Tottenham Opposition Scouting Report: Juventus

By Ryan Wrenn | Aug 4, 2017

CARDIFF, WALES - JUNE 03: Gonzalo Higuain of Juventus and Raphael Varane of Real Madrid battle for possession during the UEFA Champions League Final between Juventus and Real Madrid at National Stadium of Wales on June 3, 2017 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

Tottenham’s final friendly of the preseason might just prove to be the toughest competition they have faced yet.

That is saying something considering the fact that Tottenham played Paris Saint Germain, Roma and Manchester City during their tour of the United States.

None of those teams can as yet make the same type of claims Juventus can however.

Cynics might not be too impressed if the Bianconeri’s accomplishments were limited to their six consecutive Serie A titles. The Italian league isn’t quite what it used to be in the 1990s, and one might think that any team with a big enough bankroll and the right leadership can rise above the competition relatively easily.

That convenient straw man would be wrong for a number of reasons. For one, Serie A’s quality steadily increases year over year, and indeed teams like Roma, Napoli and AC Milan will continue to narrow the gap to the top over the coming seasons.

More importantly, at least if you might want to compare Juventus to the elite clubs in Europe, would be their performance in the Champions League.

Antonio Conte, who is rightly given the credit for Juventus’ rise from the Calciopoli scandal of the late ’00s, never found a way to replicate the club’s league form in the Champions League. Juve looked in danger of never earning any respect internationally.

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Conte’s successor Massimiliano Allegri managed to strike the right balance immediately however, leading Juve to a Champions League final against Barcelona two years ago — the club’s first time in the competition’s final since 1995.

That was the indomitable Barcelona of Luis Enrique however, and though Juve put up a fight they could not do much to stop the Catalans from winning the treble that year.

Far from discouraged, Juve continued to improve and, just two years after their match against Barcelona, appeared again in the final this past June. Though that match would end in defeat as well — this time to Real Madrid — it was now impossible to deny Juventus a spot in football’s elite.

What makes this ascent especially remarkable was that it was not built on hundreds of millions of Euros spent on the transfer market. Juventus are very wealthy, there is no denying that, but they are not Paris Saint Germain or Manchester City, breaking records casually in pursuit of a dream that seemed impossible just ten years ago.

No, Juventus owes much more to exceptional coaching from both Conte and Allegri, a well-drilled sense of Italian organization and — last but not least — an especially savvy recruitment arm that trusted in the potential of Andrea Pirlo, Sami Khedira, Paul Pogba and Dani Alves when other clubs gave up on them.

All of which is to say that Tottenham will be facing off of one of the greatest football clubs over the 21st century on Saturday. Friendly or no, a result here would be a true test of Spurs’ mettle.

It’s more than just a matter of finding a way to contain Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala. They will also need to navigate a densely packed midfield containing one of the best free-kick takers in the game in Miralem Pjanic.

Then, of course, there’s the matter of Juventus’ backline. Though the loss of Leonardo Bonucci stings, Allegri still has an impressive array of talent to call upon to keep Spurs out. Look for Daniele Rugani — at 23-years-old, a sign of things to come in Juve’s defense — to really try and standout ahead of the new season.

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Perhaps Spurs would have preferred a run of preseason friendlies against clubs in the Championship or second-rate European leagues. A match against Juventus is a better learning experience however, especially for a team deadset on reaching the next level up in their game.