with a mix of incredulity by the Juventus faithful, and there was good reason for the same.
In terms of managerial experience, the 41-year-old is an absolute greenhorn. He has zero experience in managing a top-tier team. In fact, Pirlo spent just ten days as the manager of Juventus' U23 team before being elevated to the Bianconeri top job.
The six-time Serie A winner has a wealth of experience in the Serie A as a player, but management is an entirely different ball game. However, that could be beneficial to Juventus' Serie A title hopes as Pirlo will start on a clean slate.
Twelve years ago, a certain Pep Guardiola, with little to no managerial experience, was appointed the manager of Barcelona, and what followed next was an era of unprecedented success and dominance by the Catalan club.
While Pirlo may not do a Guardiola with Juventus, he certainly has a capable core group of players like Ronaldo, Dybala, Cuadrado and Bonucci to start with. If the Bianconeri manage to bring in a few new players during the ongoing transfer window and Pirlo exhibits the same pragmatism as manager that he did so as a player, Juventus could unearth a winning formula that could lead them to both domestic and continental success.
#5 Arrival of Arthur Melo
In a swap deal involving Miralem Pjanic, 24-year-old Arthur Melo of Barcelona has been acquired by Juventus this summer.
It looks like a better deal for the Bianconeri than it is for Barcelona as the Bianconeri have acquired the services of a young talented player who could serve the club for quite some time if he manages to find his feet.
Arthur is renowned for his ball-control and dribbling skills, and his versatility allows him to be deployed in various roles like a deep-lying playmaker, central midfielder, box-to-box midfielder and a holding midfielder.
Though Pjanic and Arthur are both central midfielders, the Brazilian could offer something different to the Bianconeri than they have experienced with the Bosnia and Montenegro international.
Arthur averaged 3.11 tackles per 90 last season compared to Pjanic's 1.34 and offers more creativity and attacking thrust, something that could come in handy in unlocking tight defences, as is usually the case in Serie A.
While it remains to be seen how Pirlo will use the young Brazilian, he looks like a good investment. Arthur is almost assured of a place in the Juventus starting XI, something that was not the case at Barcelona.
Arthur's dribbling prowess and ability to keep the ball at the centre of the park could mean that the Juventus attackers wouldn't have to drop back too often and could, instead, stay in forward areas to receive the ball, which would likely mean more goal-scoring opportunities for the likes of Ronaldo and Dybala.
With Arthur pulling the strings from midfield, Juventus may carry a more potent threat up front, something that could be key for the Bianconeri to win a tenth consecutive Scudetto.
