Juve suffers, in my opinion, from a problem that it had already shown last season but that, after the departure of Ronaldo, the match against Empoli has highlighted again.
It was an unexpected result coming from a collective collapse.
This phenomenon occurs when in a team most of the players play below their skill level and expectations. The only leader on the pitch was Bonucci and none of the other teammates show leadership skills at the moment.
Studying team sports in Sweden, Apitzsch [2019] found from the statements of 146 players and 15 élite coaches that 70.8% claimed to have experienced such an experience at least once during the season and predominantly while playing away from home.
This phenomenon is mainly attributable to insufficient and negative communication, unacceptance of the role on the pitch and negative emotional contagion among players during the game. A kind of collective laziness that has prevented Juventus from committing to 100%, determined by a loss of motivation due to the perception of playing against a weaker opponent and that, instead, had prepared the match in the best possible way, showing its value on the field. Ronaldo has also served to absorb the difficulties of the team, he was the winner who solved the games with an almost certain goal (everyone has said with Ronaldo 1-0 parts) and he was also the scapegoat to attack for his individualism. Gone away, the first game Juventus showed a lack of mental presence on the field.
In soccer, the most sensational episodes of collective collapse happened during the semifinal of the 2014 World Cup held in Brazil, where the Brazilian national team lost 7-1 against Germany and in 2005 during the Champions League final Milan-Liverpool held in Istanbul, when the Italian team lost the game after finishing the first half ahead 3-0.
