Wednesday 1 January 2020

JUVENTUS : TEAM OF THE DECADE (2010 - 2020)

Well, it really has been an incredible decade to be a Juventus fan. From entering the decade as, lets be honest, a punchline for the rest of Serie A's favourite joke, to punching back with a vengeance and dominating Italian football. We had the Conte era, followed by another era of success under Allegri. There were cheers, and yes there were also tears, but in the end when history is once again revisited it will read that this decade in Italian football belonged to one club, and one club alone, Juventus.

*Only appearances & stats from the past 10 years are counted, not the overall total*



  • MANAGER : MASSIMILIANO ALLEGRI (2014 - 2019)
  • Games : 271
  • Win : 191
  • Draw : 41
  • Lose : 39


Arriving in 2014 after Antonio Conte promptly decided to leave the club, its safe to say that Allegri was far from an ideal replacement in the eyes of many Juventus fan. Despite early concerns, Allegri would take the club within 90 minutes of a historic treble in his debut season, winning Serie A, Coppa Italia (a trophy the club had failed to win since 1995) but falling at the last hurdle in a Champions League final to a heavily Favorited Barcelona. The following season (2015 - 2016) began horrifically as the club could only register 3 wins in the opening 10 Serie A fixtures, many teams would fail to bounce back from such bad form, but Juventus is not like most clubs and instead would go on an incredible winning streak, beginning with Torino in an eventful 2-1 victory and registering 26 wins over the remaining 28 games. More success would follow as Allegri would lead the club to three more Scudetti, four consecutive Coppa Italia, and becoming the first manager in Europe's top five leagues to win four consecutive double (League and domestic cup). When Allegri arrived at Juventus, Antonio Conte had once said of the club "You cannot go to eat at a €100 restaurant with just €10 euro in your pocket”, well Allegri not only took that €10 euro club to a Champions League final, but has restored the clubs name on the list of VIP guests at said restaurant on a yearly basis.



  • GOALKEEPER : GIANLUIGI BUFFON (2001 - 2018 // 2019 - Present)
  • Appearances : 320
  • Clean Sheets : 164


This one is a no brainer, as will the majority of Juventus defence. Always in the conversation for best ever, Buffon remained loyal to his old lady throughout his career, and before the letters P S G leaves your lips, that was down to the clubs decision not to renew Buffon's contract, and as a result Buffon went on vacation to France for a season. During this decade Buffon would become club captain on 11 August 2012, and remain so for 6 seasons up until the end of the 2017 - 2018 season. Amongst the collection of team trophies obtained during this period of time, Buffon would add several personal achievements to his name, two appearances in UEFA team of the year (2016, 2017), becoming the first ever goalkeeper to win the Golden Foot award (2016) and also the first ever winner of The Best FIFA Goalkeeper award in 2017. No doubt before the current season is over Buffon will add one more personal achievement to his long list, he is one league appearance away from passing Milans Paolo Maldini as Serie A's all time leading appearance holder. 



  • LEFT BACK : ALEX SANDRO (2015 - Present)
  • Appearances : 175
  • Goals : 10
  • Assist : 24


Arriving from Porto for £23m, Alex Sandro would almost immediately become a first team regular, competing with Patrice Evra for the left back role in the Brazilians debut season, and cementing his name into the starting 11 with Evra's departure the following year. Alex Sandro's best season so far at Juventus came in 2016 - 2017, notching up 4 goals and 6 assists as the club once again reigned supreme in the domestic game, only to lose out on a historic treble by losing in the UEFA Champions League final. When the starting 11 for a Juventus game is announced, you can almost guarantee that Alex Sandro will be named in the line up.



