A Juventus unlike any we have seen before. Not because of what happened on the pitch. Unfortunately for Juventus fans, there have been other defeats like the one against Lazio in recent years. The successive defeats to Atalanta and Fiorentina that cost Thiago Motta his job spring to mind. But nothing compares to the post-match scene that unfolded late on Sunday evening inside the Allianz Stadium: a player on loan who has been in Turin for only three months (Guglielmo Vicario) sent out first to speak at the press conference at such a delicate moment; a captain (Gleison Bremer) openly blaming some of his team-mates, something recent Juve captains (from Del Piero to Buffon, and then Chiellini and Locatelli) would never have done in public; a manager (Luciano Spalletti) who rebuked Bremer, then said he was no longer sure the team were following him.
That is not the Juve way. At least, it is not the way of the 'real Juve', who always presented a united front on and off the pitch, in victory and defeat. After a defeat left Juventus 12th in the table during the 2015-16 season, Buffon's words in the dressing room at Reggio Emilia reflected the responsibility at the heart of the club's identity. They set in motion the remarkable comeback that led to the Serie A title.



