Starting With Real Madrid

32 Via Ferraris, Turin.

Didier Deschamps paused at the entrance of the elegant and dignified building, taking a moment before stepping inside.

It was the first time he had returned to Juventus' headquarters in more than two months.

Since that crushing 5-0 defeat to Napoli, the aftermath had been brutal. After the match, Juventus' sporting director, Alessio Secco, publicly criticized Deschamps, and since then, relations between the two had soured. Deschamps hadn't set foot in the Juventus office since.

Today marked his first return.

If it weren't for Jean-Claude Blanc's repeated invitations and phone calls, he might not have come at all.

"Come on in, Didier. They're waiting for you," Blanc greeted him at the door.

This fellow Frenchman had gone out of his way to give Deschamps face, personally coming out to receive him.

Deschamps nodded and entered the building.

...

The core management of Juventus had gathered today at the headquarters for one purpose: to clarify the club's goals for the season and establish strategies for moving forward, as well as to lay the groundwork for winter transfer preparations.

Many fans mistakenly believe that transfers are only negotiated during the transfer window, but in reality, they are often finalized long in advance, sometimes even six months before a player switches clubs.

This was especially true for star players, where the process often involved complex negotiations, including the transfer of commercial sponsorship contracts.

Deschamps, as a legendary figure of the club, had stepped up in Juventus' time of crisis. His decision to take the helm during such a tumultuous period earned him respect from many within the club.

But not from Alessio Secco.

Secco had often expressed support for Deschamps in front of the media, claiming the club was deeply grateful to him. But anyone paying attention knew that there was serious tension between Secco, Blanc, and Deschamps.

Today's meeting was attended by all the top brass of Juventus, including Giovanni Cobolli Gigli, the club's chairman, who wasn't particularly hands-on in daily operations.

As the club's general manager, Blanc opened the meeting by reporting on the team's business operations for the season.

Given Juventus' relegation to Serie B, revenues from ticket sales, matchday income, and other revenue streams had plummeted, even as many operational expenses had remained unchanged. This created financial strain, though the club had managed to stay afloat largely due to the €80 million they spent in the transfer market, which acted as a stopgap.

But everyone knew that relying on transfers to balance the books was unsustainable.

The club's immediate priority was to return to Serie A as quickly as possible, to once again join the ranks of Europe's giants and recover lost income ideally, even increase it.

To make matters worse, the Fiat Group, which financially backed Juventus, had faced difficulties in recent years. The team could no longer count on significant financial support from Fiat. They had to rely on themselves.

Blanc, who had a background as an editor at L'Équipe and had since transitioned into managing large sporting events such as the Winter Olympics, Dakar Rally, Tour de France, and French Open, was an astute businessman. Recently, he had been working on Juventus' new stadium project, although that remained a closely guarded secret within the club.

Following Blanc's business report, Secco, as the sporting director responsible for the team's on-field matters, took the floor.

He gave a summary of the team's performance since the *Calciopoli* scandal, claiming it had been acceptable, but he wasn't satisfied. In his view, the team hadn't fully showcased Juventus' strength.

"We should have been more dominant, more convincing in Serie B," Secco said.

He didn't directly name Deschamps, but it was clear who he was criticizing.

The cracks in Juventus' leadership were becoming more apparent. Secco represented the old guard of Juventus, while Blanc and Deschamps symbolized the club's new direction under Fiat's vision. Both sides had yet to openly confront each other, but tensions were building.

Blanc and Deschamps had grown accustomed to Secco's veiled criticisms by now.

At the end of Secco's speech, he made it clear that the club didn't plan to sign any new players during the winter break. The technical team had determined that the current squad was more than capable of handling the challenges of Serie B.

There would be no new transfers. But Secco demanded that the team play better and deliver more convincing performances.

"I hope everyone understands that we are Juventus. Being in Serie B is only temporary. Our goal isn't just promotion. We want to be champions. We are aiming to return to Serie A as champions!"

Even though Juventus had started the season with a nine-point deduction, Secco's words set the bar high.

At the moment, Napoli sat atop the table, with Juventus two points behind. Factoring in the nine-point deduction, Juventus trailed Napoli by 11 points and would drop to fourth if those points were accounted for.

