Does Juventus Have What It Takes to Dethrone Inter Milan?

The Calciopoli scandal dethroned Juventus as the dominating force of Italian football – and allowed Inter Milan to step out of the shadow and claim the top spot. Since then, the Nerazzurri have been the undisputed top club in the Peninsula.

As Juventus slowly picked up the pieces and re-established themselves in the top tier, only AS Roma provided any kind of resistance to the Nerazzurri, who went on to collect several consecutive league titles.

How long was Serie A doomed to remain under the domination of Inter?

The Milan outfit reinforced heavily during the summer, but despite names such as Thiago Motta, Diego Milito, Wesley Sneijder, Samuel Eto’o and Lucio, Juventus still managed to land the most impressive signing in later years: Diego—the fantasista from Werder Bremen.

A record seven-point deficit separated Juventus from the reigning champions only 11 rounds into the campaign; but after last week’s performances, it has now been reduced to five points.

Juventus have displayed very mixed performances since Ciro Ferrara took charge. Honestly, the only consistent quality the team has showcased this season has, ironically, been their inconsistency.

However, things have started to look brighter after Ferrara’s 4-2-3-1 formation switch. With the exception of a shocking 3-2 home defeat to Napoli, the players are showing signs of improvement. The team usually enjoys a big chunk of the possession, and in spite of creating chances, they have lacked efficiency in front of the goal—until recently, that is. The 5-1 thrashing of Sampdoria closely followed by the 5-2 thumping of Atalanta brings a reassurance that things are indeed headed the right way.

The new system allows a more free-flowing and offensive-minded football. Gianluigi Buffon have performed some truly astonishing saves during the campaign and in front the Italy No. 1, the centre defense consisting of Giorgio Chiellini and Fabio Cannavaro have rarely let down. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the fullbacks.

The €25 million summer signing, Felipe Melo, has been far from the dazzling dominating force he was during his last season with the Viola. The Brazilian has, however, shown glimpses of his previous good form and looks like he may be regaining some of his lost confidence. When in good shape, this Brazilian beast is simply unstoppable.

After fellow defensive midfielder Mohamed Sissoko made his highly anticipated comeback after seven months on the sidelines, he quickly cemented his position in the starting eleven—only to pick up yet another injury. The Mali international is a force to be reckoned with and with Melo at his side, the defensive duo form an impermeable partnership.

The players making up the offensive trident may be small in stature, but they’re unbeatable in vision and creativity. As expected, much of the distribution and build-up goes through Diego. After showing off some dazzling displays in the opening days of the season, it seemed like the pressure weighed on the pint-sized playmaker’s qualities. While the fantasista now seems to be returning to his brilliant self, he has yet to reach his true potential. A mouth-watering prospect, indeed.

With winger Mauro Camoranesi in extremely fine form and Sebastian Giovinco finally gaining some consistent time on the field, the trident undoubtedly form one of Serie A’s most impressive offenses. The link-up with the fullbacks has been smooth and their playmaking vision combined with precision crossing to the lone striker has resulted in an ever-increasing number of chances.

Striker Vincenzo Iaquinta looked mighty impressive before he was forced to go under the knife. Amauri’s goal drought is finally a thing of the past, and combined with David Trezeguet’s hysterical form, there is no shortage of competition to the forward positions.

But that’s not all.

Like last season, Juventus has been hampered by many absences. The international break couldn’t have come at a better time considering how the pileup of injuries. Fortunately, several potentially decisive comebacks are now just around the corner.

Add captain Alessandro Del Piero’s comeback and suddenly Ferrara has a very luxurious forward dilemma in his hands. The captain has been written on numerous occasions, only to come back stronger and better than before. Il capitano may have turned 35, but just like good Italian wine, he only seems to get better with time.

Aside from Del Piero, midfield maestro Claudio Marchisio will soon be at the disposal of Ferrara once more. The Turin native impressed greatly prior to his surgery lay-off and was one of the key reasons for the club’s high-flying start to the season. In addition, he’s soon to be accompanied by Sissoko.

December 5 is the first ‘Derby d’Italia’. Two Scudetto candidates will face off at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin as Italy’s most storied club hope to regain lost ground. Juventus may possess more class and technique than Inter Milan, but they also need to field the right kind of determination and will if they are to achieve their ambitions this season.

This is as close a chance Juventus will get to overtake their biggest rivals.