Maurizio Sarri’s side, Juventus, has recorded the worst Serie A stats of the club’s nine title-winning seasons.
Juventus clinched the Scudetto for a ninth successive season after beating Sampdoria 2-0 at the Allianz Stadium on 26th July. Sarri’s men had secured the title with two matches to spare but benefitted greatly from the inconsistent form of their main title rivals, Inter Milan, Atalanta, and Lazio.
The Turin side only picked up two victories from their final eight matches and finished the season with back-to-back defeats against Cagliari and Roma.
After wrapping up their domestic schedule with a 3-1 loss at home, Sarri admitted his side’s motivation levels had dwindled.
While looking ahead to a Champions League last 16 showdowns against Lyon, the Italian boss said Juventus knew the title was all but wrapped up after last month’s win against Lazio.
“A little fear can do us good. After Lazio, we felt the championship was won and we had a mental decline”. Said Sarri.
The truth is that Juventus have failed to reach the same heights as in previous years throughout the season which is reflected in their final points tally.
Their latest haul of 83 is the lowest number they have accumulated in the last decade and they also conceded more goals than in any of their previous eight title successes. Juventus have recorded their worst goal difference of that period along with the highest number of defeats and the smallest final points gap between the top to clubs.
To make matters even worse, the Turin-based outfit has dropped 21 points from a winning position more than any other title-winning side in Serie A history beating Roma’s previous mark of 20 set in 1982/83.
Sarri also saw his team beaten in both the Italian Super Cup and Coppa Italia finals. But, he could end up silencing many of his critics if he can deliver the Champions League later this month.
Juventus hasn’t won the competition since 1996 and therefore faces an uphill battle to reach the quarter-finals this round having been beaten 1-0 by Lyon in the first-leg of their first knockout tie.
The Bianconeri will be rewarded with a last-eight clash against either Real Madrid or Manchester City if they can complete a comeback against the French outfit on Friday.