Former midfielder, Igor Tudor, is tasked with steadying the ship. The Croatian’s win rates at Marseille and Lazio should give Juve fans confidence.Thiago Motta was fired by Juventus after dismal losses to Atalanta and Fiorentina, along with their Champions League play-off exit.Juventus Outright MarketOddsSerie A Winner251.0Top 4 Finish1.57Odds courtesy of Stake. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.What Went Wrong for Thiago Motta at Juventus?Before 25th January 2025, Thiago Motta’s Juventus had remained unbeaten in the 2024/25 Serie A season. However, three defeats in eight Serie A games since then have cut the Turin club adrift of the top three in the table.The Juve board acted swiftly during the international break, sacking Motta after back-to-back losses to Atalanta and Fiorentina without managing to score a single goal.The Juve hierarchy must have been worried about the team’s three recent losses. The defeats came against in and around the Serie A top four.They surrendered a narrow lead at second-placed Napoli in January, while third and eighth-placed Atalanta and Fiorentina unexpectedly romped to wins over the Bianconeri. The 4-0 home loss to Atalanta was especially crushing in front of their own fans.It’s also worth talking about Juve’s huge, 21-game unbeaten streak in the league. On paper, this sounds like an impressive statistic. However, there were a considerable number of draws thrown into the mix. In fact, between 23rd November and 14th January, Juve drew seven of their eight Serie A fixtures.Even earlier in the season, Juve experienced a hat-trick of goalless draws against AS Roma, Empoli and Napoli, which highlighted their lack of goal threat.Juve have averaged 1.55 goals scored per game so far this season. This is well down on the likes of Inter (2.24), Atalanta (2.17) and is even lower than Bologna (1.69). Their goals scored average is the same as second-placed Napoli’s, but Antonio Conte’s Partenopei have conceded just 23 goals to Juve’s 28.The fact that Juve don’t have a single player that’s scored 10 or more Serie A goals this season is another damning statistic.Why Backing Juve For a Top-4 Finish is Still the Right Move Under Igor TudorThe Bianconeri’s board decided to take a risk, firing Motta for his hard-to-beat yet goal-lacking system. Juve acted swiftly to appoint Igor Tudor in his place. Tudor, who played 110 games for Juve between 1998 and 2007, is a clever choice in more ways than one.Firstly, Tudor has the potential to reunite and re-energise the Juventus fan base. After witnessing two disappointing collapses against Atalanta and Fiorentina, having a manager who knows the high standards expected of the club and its fans is key.Secondly, Tudor enjoyed underrated spells in his last two managerial roles. Between July 2022 and June 2023, Tudor enjoyed a 56.25% win record at the helm of Olympique Marseille, winning 27 of his 48 competitive games and scoring 82 goals in the process.Last year, Tudor took charge of Lazio for the final 11 games of the 2023/24 campaign. The Croatian oversaw six wins and just two defeats, with a 54.55% win record in the Italian capital.Tudor was keen to rebuild the Lazio squad last summer and compete for Champions League qualification. However, the hierarchy weren’t prepared to sanction the 10+ signings the Croatian wanted to take the team in a new direction. Tudor has since been unemployed but, despite off-field tensions at board level with Marseille and Lazio, his results speak for themselves.{“type”:”footballco-bet-borg”,”data”:{}}It’s also worth noting that Tudor has a relatively easy fixture schedule between now and May. Juve face just three top-half sides in their nine remaining matches. The betting markets suggest Juventus have a 63.69% chance of clinching that fourth and final Champions League place.In reality, we think the percentage figure is even higher, when factoring in their favourable run-in. By contrast, fourth-place Bologna play seven top-half teams in their nine remaining games – including a six-pointer with Juve in early May.Additionally, loan forward Randal Kolo Muani is in excellent form, having scored five goals in eight games. The 26-year-old may be Tudor’s key asset, especially since Dusan Vlahovic reportedly sees his future away from Turin this summer.+
