“Never on Juventus’ level” – Criscitiello identifies Comolli’s biggest summer mistake | OneFootball

Sportitalia editor-in-chief Michele Criscitiello pinpoints the biggest blunder committed by Juventus CEO Damien Comolli since taking charge of the club.

Thiago Motta wasn’t the only one who paid the price for the Bianconeri’s disappointing 2024/25 campaign, as the club’s former Football Director, Cristiano Giuntoli, eventually followed him to the door.

The latter was replaced by Comolli, only with larger authorities. The Frenchman was appointed General Manager upon his arrival in May and has been recently promoted to the CEO role.

Criscitiello blasts Juventus for keeping Igor Tudor

Juventus fans have had several question marks about the 52-year-old’s work, especially following a transfer campaign that witnessed the arrivals of Jonathan David and Joao Mario, players who are struggling to leave their mark.

Nevertheless, Criscitiello would argue that Comolli’s biggest sin wasn’t the players he signed, but instead confirming Igor Tudor as head coach following a brief stint as caretaker.

“It wasn’t  Tudor’s fault, but the fault lies with those who confirmed him,” wrote the Italian journalist in his editorial on Sportitalia.

“He was never a Juventus-level coach, and we all knew it. At best, he could only act as a caretaker, and he did so without disgrace but without distinction.

Igor Tudor (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“Starting again with him was a major mistake, and we’d been saying it for months. That pointless Club World Cup should have been ignored to prepare for a full-scale overhaul.

“Spalletti is the right man, but he can’t perform miracles. Too many signings last summer missed the mark, and now they have to scramble for cover. Tudor is a mid-table coach in Italy.”

Why Comolli confirmed Tudor

Comolli had, in fact, attempted to replace Tudor with his former Juventus teammate, Antonio Conte, but the latter eventually opted to stay at Napoli, so the CEO decided to stick with the Croatian after all.

However, the 46-year-old endured a miserable start to the season. He was sacked in late October on the back of an eight-match winless streak, with Luciano Spalletti arriving as a replacement.