Three Key Moments from Igor Tudor's Sweet Debut at Juventus

The coaching change from Thiago Motta to Igor Tudor has brought Juventus back to the path of victory. A single goal from the new Turkish sensation, Kenan Yildiz, in the 25th minute secured three points for "The Old Lady" against Genoa on Sunday (30/3/2025) WIB at Allianz Arena Stadium, Turin.

The result helps Juve remain in fifth place to intensify the competition for the fourth position with Bologna. One point separates Juve from the Champions League zone.

With eight matches remaining this season, Juve must not squander any more points to keep their hopes alive of competing in Europe's most prestigious interclub tournament. Additionally, they secure the guarantee of earning extra bonus funds from their Champions League appearances, unmatched by any other competition.

Beyond the victory delivered by Tudor, there are at least three aspects that hold greater significance than merely winning in the team's debut performance under Tudor's leadership. If these three key moments can be maintained, Tudor has a strong chance of meeting the management's target for La Vecchia Signora to finish in the top four zone.

Tudor reinstated Juve with a three-center-back formation. The Croatian tactician altered the 4-2-3-1 tactic used during Motta's tenure.

On the front line, Tudor reinstated Dusan Vlahovic into the starting eleven. Previously, Vlahovic began Juventus' last three matches before the international break from the bench. He did not even play when Juventus was defeated by Fiorentina 0-3 on March 17.

In addition to Vlahovic, a more crucial role is also carried out by Yildiz. Tudor has given the player wearing the number 10 jersey the freedom to explore every inch of Genoa's defensive zone.

Although he started the formation from the left side, Yildiz often moved to the middle and right side. His only goal against Genoa, which was his fifth goal in the Italian League this season, was the result of Yildiz's individual action from the right side of Juve's attack line. Yildiz only recorded one shot that directly resulted in a goal.

Tudor also injected confidence back into the 19-year-old. In addition to ending his goal drought since the Turin derby on January 12, Yildiz also presents a threat through his dribbling.

Four successful dribbles made Yildiz the player who successfully passed the most opponents in the matchday 30 game. One of the successful dribbles was the beginning of Yildiz's goal. The successful dribble record surpassed his average of two successful dribbles per game in the 2024-2025 Italian League.

I thank Thiago Motta who gave everything, but Tudor gave new energy to the team.

At least the match against Genoa brought back Yildiz's brilliant touch. He once again showed his worthiness to wear the iconic number 10 jersey at Juventus and become the new "face" for Juve now and in the future.

Not only in attack, Yildiz also works hard in Juve's defensive scheme. The record of eight duel wins shows that he has an important role in the game of the Old Lady under Tudor. This season, Yildiz has an average record of seven duel wins.

Yildiz admitted to DAZN that the goal against Genoa was one of his most beautiful goals. Not only did he outwit three Genoa players, Yildiz also shook the Genoa net with a shot from a tight angle on the left side of the visitors' goal.

"We are happy, we are a great group and we have to continue this performance. I thank Thiago Motta who gave everything, but Tudor gave new energy to the team," said Yildiz.

Tudor is the second Juve coach to have been a former player during the glory days of the late 1990s and the first decade of the 2000s after the Calciopoli scandal. Antonio Conte has proven the importance of a Juve coach understanding the team's winning mentality.

Tudor, who played for Juve for nine seasons between 1998 and 2007, brought back the grinta, or determination, that Juventus have lost in recent seasons. Tudor proved that by playing a role in providing the ball to Teun Koopmeiners for a quick throw-in that led to Yildiz's goal.

The 2001 Croatian Player of the Year was also very enthusiastic on the sidelines for 90 minutes. He was very expressive watching his players compete. His screams also echoed on several occasions.

He also did not hesitate to argue with the referee when he witnessed the referee's decision was detrimental to his team. His attitude resulted in a yellow card in the 47th minute.

At the end of the match, Tudor approached each Juve player and hugged them tightly while giving words of appreciation. During the warm-up before kick-off, Tudor also accompanied the Juve squad on the field.

That passionate attitude and shouts of motivation have not been seen since Juve was coached by Conte or during the first period with Massimiliano Allegri.

Tudor was very satisfied with his first win in charge of Juve. According to him, the match against Genoa was very difficult for his team because they only had two training sessions. The Juve squad is also in a mental and psychological condition after two defeats from Atalanta and Fiorentina with an aggregate score of 0-7.

Tudor's presence and Juve's performance were greeted with applause by the supporters who filled the Allianz Arena after the final whistle.

"(The reception from the fans) It was a very good moment, but winning makes everything better," said Tudor, who was Juve's assistant coach under Andrea Pirlo in 2020-2021, as reported by Tuttosport.

Another very important thing from Juve's first impression under Tudor's control is the return to a pragmatic style, namely winning is more important than playing beautiful and attacking football.

With Motta, Juve collected an average of 58.4 percent possession. However, the dominance of the game was not directly proportional to the final result. Juve stumbled in the Champions League zone competition, then was eliminated from the Champions League and the Italian Cup.

Against Genoa, the Old Lady only recorded 49 percent possession. Even so, Juve created a more effective attack thanks to the creation of three big chances with a record of 0.94 expected goals (xG).

Genoa, who had three shots on target, only managed 0.36 xG. Juve's defensive trio of Federico Gatti (replaced by Pierre Kalulu), Renato Veiga and Lloyd Kelly were flawless.

Tudor was also pleased with the performance of his back line and midfield quartet. Unlike Motta who yearned for stability and superiority in possession, Tudor instructed Juve players to serve quick vertical passes into the opponent's zone.

"The tactical system is completely different. I want us to play more vertically and with a different intensity approach," Tudor said.

He added, “I am happy because the children understand, they want to do a lot of things. There are still many things we have to do, but that is normal in the current situation.”