It is now a real possibility of Juventus not competing in the Champions League next season.
With the first 4 spots in the Italian Serie A currently occupied by Inter Milan, Atalanta, AC Milan and Napoli, Juventus may face a season away from Europe´s most prestigious competition, the Champions League. With only three games left of this season´s schedule, the Serie A is nearing an end of a colossal season, where Inter has claimed the championship just a few days ago. Thus, Juventus have been denied the chance of winning their 10th consecutive Serie A title.
Juventus´ last game against AC Milan did not go as planned, as the Bianconeri lost 3-0 at home at Allianz Stadium. The goals were scored by Brahim Diaz in the first half, and by Ante Rebic and Fikayo Tomori in the second half. The result comes to a shock to many stakeholders of the club since Juventus has been regulars of the Champions League for over 10 years. They only have a chance of being part of the CL if Atalanta or Napoli slips up and drop points in their next games. Both clubs have been in great form recently, which does not give too much hope for Juve.
Andrea Pirlo, Juventus´ coach, said after the game that “if something went wrong, I take responsibility for it”. Juve´s decline in from in the past months can indeed be blamed on Pirlo´s coaching, as many believe he was not experienced enough to take over such a big club as Juventus in the first place. He was named as head coach in August 2020 without having coached any team in the past.
Cristiano Ronaldo, often called the King of the Champions League, himself is part of the competition for 19 years now. After the possibility of a season without the Champions League emerged, multiple media outlets started speculating again about his possible departure to Manchester United in the summer. Other reports suggest that Ronaldo is thinking about finishing his career right where he started it, at Sporting Lisbon in Portugal. Juventus on the other hand is trying to hold onto their superstar, with Fabio Paratici, the managing director of the club, insisting to make great efforts to keep him despite his age and recent form.
Juventus is one of the founders of the new European Super League, which was planned to build a greater competition than other European Leagues, such as the Champions League or the Europa League. It would be quite ironic for Juventus, who despite claiming to be one of the biggest clubs in Europe (with the attempt of creating the previously named Super League) would fail to qualify for the Champions League next season. The Agora will closely follow the Italian first league to see how Juventus´ season will end.