Juventus 1-0 Genoa verdict: What Italian papers said about Tudor’s debut | OneFootball

Igor Tudor’s reign as Juventus head coach got off to a winning start with a 1-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A on Saturday evening, but most outlets in the Italian press feel that there is still plenty of work for the Croatian to do before the end of the 2024-25 season.

Kenan Yildiz struck in the 25th minute to hand Tudor three points on his debut as Juventus head coach, having replaced Thiago Motta on an interim contract until the end of the 2024-25 campaign this time last week.

TURIN, ITALY – MARCH 29: Kenan Yıldız celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Juventus and Genoa at the Allianz Stadium on March 29, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

There were several notable differences about the way Juventus set up on Saturday, as well as the difference in approach between Motta and Tudor, from his switching to a 3-4-2-1 shape, to his manner on the touchline.

Tudor earned plenty of praise from the Italian media the morning after his debut, but most outlets suggest that tougher tests are still yet to come for the new coach, and while beating Genoa was an important first step, the performance was not the finished article.

What the Italian press said about Tudor’s Juventus debut

epa11997494 Igor Tudor gestures during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Juventus FC and Genoa CFC, in Juventus, Italy, 29 March 2025. EPA-EFE/Alessandro Di Marco

La Gazzetta dello Sport praised Tudor for his change in shape, switching from Thiago Motta’s preferred 4-2-3-1 to a 3-4-2-1, which the Pink Paper feels helped to bring the best out of some of Juve’s key players, such as Kenan Yildiz and Teun Koopmeiners.

Gazzetta also gave Tudor credit for Juventus’s risk-taking in possession, their ability to commit with numbers while not appearing too vulnerable on the counter-attack.

Saturday’s report suggests, however, that Juventus would be ‘better off’ with Randal Kolo Muani up front as opposed to Dusan Vlahovic, who showed willingness but not incisiveness on his return to the Bianconeri starting XI.

TURIN, ITALY – MARCH 29: Dusan Vlahovic is challenged by Koni De Winter of Genoa during the Serie A match at the Allianz Stadium on March 29, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Corriere dello Sport’s Ivan Zazzaroni wrote that the noticeable positive spirit was one of the highlights of Juventus’s performance, while also handing praise to the returning goalscorer, Yildiz.

However, the same report suggests that the ‘progress’ under Tudor is not completely evident yet, and claims that there is a weakness in Juventus’s defensive line, particularly after Federico Gatti withdrew on Saturday.

Tuttosport, meanwhile, wrote that Tudor’s approach was the complete opposite of Motta’s, claiming that the former was more focused on possession, while his replacement was focused entirely on securing the result.