Juventus once again displayed their domestic dominance with a third consecutive double under Massimilano Allegri but the season ultimately ended in heartbreak as they were well beaten in the Champions League final by Real Madrid as their bid for a historic treble came to a crushing end in Cardiff. However, it would of course be unfair to solely focus on that defeat when reflecting on another successful season for the Old Lady. Unlike last season, they hit the ground running before a ball had even been kicked. Paul Pogba was sold for a world record transfer fee and Juve arguably improved after his departure with the capture of two of the best players in Serie A from their nearest title rivals. Gonzalo Higuain was signed from Napoli for huge money and returned some of the investment with 24 league goals whilst Miralem Pjanic's arrival from Roma filled the void left by Pogba in midfield. The Bosnian isn't quite the powerhouse that Pogba was but he more than made up for it with his technical prowess. Dani Alves also proved to be a shrewd piece of business as the Brazilian right-back proved he was far from finished with some dynamic performances. It wasn't all plain sailing for the champions though as they suffered early season defeats to both Milan clubs and were then swept off the park in the opening half an hour by Genoa at the Marassi. It led to Allegri deciding to change his formation to a very attack minded 4-2-3-1 with Mario Mandzukic being reformed as a left sided forward. It proved to be a masterstroke from the manager and Juve dominated with that system both at home and in Europe. It got the best out of Paulo Dybala who was given more of a free role behind Higuain and he announced himself as a superstar with a stunning performance against Barcelona in the Champions League as the Bianconeri thrashed the Catalans 3-0 in Turin. They managed to shut out the attacking talents of Messi, Neymar, Saurez & co over two legs thanks to their continually excellent defence and the great man between the sticks. Gigi Buffon entered his 40th year but still remains one of the world's best goalkeepers and arguably the greatest of all time but it was heartache for him again for the third time in a Champions League final. Juventus couldn't quite keep up with an imperious Real Madrid side in Cardiff and thus fell short of legendary status with a treble but a sixth consecutive Serie A title and third double in a row cements this team as one of the best that Italian football has ever seen.
