One of the most intriguing matches of the season is set to take place on Sunday at the Allianz Stadium in Turin between Juventus and Inter. The outcome of this match might perhaps decide the title fight in the upcoming months. After 12 games, Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus side is now second in the table with 29 points, while Inter leads with 31 points. Allegri’s team has had a great start to the season.

Although many anticipated that Inter would be present, Juventus’ season opening performance is more unexpected, particularly in light of the off-field problems that might have destroyed the entire locker room. These are the explanations on how and why the Bianconeri were able to make it there.

Juve is performing as they should, according to the stats. Their predicted goal difference is 12.45 and their goal difference is 12. They are in second place with the second-best goal differential and second-best xG difference in the league. Their performances are not peculiar or erratic. It’s intriguing, though, how they were able to pull off such performances.

Their current ball possession percentage of 48.7% indicates that they are not a club that depends heavily on possession of the ball. Of the ten teams currently ranked in Serie A, only the Bianconeri have a lower percentage than 50%. Only Inter has allowed less goals this season (six), with Juventus having scored 19 goals and giving up seven. Therefore, even though Juventus has struggled to create opportunities and score goals, their defensive play has been excellent. The reason this squad succeeds is that they are very hard to dismantle. Knowing that their defence will stop them, they are content for the opposition to hold the ball and just attack for as many points as necessary.

Allegri switched to a 3-5-2 defence with a three-back defensive line since last season. As a result of their ten-point deduction from the previous season and the deal struck with UEFA in the summer, the Bianconeri can only concentrate on the league this season. These issues were caused by financial rule violations, which prompted the old club’s board to leave in November 2022.

This is undoubtedly aiding the team in starting again, especially now that Juventus has a new sport director after hiring former Napoli manager Cristiano Giuntoli in June to usher in a new era despite numerous financial difficulties. When Allegri returned to the team two years ago, he signed a contract that would keep him there until the summer of 2025, and Giuntoli began assembling a team around him.

Juventus hasn’t played a particularly entertaining type of football throughout Allegri’s second spell, but this season in particular, the Bianconeri have been quite strong defensively. It’s no accident that Juventus, who have won five straight games, have the second-best defence in the league and are presently vying for the Scudetto. Juventus has only lost away to Sassuolo thus far, drawing twice against Atalanta and Bologna. Juventus has only let up one goal in their past seven games, which came in their most recent home match against Cagliari, following their 4-2 loss to Sassuolo. a strong defensive record that undoubtedly contributes to their successful start.

In addition, Juventus had to deal with two significant off-field scandals due to the absence of midfielders Paul Pogba and Nicolò Fagioli. After the season’s opening match against Udinese, Pogba tested positive for elevated testosterone levels. He was given a temporary suspension; the nature of the permanent ban will be decided in the coming months. However, Fagioli was the first person to come to light in a recent betting incident involving football players in Italy.

Fagioli, an Italian midfielder, will serve a seven-month suspension after he acknowledged to gamble on football matches on unofficial websites. The Italian FA Prosecutor and the 22-year-old came to an arrangement for a 12-month suspension, of which five months would be remitted to “alternative prescriptions.”

In addition, Allegri must cope with the injuries of Danilo, the captain of Juventus, and Manuel Locatelli, who will be sidelined for the crucial match against Inter. In addition, the Italian manager made a number of significant and much debated decisions, such as starting Moise Kean in place of striker Dusan Vlahovic in the final few games. Allegri’s approach is working so far, but it’s probable that this kind of move may also have some ramifications down the road. Vlahovic is likely looking for a new project in the summer. Notwithstanding the problems, Juventus is still in the running and will have a great opportunity to pass Inter and attempt to reclaim the Scudetto in Turin for the first time since 2020 on Sunday.