Juventus, season over in October: Spalletti at the end of the road, no longer in control of the team. Del Piero needed as president

"The Serie A title? Juventus' ambition is always to win." That was John Elkann on 17 August this year. As for the title, by the end of October, Juventus' season is already over. An unwanted record. Juventus still have the Coppa Italia, the Europa League and qualification for next season's Champions League through fourth place to play for. Those goals look fanciful after a disastrous defeat by Genoa, a result so similar to the loss to Lazio ten days ago.

Elkann is right: winning is in Juventus' DNA, and it must remain the ambition of the club, the manager and the team. But Juventus are now light years away from the model of a winning team.

The management aren't there yet, having arrived only a few months ago and still searching for direction. Nor is the manager any more, seemingly never having recovered from the shock of his spell with the national team and now looking like a distant relative of the man who dazzled at Napoli. The players aren't there, either. Spalletti himself has said all there is to say about them. How many Juventus players would start today for Inter, Roma or Como?

So how can they climb back up? They can't change every player, so the first step is to take a hard look at Spalletti. In recent weeks, several signs have suggested he no longer has a grip on the squad, either tactically or in terms of cohesion and unity of purpose. Important matches are looming, with no room left for error: the Tuscan manager's fate hangs on the matches against Napoli, AZ and Fiorentina. Then comes the break, a good time to make a change.

Beyond the manager, this Juventus side have neither a soul nor an image in which supporters can see and recognise themselves. They need a recognisable face who embodies Juventus' identity. A Del Piero instead of a Ferrero, to be clear.