5 Things Learned from Juventus' 2015/16 Season

Another year, another domestic double. Juventus enjoyed a hugely successful 2015/16 season, becoming the first side to claim both the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia in consecutive campaigns.

That level of dominance over their rivals on the peninsula gives supporters of the Bianconeri a number of reasons to look forward to action resuming next term, some of which was discussed in this previous post.

However, in order to progress and improve, the team must learn from their recent past and what follows here is a look at five things which coach Massimiliano Allegri and his players will have learned from this season.

They Can Win Serie A Even from a Desperate Position

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Much has been said and written about Juve's poor start to 2015/16, taking just five points from their opening six games and still struggling after 10 rounds of Serie A action.

Indeed, as they headed into the Turin derby on October 31, the Bianconeri sat in 12th place and were 12 points behind the leaders.

They would go on to win that clash with city rivals Torino, and then racked up a club-record 15 consecutive victories to catapult themselves back into title contention.

Making up such a deficit was an incredible feat, and one which showed Juventus that they will always have the opportunity to fight back should they ever fall behind again.

Too Much Turnover Is Unhealthy

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Losing Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez was always likely to cause problems for Juventus, robbing them of three players who had been such integral parts of the club's success in recent seasons.

Yet beyond that trio, the Bianconeri also sold or released a number of other squad members, including Angelo Ogbonna, Marco Storari and Fernando Llorente. That in turn led a raft of new signings, with no fewer than 11 players making their club debuts during the 2015/16 Serie A campaign.

As the new-look team grew accustomed to one another, that turnover was undoubtedly a major factor in their early struggles, reinforcing the belief that too many changes robbed the side of cohesion.

Topping Champions League Group Is Vital

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Unseeded in the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League, Juventus drew Bayern Munich and—despite giving a good account of themselves—were eventually eliminated by the Bavarian giants in the last 16.

But, having beaten Manchester City both home and away, Juve's loss to Sevilla in their final group-stage outing allowed the English club to pip them to top spot in the standings, showing the importance of winning the group and thus facing an easier opponent in the first knockout round.

They Need a Backup to Stephan Lichtsteiner

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While Juventus repeatedly displayed the depth and versatility of their squad in 2015/16, right-back arguably remains the one position where the options available to Massimiliano Allegri are woefully thin.

Juan Cuadrado can fill in for Stephan Lichtsteiner as a wing-back in the 3-5-2 formation, but should they switch to a back four then a more orthodox alternative will be needed.

The success in developing Alex Sandro as Patrice Evra's understudy on the left provides a perfect template, and it is something the club should look to replicate on the opposite flank this summer.

A Creative Spark Is Needed

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As discussed in this previous post, a number of matches this term have shown that Juventus lack creativity throughout the side, with perhaps only Paulo Dybala, Juan Cuadrado and Paul Pogba capable of breaking open a tight game.

That should show the need to find a player to add to that small group, with significant investment surely needed in order to place another high-level match-winner at Massimiliano Allegri's disposal in 2016/17.