Five games that tell the story of Juventus' title-winning season

26 April 2016 16:27

Juventus were crowned 2015-16 Serie A champions on Monday as second-placed Napoli were ruled out of the title race following defeat at Roma.

The Bianconeri, who have claimed the Scudetto for the fifth year in a row, did not have it all their own way, however. Massimiliano Allegri's men opened the season with back-to-back defeats.

Here, Press Association Sport's James Cann looks at five games which told the story of Juve's campaign.

JUVENTUS 0 UDINESE 1 - August 23, 2015

Juve were once again the toast of Italy having stormed to a fourth title on the spin while also reaching the Champions League final in Berlin.

But the departures of key players Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez and Arturo Vidal meant a tactical reshuffle was needed and the Bianconeri were not quite ready when the new season started.

They looked toothless in Turin on the opening weekend and a late goal from Udinese's Cyril Thereau denied them any share of the points. The subsequent defeat to Roma drew heavier criticism.

JUVENTUS 2 TORINO 1 - October 31, 2015

The first of two derby victories over Torino represented the beginning of a remarkable run that saw Juve drop only two points from their next 25 games.

Not only were the Bianconeri floundering in a dismal 12th before kick-off on Hallowe'en, their modest city rivals were three points better off and dreaming of European qualification.

Juve reminded the Toro who was boss, but not without a struggle, as Cesare Bovo's equaliser scrubbed out a Paul Pogba opener to demand some late magic from substitute Juan Cuadrado. The Colombian winger, on as a substitute, picked the best possible time to open his account for Juve.

JUVENTUS 1 AC MILAN 0 - November 21, 2015

With almost half the season played Juve were still struggling to break into the top six and Paulo Dybala, their marquee summer signing from Palermo, had largely flattered to deceive.

His early goals had not helped deliver victories nor come against tough opposition and he had struggled to lay claim to a starting berth, with Alvaro Morata and Simone Zaza often preferred.

But his winner against Milan - an emphatic volley past teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma - was the making of the young Argentinian and he has since emerged as a leading light in Turin.

JUVENTUS 1 NAPOLI 0 - February 13, 2016

"Don't believe the hype" - a phrase never more appropriate than when it was applied to this hotly anticipated Saturday night clash.

Napoli, having deposed early season pretenders Inter Milan, were two points clear at the top and harboured ambitions of pulling further clear as they boasted 24-goal top-scorer Gonzalo Higuain.

But the Argentinian picked a bad night to fire blanks and the evening belonged to substitute Zaza, whose late strike fired Juve into a dominant position they would never relinquish.

FIORENTINA 1 JUVENTUS 2 - April 24, 2016

It would perhaps be inaccurate to say that defeat to Fiorentina in Tuscany would have destabilised Juve enough to allow Napoli back into the title race.

But a poor result would certainly have knocked the Bianconeri off their stride heading into the home straight and they had to dig deep to down La Viola.

Mario Mandzukic's first-half volley gave them the upper hand and Morata showed grit to produce an instant response to Nikola Kalinic's leveller. With seconds remaining, Gianluigi Buffon pulled off a superb double save on Kalinic's penalty and an attempted follow-up to protect the win.

Source: PA-WIRE