3 Biggest Positives for Juventus' 2015/16 Season so Far

It is easy to look at the early struggles of Juventus this season and assign blame, with numerous players and club officials clearly not performing at their best. With the Bianconeri currently in seventh place, the reigning Serie A champions face an increasingly difficult task if they are to defend that title.

In this previous post, those reasons were discussed at length, but the past few weeks have seen incremental improvements from the team on the field. Indeed, their most recent victory over Empoli marked Juve’s first back-to-back league wins of the 2015/16 campaign, much to coach Massimiliano Allegri’s relief.

“Just because we’re Juventus, we should never think that we’re going to win easily,” he told a press conference following that 3-1 triumph. “We need to work on our game, but we’ll look at things positively.”

What follows is just that, picking out the biggest positives for the Turin giants, highlighting the three most significant factors going in their favour despite poor results.

1. Gigi Buffon

VI-Images/Getty Images

While Juve’s defensive record has been poor thus far, there is little doubt it would be much worse were it not for Gigi Buffon. The club captain has been in incredible form, making some amazing saves to bail out the club’s struggling back line on repeated occasions over his 16 appearances.

Indeed, Allegri believes he is fortunate to be able to field one of the all-time greats, and it is difficult to argue with that sentiment given Buffon’s current form.

“It's one thing seeing him only in one game when you are his opponent, but it's another when you see him training every day,” the coach told Sky Italia (h/t ESPN). “I believe he's the best goalkeeper in history.”

2. Sami Khedira

MARCO BERTORELLO/Getty Images

If the Bianconeri are blessed to have a World Cup winner between the posts, then another has proven equally crucial when he steps on the field. Sami Khedira arrived this summer on a free transfer after his contract with Real Madrid expired, and his presence has been a calming one in their new-look midfield.

His maturity and leadership have filled the void left by the departures of Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo, Khedira telling German newspaper Welt am Sonntag (h/t Football Italia) that “Juve are a fantastic club with a great tradition, a wonderful present and a promising future.”

The 28-year-old has already added one goal and an assist, but the biggest statistic might well be the fact Juventus have yet to lose in any of his seven appearances, notching five wins and two draws.

3. The Schedule

MARCO BERTORELLO/Getty Images

While the nine-point gap between Juventus and the top of the table appears quite a gulf, a quick look at their fixture list certainly provides hope that the Bianconeri can improve their record in the coming months.

The Old Lady has already travelled to play away against Inter, AS Roma and Napoli, each of the six teams above them have yet to visit Turin. Notching victories over these rivals would undoubtedly see Allegri’s side climb the table, with the coach telling reporters recently that he believes they can do just that.

“We’re now seventh in the league with plenty of catching up to do,” Allegri said at his most recent press conference. “But we enter the international break on the back of two straight league wins and a hard-fought draw away in the Champions League.”

The team return from that break to encounter both Milan and Manchester City at Juventus Stadium, and two victories there would be a huge boost to a team seeking to remain positive.