Will a lack of European football help Juventus win the Serie A?

Juventus has been arguably the best club in Italian football, but the last two campaigns have been tough for the old Lady.

During his first spell as their manager, Max Allegri won five consecutive league titles for the Bianconeri.

This made him one of the best managers in the world, but the Turin side surprisingly sacked the Italian in 2019 to bring Maurizio Sarri from Chelsea to the club.

In the next two terms, they lost their dominance of the Italian league and fired two managers only to bring Allegri back.

Since he returned, they have not won any trophy, leading to calls for them to sack him, but things look positive at the club this term.

After a European ban from UEFA, the Old Lady is without European football, which has proven helpful to the team.

Juventus' impressive start to the season

Juve is the closest challenger to Inter Milan for the Serie A league title this term, and they probably have a lack of European football to thank.

At the start of November, the Bianconeri had lost just a league game all season, and it came in the match against Sassuolo.

The Black and Greens have traditionally been tough opponents for them, and Juve paid for being too open at the back in an error-strewn performance.

But in games against Lazio and AC Milan, they have proved to be too good at the back for their opponents and won the matches.

Juventus won all but one of their October matches, and the other result was a goalless draw in Atalanta.

This Bianconeri side is beginning to look like a proper Allegri team: good at the back and effective on the counter.

When he returned to the club, Juve was terrible at the back, and the gaffer knew he had to fix that problem if he wanted to rebuild this term.

In the 2021/2022 term, teams easily breached Juve and the Bianconeri were not even good enough in attack.

However, this term, the reverse has happened and their fans dream of seeing their team end the campaign with the league or Italian Cup trophy.

Has a lack of European football helped?

Fans who buy Juventus tickets every year expect them to compete in the Champions League as one of the favourites to win it.

However, last term, the Bianconeri did poorly in the group stages and played in the latter stages of the Europa League.

They reached the semi-final stage of Europe's second top-club competition and lost to Sevilla, who eventually won the trophy.

Playing for the Serie A title and the Champions League was a massive burden for Juve, and the Bianconeri struggled to maintain a good fight in European and domestic competitions.

One reason for this is that they have a tiny squad that was stretched beyond its limits, so they could win nothing.

Impressively, the Old Lady finished last season in a top-four spot but was denied a chance to compete in Europe because of a ban from UEFA.

Their supporters were unhappy, but it seems to be a blessing in disguise now as the team has fewer matches to play and more time to rest between games.

When Juve did not have European commitment in the 2011/2012 season under Antonio Conte, they stormed to a league title, breaking and setting many records.

This is why most pundits and analysts believe the Bianconeri could be crowned the champions of Italy in this campaign as well.

While AC Milan, Lazio, Napoli and Inter Milan struggle to juggle the Champions League and the Serie A, Juve gets to rest for several days as they only play games on weekends.

The Bianconeri are making good use of this advantage so far, as they have lost just a league game all season.

Max Allegri's 3-5-2 formation is different from the system most of their players are accustomed to, but the likes of Federico Chiesa and Weston McKennie are adjusting very well to their new roles.

Matches that will test Juventus' credentials

Juventus will face some tough opponents in the next few weeks as they seek to maintain their fine start to this season.

Their first big game in the next few weeks would be the match against Inter Milan in late November.

The Nerazzurri are the favourites to win the Italian Serie A this season, and Juve is working hard to stop them from having a free run.

The match is significant because it hands Juve a chance to lay down the marker and move to the top of the league standings.

Inter also knows they must win if they are serious about becoming champions ahead of their stubborn opponents.

The Bianconeri will also face Napoli at the start of December for another cracking encounter against one of the big boys of Italian football.

After a rocky start to the term, the defending champions have been one of the best teams in Serie A in the last few weeks.

Rudi Garcia knows he must win the tough matches to keep his job and will set his team up to get all the points from this fixture.

Besides those two matches, Juve will face tricky opponents like a trip to Monza, who defeated them in both league fixtures last season.

They will also travel to Genoa to face a Rossoblu team doing an excellent job under Alberto Gillardino in December.

Juve has won games against smaller opponents in recent weeks, but the Bianconeri must be careful against Genoa. Otherwise, they will return to Turin with a defeat in the bag.

Players to watch in the current Juventus team

Juve has arguably the second-best squad in the Italian top flight this season, and they can win the league if they remain focused and disciplined.

Max Allegri can call on Federico Chiesa, Dusan Vlahovic, Adrien Rabiot, and Danilo.

In goal, they have one of the best goalkeepers in the world, with Wojciech Szczesny delivering almost every time he plays.

The Bianconeri are one of the top sides in Europe this term, and the players who can lead them to glory are:

Federico Chiesa

The Italian is a superb winger but has been turned into one of two strikers in a 3-5-2 formation.

His heroics won Italy Euro 2020, and he has continued to develop into one of the best attackers on the continent.

Dusan Vlahovic

The Serbian was on the radar of the best clubs in Europe when he played for Fiorentina, and the likes of Arsenal continue to scout him.

This is an important campaign for him as Juve hopes they can sell him for a considerable fee in the summer.

Adrien Rabiot

Rabiot was close to a move to Manchester United last season and remained in Turin to deliver a top performance for Juve.

His contract expires at the end of this term, and he might want to win the league before leaving Turin.

Danilo

Danilo was a fringe player for Real Madrid and Manchester City, but since he moved to Juventus in 2019, he has been superb.

The Brazilian's form has been rewarded with the captain's armband at the Allianz Stadium.

Manuel Locatelli

After Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli were banned, Locatelli stepped up and is in one of his best periods as a player.

He is another hero of Italy at Euro 2020 who has just signed a new contract. He will be pivotal to every success the Bianconeri can achieve this term.