Igor Tudor’s reign as Juventus head coach got off to a winning start with a 1-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A on Saturday evening, but most outlets in the Italian press feel that there is still plenty of work for the Croatian to do before the end of the 2024-25 season.
Kenan Yildiz struck in the 25th minute to hand Tudor three points on his debut as Juventus head coach, having replaced Thiago Motta on an interim contract until the end of the 2024-25 campaign this time last week.
There were several notable differences about the way Juventus set up on Saturday, as well as the difference in approach between Motta and Tudor, from his switching to a 3-4-2-1 shape, to his manner on the touchline.
Tudor earned plenty of praise from the Italian media the morning after his debut, but most outlets suggest that tougher tests are still yet to come for the new coach, and while beating Genoa was an important first step, the performance was not the finished article.
What the Italian press said about Tudor’s Juventus debut
La Gazzetta dello Sport praised Tudor for his change in shape, switching from Thiago Motta’s preferred 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-2-1, which the Pink Paper feels helped to bring the best out of some of Juve’s key players, such as Kenan Yildiz and Teun Koopmeiners.
Gazzetta also gave Tudor credit for Juventus’s risk-taking in possession, their ability to commit with numbers while not appearing too vulnerable on the counter-attack.
Saturday’s report suggests, however, that Juventus would be ‘better off’ with Randal Kolo Muani up front as opposed to Dusan Vlahovic, who showed willingness but not incisiveness on his return to the Bianconeri starting XI.
