Juventus: Champions League gives Old Lady a new lease of life

By Ellen Farrell.

Reinvigorated Juventus are set to contest their first European showpiece in 12 years as the Old Lady rises from Serie B back to the pinnacle.

Juventus’ impressive win over defending European champions Real Madrid laid down a serious marker of intent for this season’s dark horses, who will now be hoping to beat Barcelona in the final on 6 June at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

With the Serie A title already secured earlier this month and a historic treble in their sights, the Bianconeri have become a force to be reckoned with under the management of Massimiliano Allegri.

But it hasn’t always been so simple. Eight years ago, they were playing in Serie B as they became embroiled in a match-fixing scandal which rocked Italian football.

If the Calciopoli saga was a low-point in their history then Álvaro Morata’s winning goal against Real was a high-point which signalled a return to the club’s glory days.

The 2006 Calciopoli scandal threw Juventus and Italian football into disarray – and the ramifications are still being felt.

Fans lost faith; there were declining attendances and the clubs no longer posed a significant threat in Europe.

Since the Champions League era, Italian clubs have contested 10 of the finals but only two of these have come since 2006.

Inter Milan were the last Italian team to be crowned European champions when Jose Mourinho’s side defeated Bayern Munich five years ago.

Juventus last won the Champions League almost 20 years ago, beating Ajax on penalties in the 1995-96 final.  But their subsequent involvement in the match-fixing scandal blighted their reputation in Europe.

The Bianconeri were one of the five teams linked to the scandal and were consequently relegated to Serie B for the first time in their history for the 2006-07 season.

They were also stripped off their 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles, which they won under manager Fabio Capello. Many key players, including star striker Zlatan Ibrahimović and Fabio Cannavaro, left.

However, they bounced straight back up to the top flight the following season and by the 2012-13 season, Juventus were back in the Champions League where they made it to the quarter-finals. They eventually lost to eventual winners Bayern Munich.

Allegri, who previously managed AC Milan, took over at the start of the season and has received widespread praise for guiding Juve to the Champions League final in his first campaign in charge and to a fourth consecutive Serie A title.

With sought-after players like Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal in their line-up, they have got a team capable of pulling off an upset against Barcelona come June.

As both the Milan teams endure difficult seasons and are no longer the European powerhouses they once were, Juve are flying the flag for Italy.

The Old Lady is back where she belongs, competing for the biggest prize in club football; hopefully it won’t be too long before other Italian teams are joining them.

The Champions League final will be staged at the San Siro next season, which offers an extra incentive.

Read more from Ellen Farrell here.

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