Zambrotta advises Tudor: ‘Return to a back three, give Vlahovic more chances’

Former Juventus and Italy defender Gianluca Zambrotta has shared his thoughts on all-things Bianconero, including his advice for Igor Tudor, his opinion on the Old Lady’s best centre-forward and the ‘room for improvement’ for Kenan Yildiz. 

The 2006 World Cup winner spoke in-depth in an interview with Tuttosport, published on Tuesday. 

Tudor is a man under mounting pressure at Juventus, having fallen to his first defeat of the season away against Como on Sunday, but more concerningly, having gone over a month without a win in any competition. 

Despite their ‘tricky’ week, Zambrotta feels that a big match away against Real Madrid is the perfect opportunity for the Old Lady to bounce back, even more so than if they had to play against a ‘weaker’ side. 

When asked what Juventus have to do to bounce back from the Como defeat, Zambrotta said: “Firstly, you have to analyse the defeat with a clear mind and then start looking ahead. Having a big game like the one against Real Madrid to play straight away can be an advantage. It would have been tougher to face a team that is less strong on paper.”

And on Tudor, he added: “Of course. This week is tricky, he has to try and overturn this difficult situation, but he can do it. He has to only think about the result. You can’t question the trust in Tudor now.”

Zambrotta feels that the back-four experiment against Como wasn’t a success and suggests that Tudor sticks to the tactics he feels most comfortable with. 

“Tudor hasn’t used (a back four) much in his career as a coach. I think he needs to return to a three-man back-line. You have to move forwards with your own ideals, that’s the only real solution. He’s always played that way, so it’s better to continue believing in the things that work best.

“Juve are still close to the top, they shouldn’t just throw everything away. After all, they’ve only lost one game. The gap is small, but the team hasn’t won in a long time. Even in the Champions League they have two draws on their record. It will be difficult against Real Madrid, but who knows.” 

What does Zambrotta remember from his time playing alongside Tudor at Juventus?

“He gave a lot for Juventus, even as a player he was someone you could rely on in difficult moments. He has to stay calm now, he can get out of this rut.” 

Zambrotta has no doubts when it comes to selecting Juventus’s strongest centre-forward out of Dusan Vlahovic, Jonathan David and Lois Openda. 

“I’m always of the opinion that they should give Vlahovic a few more chances. He returned to scoring for Serbia, I’ve always liked him. Even at Juve, he’s the one who’s scored the most. It might be the case that he needs a teammate to play close to him, but I’d always choose Vlahovic.” 

And on the ongoing talks for a new Kenan Yildiz contract extension, Zambrotta said: “I think the two parties want to continue together, I don’t see any problems on the horizon. Yildiz has done great things in recent months, but he needs to grow even further. He has so much room for improvement.” 

And what does Zambrotta feel is still achievable for Juventus this season? 

“The Scudetto and the Coppa Italia have to remain an objective, they can’t lose sight of those two goals. There’s still the Champions League as well, a competition in which Juventus can go a long way.” 

Zambrotta also shared his memory of Juventus’s Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid back in 2003. 

“It’s a special match for me: I still remember the 2003 Champions League semi-final. I think that was one of my best games in a Juventus shirt. We did very well in that second leg, they couldn’t touch us. It was a sensational night, I still take so much pride from it. I think it was one of the most beautiful games Juve has ever played in Europe.”