Juventus, the Italians have disappeared: how they went from 70% to 20%, with transfer decisions and injuries the project is collapsing

The arrivals of Giovanni Carnevali and Frederic Massara, along with the confirmation of Luciano Spalletti, have ushered in a new year zero for Juventus, the latest attempt to rebuild a club and a team who have not won the Serie A title since 2020. As the Old Lady celebrate the 15th anniversary of their home Juventus Stadium, one figure invites comparison with another year zero in Juventus history: 2011-12, Antonio Conte's first season on the bench, the campaign that brought the first of nine straight Serie A titles. That year Juventus played their first home match against Parma, just as they did this year (before the 1-1 draw with AC Milan): here is a look at Juventus's two line-ups in those two matches, 15 years apart.

The showdown

Juventus v Parma 4-1, 2011-12 season

Buffon, Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Chiellini, De Ceglie; Marchisio, Pirlo; Pepe (71' Krasic), Matri (53' Vucinic), Del Piero (68' Vidal), Giaccherini. Manager: Conte

Juventus v Parma 2-0, 2026-27 season

Vicario; Kalulu, Bremer, Lucumí (75' Kelly), Celik; Locatelli, Douglas Luiz; Conceiçao (75' Cambiaso, 86' Koopmeiners), David (57' Gonzalez), Boga (57' Alajbegovic 6); Kolo Muani. Manager: Spalletti

The statistic that stands out immediately, aside from the presence of a far higher number of champions in the 2011-12 Juventus side than the current one, is the number of Italians in Conte's team compared to Spalletti's: 10 out of 14 for Juve in 2011-12 (71%), 3 out of 15 for Juve in 2026-27 (20%).

With Sassuolo, only one Italian?

Back in June, Carnevali's message seemed clear, reinforced by the signing of Jeff Ekhator from Genoa: to strengthen the Italian core of the squad. A few months later, though, the picture has changed completely. On Sunday evening at the Mapei Stadium against Sassuolo, Luciano Spalletti could field a Juventus side with 10 foreign starters and only one Italian, Guglielmo Vicario, in goal.

Injuries have driven that turnaround above all. The long absence of Manuel Locatelli, out for around six months, has left Spalletti without his main Italian reference point in midfield. Andrea Cambiaso is also still struggling with ankle problems. Ekhator is unavailable for at least another month and a half too.

The transfer market choices

The transfer market has thinned the Italian ranks even further: Fabio Miretti, Mattia Perin and Michele Di Gregorio have left Continassa, with the latter replaced by Vicario. That leaves Federico Gatti, Daniele Rugani and Next Gen youngsters Augusto Owusu and Filippo Pagnucco, but none of them, barring surprises, should start against Sassuolo.

That still matters for a club that has historically been the main reservoir for the national team, making a decisive contribution to the Azzurri's successes with its 'blocks'. The last Juventus side to start with ten foreigners and only one Italian dates back to the derby against Torino on 28 February 2023, when Nicolò Fagioli was the only Italy international in the starting line-up. An exceptional situation: in Juventus history, it has never happened that Juventus started a match without even one Italian in the starting XI.