Juve, Damien Comolli in silence, Tudor against Real Madrid plays d

At the Santiago Bernabeu, Igor Tudor has already played: May 2003, Real-Juve semi-final first leg, first round of something very magical because, in the end, the Bianconeri took the final, then lost in Manchester. That evening, Igor was moving in the middle of the field. More than twenty years later, Tudor will move – tomorrow evening – alone, on the bench and with his thoughts. Inside the former Split defender’s black and white adventure, loneliness risks becoming a constant when a danger or difficulty materializes. Traveling backwards, on Sunday, shortly after lunch, the Croatian coach found himself talking about why this Juve team continues to slow down: the next CEO and general manager Damien Comolli passed two meters from the room where Tudor was answering questions after the defeat against Como, but he did not enter the room. No obligation, of course. But the presence, even if only plastic, of the club at the moment in which the castle is collapsing can give that sense of unity which does no harm and which at least gives meaning to the work of one’s coach. The thought returned to the night in Venice, May 25th, the last effort of the last championship: “Without renewing the contract I won’t go to the Club World Cup, the players wouldn’t understand the presence of a coach who, upon his return, leaves…”, thundered Igor caught in the grip of Conte or Gasperini as possible leaders of Juventus. A few hours later, the wind changed, but the ferryman’s label, Tudor, seems to have never been completely removed.

Difficulty

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Juve hasn’t won for forty days, the club’s voice is muted. And on the horizon, here is a road map that can lead to the new revolution: first the Madrid stage, then the one in the Biancocelesti capital and, after, the time of taking stock. What could happen in the face of an annoying Roman misstep? A tactical revolution or something similar with Tudor’s fate, effectively, sealed. Luciano Spalletti is liked, and not now: his name is among those in pole position for the possible replacement of the Croatian coach and the former Azzurri coach would not say no as has happened in recent weeks to offers from Turkey or Saudi Arabia. Roberto Mancini would be playing his cards: the coach of the triumph at Wembley in the 2021 European Championship has withdrawn from the race at Nottingham Forest, raising the bar of requests and with the hope of a call from Turin. Also on the list is the profile of Raffaele Palladino, the cheapest and closest to the Modesto technical director with whom he worked in Monza. The thought of a Motta-bis appears complicated, the former Borussia Dortmund coach Terzic is a suggestion on the Comolli agenda. Tudor, today, will travel to Madrid: in May 2003 he played as part of a team, just over twenty years later he will play alone, looking for redemption, full of pride, on the edge.