Trading places: How Juventus fought back from 15th to retain Scudetto

The season started like a nightmare and ended like a dream. Juventus appeared to be at the end of a cycle, with protagonists Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, and Carlos Tevez all gone, and the winning mentality seemingly out the door as well.

In October, the scene looked just as dire as Chelsea's in the Premier League. Juventus fell to 15th place, precariously close to the relegation zone, and Napoli filled the vacuum by wintertime.

Then something clicked. The losses turned into 1-0, 2-0, and 3-0 victories. Gianluigi Buffon saved everything in sight. And the defending champion went on to claim 73 out of a possible 75 points to recapture the Serie A crown.

"An unbelievable season," said defender Leonardo Bonucci. "Everyone said we were dead and buried and now we've won the Scudetto."

The path to glory was long and arduous. Here's how the Old Lady did it:

Allegri's patience

Manager Massimiliano Allegri, endlessly engaging with Juventus supporters on social media, proved patience does bear fruit.

In August, he tweeted: "Serie A is not a 100-metre sprint but a marathon." And he was right.

At the time, Juventus allowed goals on the first shot it saw. The points dripped, dripped away. Draws with Chievo and Frosinone tested the soul and the character of a team of veterans.

"The team needs to grow through difficulty, especially when the ball doesn't go into the net," Allegri tweeted in September. "You only learn to swim when your head is under water."

Juventus submerged itself in adversity and came up for air a champion again.

Paulo Dybala's emergence

Dybala cost €32 million in the summer, and there were questions whether Juventus overpaid for a player with just one year of Serie A experience.

The answer turned out to be an unequivocal no.

Allegri slowly integrated the 22-year-old Argentine into the starting lineup, and the goals came soon after. Dybala put memories of Tevez firmly in the past.

But Dybala proved he can play goal-scorer as well as he can play provider. With eight assists to complement his 16 Serie A goals, he often tipped the balance of otherwise tight matches.

Last-minute winner in Derby della Mole

Early on, Juventus struggled just to stay competitive, a truly humbling experience for a team accustomed to winning at record pace. A 1-0 loss to Sassuolo in October preceded an unusually crucial derby against city rival Torino, which, for at least a generation, had traditionally become fodder for a Juventus victory.

The evening was headed for a draw until Juventus found the winner in stoppage time. Much like the opening parts of this trying season, the goal wasn't pretty - loanee Juan Cuadrado essentially bundled the ball home - but it served to kick start a slumping campaign.

Juventus would go on to 23 of its next 24 matches.

Napoli's tailspin in February

Napoli earned the title of winter champion in January and looked poised for a first Scudetto since the days of Diego Maradona. The Partenopei were carried by the goal scoring exploits of record-chasing striker Gonzalo Higuain. But even Higuain knew the job was half done.

"It means nothing to be winter champions, it’s not worth anything," he told Sky Sport Italia at the time. "Being there in May is what counts."

Except Napoli couldn't even last that long. The southerners went without a win in February - including a season-defining loss to Juventus - and they've struggled for consistency in the intervening months. Further defeats to Udinese and Inter, in conjunction with Higuain's three-match ban, all but ended any dream of the title.

"I think when a team like Juventus recovers 20 points on the second team in the league, there's not much point clinging to futile excuses," Bonucci told Tuttosport last week, with a cheeky reference to Napoli. "Instead they should just clap their hands and praise a team that is making history, but that’s very unlikely to happen in Italy."

Buffon's timely saves

At 38 years old, Buffon managed to have a career year.

He hasn't faced the most shots in Serie A this season, but the saves he made were almost exclusively of the highest quality. Buffon routinely gave Juventus the best chance to win, diving and showing athleticism, especially as the campaign entered the final stretch.

He went 973 minutes without conceding a goal, besting the previous Serie A record held by former AC Milan goalkeeper Sebastian Rossi, and it was during that run when Juventus truly completed the transformation from also-ran to favourite.