Serie A: Can Juventus still compete for the treble this season?

Juventus have made winning the league title an annual event. Can they come out of the pandemic hiatus and win it all once again when games resume?

The long delay that soccer leagues around the world have had to endure as a result of the coronavirus pandemic will certainly affect players and teams once they return to action. For a competitive club like Juventus, a return to action (whenever that will be, although sometime this summer remains the target) leaves lots of unanswered questions.

Two of the biggest questions revolve around whether Juventus, in first place in Serie A before the forced pause, can remain strong across all competitions. For instance, will they be as competitive as they were before Serie A was put on hold and can they also capture the Champions League and Coppa Italia?

In a sport where the have and have-nots have always seen a stark divide, Juventus could again take advantage of the edge it possesses. Aside from the star power and money they already have, this pandemic has forced players to stay home and quarantine. You think a player like Cristiano Ronaldo has a home like a regular player who dons the jersey of a modest team?

Not at all. This is where Juve has the edge against Lazio, currently in second place in Serie A, and the rest of the league. And even when teams can resume training, the teams with the best resources and training grounds will have an edge. Along with Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan also have an advantage given their resources.

But Juventus hold an advantage over the rest of the field, not to mention being way ahead of rivals Inter and AC Milan, meaning they are very likely to win a ninth straight title. Throw in veterans like goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, likely in his last season before retirement, defender Giorgio Chiellini and offensive weapons like Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala and Juve remain strong favorites. FIFA’s proposal to allow teams to use five subs means clubs like Juventus, ones with depth, could benefit immensely.

What about the other two trophies? In the Coppa Italia, Juventus have reached the semifinals, where they face AC Milan in the second-leg match, a new date yet to be set. The teams played to a 1-1 draw on Feb. 13 at the San Siro.

In the Champions League, a tournament Juve has had a tough time winning over the past few years, the Bianconeri have reached the Round of 16. In the first leg against French side Lyon, Juventus lost 1-0 in Turin. While the result was a shock, the forced pause means that whatever momentum the French club may have had, either physical or psychological, has been erased.

Despite Juve failing to win the Champions League, Ronaldo has shown in recent years that he can make a difference when it matters most in the world’s best club tournament. It is anyone’s guess what the impact of delaying games for months will do to various domestic leagues and continental tournaments.

Only seven teams in European soccer history have ever won the treble, with Barcelona doing it twice.

They include: Celtic (1967), Ajax (1972), PSV Eindoven (1988), Manchester United (1999), Inter Milan (2010), Bayern Munich (2013) and Barcelona (2009 and 2015). Over the last decade alone, it has been done three times, meaning that it is part of a larger trend of fewer teams dominating more competitions.

The one thing that is certain is that clubs with the means and resources often come out on top. It’s for that reason that underestimating Juventus would be a big mistake whenever this season resumes.

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