The Croatian coach will, in all likelihood, go with a back three. Up front, he may go with two strikers and a central attacking midfielder

There is a lot of excitement ahead of Igor Tudor’s debut on Saturday when the Bianconeri take on Genoa in the hopes of reversing their recent form and retaking fourth place.

The Croatian coach will need to reach this goal and has the chance to earn his place at Juventus, so it’s a big opportunity. The team is physically fit but has lost confidence and assuredness, and they’ve struggled to put ideas into practice under Motta, who maybe didn’t manage to completely convey his own style of football.

Tudor will make changes, due in part to the fact that it is more difficult to go from a back three to a back four than vice-versa. He has a big task coming up in the near future; there’s no time to experiment, he needs results and he needs to give the players certain reassurances.

MR. EMPATHY

One of Igor Tudor’s key character traits is his empathy. He gets into his players’ heads and has a strong character, but he also likes to get to know his players and establish a relationship with them in order to optimise those dynamics that you get in training and matches.

Paradoxically, this is the reason why he has historically done better taking over midway through a season rather than starting it at the helm. It’s down to the way he builds that connection with the players and quickly conveys to them the way that he wants to play. Tudor will immediately try to do two things: lift the mood in the camp and up the intensity.

MENTALITY

Changing the formation is not the primary issue; first of all, Tudor will look to change the team’s mentality and how they approach games. He has always wanted his teams to play this ultra-attacking style of high-pressing football and, if they don’t win the ball back immediately, they tend to become very compact. In possession, the Croatian coach will want to move the ball upfield quickly and not spend too much time in the build-up.

The order of the day should, therefore, be high intensity during training, which they can then take into a game. As such, he may go for shorter but more intense sessions in order to avoid getting bogged down in possession.

So, no possession for possession’s sake. Motta was accused of having a somewhat slow and laborious style of play, especially in his latter weeks. Tudor’s Juventus, meanwhile, should be more dynamic in possession, looking to occupy the space and win territory through possession, looking to quickly create chances to get a shot off and attacking in numbers. Juve’s players could prove suited to this kind of football, having the necessary physical and technical characteristics.

HISTORY

In his most recent managerial spell, with Lazio, he inherited Sarri’s 4-3-3. He played with a back four in his first two games, which were both against Juventus (a 1-0 win in the league and a 2-0 defeat in the Coppa Italia Frecciarossa), before shifting to a 3-4-2-1 formation.

Prior to that, at Marseille, the last time he began a season from the start, the 3-4-2-1 was his trademark, as it was at Hellas. In 2021/22, he took over from Di Francesco in Verona and played with Simeone (or Lasagna) up top, supported by Caprari and Barak. He played with that same module in his first stint with Udinese, with Pussetto and De Paul on either side of Lasagna (or Okaka). In his following season with the Friulian outfit, however, Tudor shifted to a 3-5-2 but didn’t achieve the desired results.

THE SYSTEM AND FORMATION

A back three and four midfielders, you can almost count on it. The question mark is what he’ll do up top, and that could be the key decision. Option one: 3-4-1-2, Vlahovic and Kolo Muani with Yildiz in a more central role in behind them. In this set-up, another option for that attacking midfield position would be Koopmeiners, who’s adept at shooting and making those late runs into the box.

Option two: 3-4-2-1, sacrificing one of the strikers, and playing Yildiz and one of Conceicao and Nico Gonzalez on either side. Certainly, one of Tudor’s tasks will be to work out what to do with a talented striker in Vlahovic, who is a big asset for the club, in order to recoup the value that he had before Motta’s arrival.

The midfield pairing could be Locatelli and Thuram, who have been the most solid performers so far.

In the tough times, Locatelli has been the Bianconeri’s best midfielder this season. In terms of personality and performance, he has been the one to stand up and take responsibility. He’s had a big impact both in recovering the ball and creating play. Other options in that position could be Koopmeiners, who performed well in that role for Atalanta, or Douglas Luiz, but he has been held up by injuries and needs to stay fit.

In the wing-back role, Tudor could opt for McKennie and Cambiaso, who guarantee plenty of running and also quality. Juve could play with one more defensive full-back and one attacking, but Nico Gonzalez and Conceicao need cover, because, should they drop too deep to help defend, the risk is that they lose their attacking threat.

(Photo Getty Images + LaPresse)

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