We caught up with @Juvefcdotcom after the defeat to Ajax....
So what did you make of Tuesday’s game?
Juvefcdotcom: Underwhelming. disappointing. stale. turgid. lifeless.....and yet not entirely unexpected. The way Juve have been playing this season, it' as though they've sleepwalked through games and woken up just in time to get a result. They were ok for the first 45 mins and then in the second half, they were torn open. I should stress, Ajax could and should have won by a larger margin. We were lucky not to have lost by more goals. Luck and Tek - he was superb in the sticks. Other than that, Ronaldo aside, no one really turned up and more importantly, they were fearless and confident. We had no answers at all and at no point did it really look like we would score again
Where did it go wrong? Is there someone to blame? If so, who?
Juvefcdotcom: It went wrong when we started to think it was our entitlement to get to every CL final, just because we managed it 2 years out of 4. It went wrong when we thought buying Cristiano was like buying the CL. It went wrong when the management decided to price out the ultras and make the stadium soulless. It went wrong when we sold Vidal and Pogba and replaced them with Hernanes and Sturaro. It went wrong when we changed formation yet again to accommodate the players in the squad without thinking of how it would balance out in the long term. It went wrong when we stopped valuing winning Serie A because the CL is an obsession for the club and most of the fans. That's part of it, there's other things as well but i can only say so much
Naturally not a happy time for Juventus fans but in terms of next season, what do Juventus need to do to get over the line in the Champions League?
Juvefcdotcom: I wish i knew. I think we need to stop obsessing with it. We need to have a complete squad with quality in each position - Most importantly, we need a midfield that is worthy of the Juve shirt. We need to be better and more clinical in attack. We need the coach to change the mindset and have us play more attacking football instead of this laboured, slow garbage we've had this season. We also need luck - luck with calls, luck with injuries and some consistency in our play.
You mentioned the coach, will Allegri be here next year? Should he be here?
Juvefcdotcom: This is divisive issue - For me, it's not as simple as wanting him gone. We've come too far for that. We've worked too hard for that. Getting rid of him is all well and good, if you're moving forward and progressing and building on what came before. To get rid of him just because people are angry on Twitter (and in some cases, the stadium) doesn;t make sense to me. He is largely to blame for the way we've played this season - ultra cautious, coasting to the title with not a great deal more than a few standout games. At the same time, i don't see the point in simply ditching him and bringing in someone like, say Sarri for example, just because you want the football to be better and more attractive. Its doomed to fail and it won't get us what we want. If Max can improve on this season in some way - take on board the criticisms and the management get him midfielders worth a damn, i'd be in favour of him staying. If they can tempt someone like Poch from Spurs, i'd be in favour of that. It's pointless to change for the sake of change.
Completely agree. Pochettino would be some appointment though! There have been some rumours surrounding Ronaldo’s future in the past few days. Are you happy with him? Is he a certainty to be in Turin next season?
Juvefcdotcom: I think he'll stay in Turin, i don't really doubt it. I'm happy with the way he's played, but i don't know if his arrival had an impact on the other players. Either way, he's a champion and he pushes the others around him to be better. We've seen that many times this season. Cristiano was one of 4 players who really performed consistently this season - the others have been absent.
You mentioned the impact on other players, we’ve spoke about Dybala many times. I remember our conversation on him when he was being linked to the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid. There are now fresh reports that he may be leaving Juventus, a swap deal with Icardi has been mentioned. Should he be sold?
Juvefcdotcom: For me, not a chance. You don't sell a player like Dybala because you don't know where to play him. It's insanity. We should be building a team around the younger players, using tactics and a formation that suits them, not selling Dybala because Mandzukic and Ronaldo are first on the team sheet and there's no place left for La Joya. He's got talent but he lacks mentality, and he needs those around him to be on his side - that includes playing him where he flourished for Palermo and the early seasons at Juventus. People think that wedging him into midfield and his lack of creativity mean we should cash in. At any other club with sense, they would see him for what he is and work around him.
Finally, what do you want to see from Juventus for the rest of the season? And what would your message be fellow fans after this past week?
Juvefcdotcom: I just want to see a point v Fiorentina this weekend and the title to be won. After that, play the kids, play Kean and Dybala, let the injured players rest and lets draw a line under the 8th title and recharge during the summer. We also need to figure out the answers to the many questions the club is posed with, and that process starts straight after the title is lifted.
NOTE: At the time of this piece Juventus hadn't secured the title but they have now!