After a week of rumour and innuendo, Sunday saw Juventus name Igor Tudor as their Coach until the end of the season in a move that has echoes of Antonio Conte’s appointment back in 2011.
According to a brief statement on their website, the Serie A club took time to “thank Thiago Motta and all of his staff for their professionalism” but noted that Tudor would take charge from Monday March 24.
Most reports of the coaching change – including this one from Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio – believe the new boss has signed a contract until June, with an option to extend the deal until 2026 should the initial spell prove successful.
Why Juventus appointed Igor Tudor
So with the speculation discussed in this previous column now over, attention turns to why Tudor has been chosen as the solution and what he will bring to the role over the remaining nine games of the season.
Of course, much of that starts with the man he has replaced. Back in the summer, when the decision was made to move on from Max Allegri, it was in favour of Thiago Motta’s modern tactical approach that saw him steer Bologna to a UEFA Champions League place.
MORE FOR YOU
‘The White Lotus’ Season 3, Episode 6 Recap And Review: Killer Instinct
Greenland Leader Says Upcoming Visit By Trump Officials And Usha Vance Is ‘Clear Provocation’
‘First And Foremost, Twain Hated Bullies.’ Conan O’Brien Accepts Mark Twain Prize With Profound Speech
Yet Juventus never saw the finished article, crashing out of European competition and the Coppa Italia before slumping to fifth in the Serie A table. While there were glimpses of the style Motta wanted to implement, there was no real substance to it and that led to concern and criticism from all angles.
“The most worrying aspect is that there was no reaction, this was an evening that doesn’t reflect the Juventus spirit in the slightest,” said former Captain Alessandro Del Piero after watching the team follow a 4-0 defeat against Atalanta with a humiliating 3-0 reverse at Fiorentina.
“You can lose, but still have your head held high,” he continued. “No one today, neither on the bench nor in management, can be calm, or claim that they gave their all.”
The lack of desire and tenacity throughout the side was never evident in Motta’s Bologna, but it must be remembered that he replaced Siniša Mihajlović who would have undoubtedly instilled those qualities in the players before being sacked himself in September 2022.
There were similar complaints about a lack of “Juve spirit” during Gigi Delneri’s tenure back in 2010/11, and that is when Juventus turned to Antonio Conte. Taking over a team who had finished seventh in Serie A two seasons in a row, the current Napoli boss was completely unproven as a Coach.
Similar paths to Juventus: Igor Tudor and Antonio Conte
Relegated from Serie B with Arezzo in his first job, Conte then finished top of the second tier with Bari. That was enough to convince Atalanta to give him a top flight role, but the stint in Bergamo would last just 13 games as the team won just three games with the former midfielder at the helm.
Another spell in the second tier saw Conte finish second at Siena in 2011 before Juventus came calling. At that point, he had coached a total of 125 games and won just 57 of them (57%) with his past as a former player with the Bianconeri carrying far more influence than his managerial record.
All of which brings us to Tudor, a team-mate of Conte’s during their playing days and undoubtedly a man who has played and coached with the same ferocious tenacity as the former Chelsea boss.
His previous spells have been in much less high profile jobs too, starting in the youth sector at Hajduk Split. During his time as their U-17 Coach, Tudor visited the Juventus training ground at Vinovo and spent time observing Conte (see Twitter/X post above), praising his work in transforming the team so quickly.
Tudor took over Hajduk Split’s first team and won the Croatian cup before stints with PAOK, Karabükspor and Galatasaray. Then came a return to Serie A with Udinese, saving them from relegation before another spell with Hajduk Split after which he spent the 2020/21 campaign as Andrea Pirlo’s assistant at Juventus.
Then came a year at Hellas Verona and guided them to a ninth-placed finish in Serie A, followed by a season with Marseille where he finished third in Ligue 1 and qualified for the Champions League.
Tudor then won six of the final nine games of last season with Lazio after replacing Maurizio Sarri, taking his total number of league games in Italy and France to 106. He has won 51 of those (48%) and lost just 29 (27%), compared to Conte’s marks of 57% wins and 28% losses before arriving at Juventus.
What Juventus can expect from Igor Tudor
Where Thiago Motta’s tactical approach sees his teams briefly press after losing possession and then drop off into a 4-1-4-1 framework to deny space, Tudor insists on a much more aggressive style.
Often deploying an initial 3-4-2-1 formation, the former Croatia international demands his players thrive in chaos and are capable of lots (and lots!) of running. His Marseille side pressed extremely high to win the ball back, then advanced it as quickly as possible using the creative talents of Dimitri Payet and Alexis Sanchez to punish opponents.
During his spell with Hellas, Tudor would oversee victories against Atalanta, AS Roma, Juventus and Lazio. Scoring a club record 65 goals – just five fewer than league winners AC Milan – they certainly carried an attacking threat, something that has been a hallmark of his coaching career to date.
That should bode well for a number of players at Juve who have struggled this season, perhaps most notably Dusan Vlahovic. Relegated to a place on the bench under Motta, Tudor has heaped praise on the Serbia international in the past (see video above) and will look to get him firing once again.
When the stint beside Andrea Pirlo ended, Tudor told EuroSport that he would “never be anyone’s assistant again” and that he only accepted the role “because it was Juventus.”
Today he will start work as the man in charge, following in the footsteps of his former team-mate who transformed the Bianconeri back in 2011. Just like Antonio Conte, he is a former player for the Turin giants, has a questionable managerial record to date and a love of a three-man defence.
Now it’s Igor Tudor’s turn to try and make Juventus Juventus again.