Juventus need just a point from their next match, or for Napoli to fail to beat Roma today, to secure their 5th successive Scudetto.

Last night’s 2-1 victory over Fiorentina was a timely reminder of the way Juve have performed this season – Even against the toughest, most stubborn of opponents, they’ve found a way to grind out victory in a style entirely of their own.

We were far from our best, playing a more ‘muted ‘3-5-2′ with the onus more on defence and caution, designed to soak up the inevitable Fiorentina pressure, with the intention of using Pogba and Khedira to make the chances for us from midfield.

Despite a slow start, Pogba, who has been absolutely tremendous of late, happily obliged, setting up Mandzukic for Juve’s opener. A beautifully worked move that only highlights how far our Polpo has come on in recent months. As the season has developed and the momentum has been with us, he’s truly shown himself worthy of the ’10’ shirt. 6 assists and 4 goals in 6 games is remarkable return for a player who struggled for form early on.

 


Fiorentina can feel hard done by. They had the ball in the net in the first half, but it was disallowed for a marginal offside on Kalinic – It looked a perfectly good goal on first viewing. There was more controversy to follow when Marcos Alonso quite blatantly had his shirt tugged inside the box by Daniele Rugani, but the referee waved away all appeals for a penalty.

Their equaliser was sublime, Kalinic with a a beautifully crafted finish, ably assisted by our very own Leo Bonnuci. Thankfully, they barely had time to celebrate as we had Alvaro Morata on hand to net us the winner – Possibly the easiest goal he’ll score in his entire career:


A late penalty for Fiorentina reeked of the referee tying to atone for earlier errors, as Juan Cuadrado’s nudge on Kalinic was…..soft, to say the least.

If i wanted to condense this seasons comeback into one moment that typifies the fight and ‘never-say-die’ character of Juventus, this might be it – Gigi Buffon, late in the game, knowing that we needed 3 points and only 3 points, makes not one, but two saves – Unbelievable!

With 3 points secured, It’s a testament to the hard work of Allegri and the players that we can now all-but celebrate another title after the most disastrous start to the season.

The comeback has shown the true character of this Juventus side – As Buffon mentioned just yesterday, we wanted to prove everyone wrong.

The excuses were already written last summer when 3 players who i no longer need to name, elected to leave the club that had bought them so much success. It was only right that we consider this a season of rebuilding. We could take the time to regroup. Our rivals had invested heavily. The competition for the title was greater this time round. It would take time……..or what if we did the impossible? 12 points off the pace in October, we’ve gone 25 league games unbeaten, winning 24 of them and beating all our direct ‘rivals’ along the way.

I’ve been fortunate enough to watch this Juventus team for over 15 years and I doubt any season will come close to or our first season under Conte. The utter dejection i felt in the preceding seasons gave way to a kind of elation that i can’t quite put into words. That heady, gorgeous sun-soaked day in September 2011 when we christened the JStadium with our first ever Serie A game was as close to footballing perfection as I will ever see. It wasn’t a glamourous opponent, nor was it a victory of any great merit to the outside eye, a simple, straightforward 3 points for the home team – But for me, it bought about something so much more – A rebirth, a new cycle, and most importantly, it gave hope. For that game, that victory, that day, I will be eternally grateful.

Fast forward 4 years and as i type this, I feel once again, the same level of hope. A genuine belief that after the heroics of this season, we are not at the end of a cycle, as many thought last summer – Far from it. This, as TGP rightly said just the other day, is the start of something new. A golden era for this club. A time when we are not rebuilding, but fortifying. Improving, not stagnating. Evolving. Changing. Realising all that we might become.

It has been a humbling and thrilling experience to watch this team, who I adore so much, prove their detractors and doubters wrong yet again, especially when it’s been done in such spectacular fashion.

A point is all that’s required, or for Napoli to fail to beat Roma. Part of me would like to delay the inevitable until next weekend when we can celebrate on the pitch in front of our own supporters, but after the season we’ve had, i’ll take it any way it comes.

FINO ALLA FINE, FORZA JUVE !!!!!!!!!!!!