  • CENTRE BACK : ANDREA BARZAGLI (2010 - 2019)
  • Appearances : 281
  • Goals : 2
  • Assist : 6


Juventus paid £270k to sign Barzagli from Wolfsburg, thats right, a member of Juventus renowned 'B.B.C' cost under £1m, and looking at Barzagli's career its fair to say that the move was an absolute bargain for the old lady, Andrea Agnelli himself claimed that Barzagli has been “the best signing we ever made". Arriving midway through the 2010-2011 season on January 26th, Barzagli would make 16 appearances in a season to forget for fans, but along with Giorgio Chiellini & Leonardo Bonucci the foundation's for a solid defensive unit that could shut down any attack was already in place. In Barzagli's first full season, Juventus would go on to win the first of 8 straight scudetti and do so in impressive fashion, remaining undefeated in the league for the entire season. Barzagli would remain a first team regular in the Juventus defence for most of his 9 season's at the club, before age & injuries would persuade the defender to hang his boots up and retire from the game in 2019. Barzagli would play his final game in black & white inside the Allianz Stadium against Atalanta, ending the game on the 61st minute as a second half substitute, and leaving the pitch to a standing ovation. It was well deserved.



  • CENTRE BACK : LEONARDO BONUCCI (2010 - 2017 // 2018 - Present)
  • Appearances : 383
  • Goals : 27
  • Assist : 10


Arriving for £14m from Bari in 2010, Bonucci flourished in Antonio Conte's 3–5–2 formation alongside Barzagli & Chiellini. Bonucci could best be described as a modern centre back, competent in defence & comfortable with playing the ball out from the back, a ball playing defender. Ever present in both Juventus & Italy squads, Bonucci would possess an impressive range for passing & striking ability that any striker would be proud of, scoring 27 goals during the decade, more than any Juventus centre back during that period of time. The decade hasn't been perfect however, as Bonucci would spend one season with AC Milan for the 2017 - 2018 season, it was a move that left a sour taste in the mouth of many Juventus fans. Despite this, Bonucci would return to once again play regularly in the Juventus defence, and with the absence of Chiellini during the current season (2019 - 2020) take on the role of club captain, and prove himself worthy of the role with performances to remind fans just how good Bonucci really is.



  • CENTRE BACK : GIORGIO CHIELLINI (2005 - Present)
  • Appearances : 341
  • Goals : 19
  • Assist : 13


When it comes to choosing a team of the decade, there is one name that instantly comes to mind, and that name is Giorgio Chiellini. One of the best defenders of his generation, Chiellini embodies what it means to be a Juventino, shedding blood, sweat and tears during his career in black and white, sometimes literally in the case of a 2015 meeting with Real Madrid in 2015. Great positional sense, excellent in the tackle and relishing any duel that comes his way, just take a look back at the celebration's between himself and Buffon whenever they have prevented an opponent from scoring against them. Always a leader in the team, that role would become official when Chillini was made captain and given the armband in 2018, it was a decision no one could argue.



  • RIGHT BACK : STEPHAN LICHTSTEINER (2011 - 2018)
  • Appearances : 259
  • Goals : 15
  • Assist : 30


'The Swiss Express' arrived in Turin from Lazio for £9m, and like many others on this list played a big role in Juventus decade of dominance. Since the departure of Gianluca Zambrotta all the way back in 2006, the club had never really added a reliable player in the right back position, but that changed in 2011 with the signing of Stephan Lichtsteiner. Marking his debut with the first goal scored inside the Allianz Stadium in a 4-1 win over Parma, Lichtsteiner never looked back, not only capable of defending but providing an assist too with his crosses. One occasion that perfectly describes Lichtsteiner's character would take place during the 2015 - 2016 season, missing out a full month of football due to undergoing heart surgery, Lichtsteiner would return on November 3rd to not only play, but score what would later be voted as one of the goals the season in a 1-1 draw with Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Champions League. Despite the names that have come in since, and in the case of Dani Alves during Lichtsteiners time at the club, none have gone on to make the position there own quite like he did.



  • CENTRE MIDFIELD : ARTURO VIDAL (2011 - 2015)
  • Appearances : 171
  • Goals : 48
  • Assist : 25


Signed for £11m from Bayer Leverkussen, Vidal would go on to prove that he was worth so much more than the fee paid. Vidal was an engine for Juventus, contributing in attack and also not afraid to get stuck in by tackling the opponent too. An aggressive box to box type midfielder, Vidal brought attitude and sheer determination into the team, attributes that had been missing for quite some time, yet he was also skilled enough to worry opponents defence when Vidal came forward for a shot on goal. The fact that Juventus are yet to find a suitable replacement 4 seasons after his sale to Bayern Munich in 2015, tells its own story of how important a player Vidal was for Juventus.  