Secco then turned his attention to the upcoming match against Napoli at the weekend. He described the return to the San Paolo Stadium as a chance to reclaim pride.

"That 5-0 defeat in the Coppa Italia is a stain on Juventus' honor, and we must erase that embarrassment with a victory."

Secco's fiery speech won the approval of chairman Cobolli Gigli.

The chairman, who had largely taken a backseat in daily operations, had adopted a fan-centric stance. He was deeply dissatisfied with the team's performances this season, particularly the humiliating loss to Napoli and Juventus' current standing behind them in Serie B.

"This is unacceptable to the fans!" Gigli declared.

Usually, Gigli played the role of peacemaker between Blanc and Secco, but on this issue, his stance was clear. He sided with the fans, demanding that the team regroup and restore its dominance.

And with those words, all the pressure fell squarely on Deschamps' shoulders.

...

"You know, at this point, we can't afford to go all out against Napoli. We simply don't have the resources for that," Deschamps said later, in the privacy of the general manager's office.

It was more of a complaint than a statement.

"The people in there don't understand football. One just wants to appease the fans, and the other..." Deschamps trailed off as he saw Blanc looking at him, his expression unreadable.

He stopped mid-sentence, realizing that even Blanc, despite his support, might not fully grasp the tactical complexities involved.

"Didier, I support you in almost everything, but for this weekend's match against Napoli, we must win. Another loss would be catastrophic," Blanc said, his tone grave.

Catastrophic? Did he mean the end of Deschamps' tenure?

This was the first time Deschamps had felt the real possibility of being sacked since taking the job at Juventus.

"Do you think we have the strength to beat Napoli?" Deschamps asked, his voice tinged with frustration.

"Why not?" Blanc responded, not waiting for an answer. "We have Buffon, Nedved, Camoranesi, Del Piero, Trezeguet, Zalayeta, Birindelli, Kovac... Giannichedda, Paro, Zanetti, all of them were regular starters for top Serie A teams. Chiellini, Marchisio, Marchionni, Bojinov—all of them are young and incredibly talented. With such a lineup, do you really think we can't beat Napoli?"

Deschamps was left speechless.

He didn't know what to say.

He couldn't tell them that Napoli, under Gao Shen's guidance, was playing at an advanced tactical level he had yet to figure out how to counter. He couldn't admit that while Juventus had stars, Napoli's young players were performing at a higher level. He certainly couldn't suggest that despite their famous names, Juventus might not be better than Napoli as a team.

There were things Deschamps understood but couldn't articulate.

If he said those things out loud, the consequences could be far worse than losing a game or even losing his job.

Just as earlier in the meeting, when Gigli and Secco had asked him why Juventus, with such a strong squad, couldn't play the same tactical football as Napoli.

Why couldn't they press high like Napoli did? Why couldn't they play more aggressively?

Deschamps had no answer. Because he couldn't say it was because he didn't know how.

To many, tactics seemed straightforward: put the players in position, tell them what to do, how to pass, how to move.

Napoli presses high? Juventus can press high too, right? So why wasn't it working?

If your players aren't fit enough, train them harder!

If they aren't technically good enough, practice more!

After all, if Napoli's defenders could play out from the back and launch accurate long passes, why couldn't Juventus' players?

If Napoli's players could do it, surely Juventus' stars could too?

And if they couldn't, whose fault was it? The players? Or the coach?

It always comes back to the coach in European football.

Deschamps even sensed that Blanc, who had always supported him, now believed that a win against Napoli was essential to turn the season around.

If that's the case, what more was there to say?

He deeply regretted his decision to take this job.

But now, no matter what, he was Juventus' head coach. He had to see it through, even if it meant tears at the end.

"I'll do my best."

With that, Deschamps walked away, dejected.

Blanc watched him leave, feeling conflicted.

He understood Deschamps' difficulties, but who didn't face challenges?

What Juventus needs to do now is to maintain their stature as a powerhouse and return to their former glory as soon as possible.

Once that aura fades, it may take years to regain.

Without that stature, is Juventus still truly Juventus?

...

...

As Deschamps left 32 Via Ferraris, in the south of Italy, a long-awaited figure arrived at the gates of the Castel Volturno training center in Naples.