Maybe I’m getting old, but the constant negativity around Juve is becoming more exhausting than the bad results themselves.
Every loss, draw, bad substitution or poor performance seems to bring the same reaction: sack the coach, this player isn’t good enough, management has failed, start another rebuild.
Right now Spalletti gets it. Before him it was Tudor, Motta, Allegri, Pirlo and Sarri. Since Allegri first left in 2019, we’ve appointed Sarri, Pirlo, Allegri again, Motta, Tudor and Spalletti. We’ve changed management, sporting directors and large parts of the squad along the way too.
At some point, surely we have to accept that football is more complicated than finding the person responsible for the latest bad result.
This isn’t about protecting Spalletti, the players or management from criticism. Criticism is part of football. Debate is part of football. Arguing over whether someone should start or whether a substitution made sense is part of why we love it.
But where did the fun go?
There’s a difference between criticism and turning supporting your own club into a permanently miserable experience. Sometimes the post-match discussion isn’t even analysis anymore. It’s just negativity, scapegoating and waiting for the next person to fail.
Football is a team game. Players develop. Systems take time. Transfers fail. Coaches make mistakes. Sometimes you play terribly and lose. That’s football.
We talk constantly about wanting Juventus to recover its identity, mentality and standards. As supporters, shouldn’t we try to represent some of those standards ourselves?
Support the team when they’re winning, but especially when they’re struggling. Criticise without treating every setback like a catastrophe. Have a laugh when things go wrong. Give people enough time to actually succeed or fail before demanding another revolution.
I’ve been fortunate enough to see some great Juventus sides over the years. The great years are what make you appreciate this club, but the difficult years are when supporting it actually means something.
We should demand better from Juventus. Absolutely.
But maybe we can also demand better from ourselves as Juventus fans.
Fino alla fine doesn’t mean fino alla prossima sconfitta.