Juventus crisis: Entire season potentially ruined in just a few days?

老球迷

26/02/2026 17:00:34 老球迷

Two severe losses in the past few days have probably confirmed a totally barren season for Juventus. Their prospects in the Champions League are nearly nonexistent unless they overturn a 3-goal gap against Galatasaray, and in Serie A, Juve risks falling out of the Top 6.

Last midweek, Juventus suffered a crushing 2-5 defeat to Galatasaray in the first leg of the Champions League playoff round. Over the weekend, they lost 0-2 at home to Como in Serie A’s 26th round and could fall at least 4 points behind the Top 4 if Roma beats Cremonese in their early morning match today.

Worst in history

Juve’s decline actually began nearly three weeks ago when, despite playing well, they unexpectedly lost 0-3 away at Atalanta in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals—a defeat that shattered a defense which had conceded only 6 goals in 14 matches since late November 2025. Then Juve drew 2-2 with Lazio, lost 2-3 to Inter, before conceding 7 goals to Galatasaray and Como. In their last 5 matches, Juve lost 4, drew 1, and conceded a total of 15 goals. For the first time since April 2010 (when they lost 4 and won 1), Juventus has lost 4 out of 5 consecutive matches across all competitions. Historical records since the 1971-72 season show no period where the club earned only 1 point in 5 straight official games.

Juve fans had high hopes for a comeback under coach Luciano Spalletti after what was seen as an unfair loss at Inter Milan on February 14, when Pierre Kalulu’s red card following Alessandro Bastoni’s theatrical act for Inter changed the game and shocked Italian football media for days. However, the team’s spirit was drained. Coupled with the return injury of key defender Bremer and player fatigue, Juve lacked the strength to fight when they needed it most. Even Spalletti was powerless, despite previously rebuilding Juve’s morale successfully after Igor Tudor’s era.

Juventus is experiencing the worst run of form in its history

The threat of a trophyless season looms large

The home defeat to Como wasn’t just about losing points. It was supposed to be a rehearsal for the crucial "overcoming the odds" match against Galatasaray in the Champions League playoff second leg, where they must win by at least 3 goals to have a chance to advance. Instead, what did they do? They played completely passively, showing no effort or cohesion, making numerous individual and tactical mistakes. After the match, it was the first time since Spalletti’s arrival that Juventus was booed by the Allianz Stadium crowd.

Given this mindset, unless a real miracle happens or Galatasaray suddenly "disappears," Juve’s chances to overturn the deficit and progress in the Champions League are unrealistic. This will likely be the second consecutive year Juve is stopped at the playoff round. Their only hope remains Serie A to salvage a disastrous season, but the challenge will be much tougher than last year.

With 46 points after 26 matches, Juventus trails last season’s tally by 3 points, has scored the same number of goals (43) but conceded 4 more (25). After 26 rounds last season, Juve was 4th, ahead of the following teams by 2, 5, and 7 points respectively. Currently, they stand 5th, one point behind 4th-placed Roma, one point above Como, and three points ahead of Atalanta; however, Roma and Atalanta can change their points after their 26th round matches. The gap between 5th and 7th place is very tight, making ranking shifts after just one round very possible. Instead of securing a Top 4 spot and a Champions League berth, Juve may end up 7th by season’s end, qualifying only for the Conference League, Europe’s lowest-tier competition.

The pressure is immense. Public criticism has been directed at key players such as young star Kenan Yildiz (performing poorly after signing a high-paying contract extension), goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio (who made errors in the last 3 matches), and captain Manuel Locatelli (who will miss the crucial upcoming match against Roma due to accumulated yellow cards). Truly a worrying situation for the "Old Lady."

In the match against Como, Juventus debuted their fourth kit featuring a completely new style, with horizontal stripes instead of the traditional vertical ones, large red numbers on the back, and no player names. This design was inspired by a kit introduced in the 1996-97 season but never used, recalling one of the club’s most successful campaigns (Serie A champions, Champions League runners-up).

Since its announcement, the kit has sparked widespread controversy. Many support the nostalgic idea, but numerous others criticize it for ruining Juve’s traditional image, calling it "really strange" and "prison-like." Its debut during a disastrous home defeat only increased the negative reactions.

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