  • CENTRE MIDFIELD : ANDREA PIRLO (2011 - 2015)
  • Appearances : 164
  • Goals : 19
  • Assist : 38


Milan considered Pirlo as damaged goods, the Maestro thought otherwise. Arriving at Juventus on a free transfer, something that would become a trademark for Juventus over the decade, Pirlo would go on to show Milan just how wrong they were to let him leave on a free transfer. From his debut season Pirlo pulled the strings within the Old Lady's brand new orchestra, providing two assists in a 4-1 win over Parma, the first game played in Juventus brand new stadium. Time & time again Juventus fans would admire the Maestro at work, spraying passes all over the pitch, passes which 9/10 reached their designated target. Not only did Pirlo create goals, he could score them too, especially when it came to delivering from a set piece. During his time playing in the black & white stripe's Pirlo would win 8 trophies over 4 seasons, and in the process proving to the football world that he was far from being finished back in 2011 when his story with Juventus began.



  • CENTRE MIDFIELD : CLAUDIO MARCHISIO (2005 - 2018)
  • Appearances : 296
  • Goals : 31
  • Assist : 35


Where do you begin when talking about Claudio Marchisio and Juventus? Not many players can say they have been promoted from the clubs youth system, and even fewer can say they went on to cement their name in starting 11 of the senior team, Marchisio did both. Often underappreciated outside of Juventus fans, when it comes to talking about the players Juventus have had over the years in each squad, there was one consistent name that appeared in the midfield, Marchisio. The Italian was Juventus most complete midfielder during his time with the club, he could contribute defensively, dribble, pass and score the occasional goal too. 



  • CENTRE FORWARD : GONZALO HIGUAIN (2016 - Present)
  • Appearances : 127
  • Goals : 61
  • Assist : 14


Breaking a Serie A goal-scoring record that had remained intact since 1949-1950 season, with 36 league goals, Higuain's next move was to break another record, leaving Napoli to join Juventus for what at the time was a league record transfer fee of £81.00m. Higuain was not only a high profile signing, he was the goal machine that Juventus had been craving since Tevez left the club for a return to Argentina. 'Pipita' immediately improved the Juventus front line, Prior to his arrival Juventus relied on Mario Mandzukic, Paulo Dybala & Alvaro Morata to match the 29 goals Tevez had scored in his final season at the club, none of the 3 came close. Higuain however wasted little time in finding the back of the net, scoring on his debut against Fiorentina in a 2-1 win, it would be the first of 32 goals scored during the season by Higuain. To further emphasis how the Argentine's arrival impacted the club, the previous season's (2015-2016) top goal scorer was Paulo Dybala with 23. Higuain has also scored some big goals too for Juventus, most memorably a match winning header against Inter in a must win game for the Bianconeri, as Juventus came back from 2-1 behind to win 3-2 in the dying minutes of the match. When it comes to picking a pure goal scoring striker for Juventus there can be only one name at the top of that list. Gonzalo Higuain.



  • CENTRE FORWARD : PAUOLO DYBALA (2015 - present)
  • Appearances : 204
  • Goals : 87
  • Assist : 29


So who should partner Higuain up front in team of the decade? Some might say Cristiano Ronaldo, but he has only been with the club for the final two years of the decade, Carlos Tevez? Arguably the clubs first 'big name' arrival in 2013? No, neither will partner Higuain in this team, instead that role is taken by 'La Joya' the Jewel, Pauolo Dybala. Arriving from Palermo for £36m in 2015, like his compatriot Higuain, it didn't take Dybala long to hit the ground running. Dybala scored on his first full 90 minutes for the club on match day two against Roma, ending the season as top goalscorer for the club & without doubt the teams most creative outlet. Over the past 4 seasons Dybala has etched his name into the hearts of Juventus fans, scoring goals on some of the Old Lady's most memorable European nights and also just as important taking on the weight of the clubs number 10 shirt.



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