Are Juventus falling behind in Serie A and Europe given their awful September?

When it rains, it pours. If they were superstitious — and some might be, who knows? — Juventus officials would be waiting for their Septembre horribilis (“horrible September”) to come to an end. Not that it was great before, but this month has seen the negativity spiral in ever-tightening circles.

On the pitch, in Serie A and the UEFA Champions League, the club played five games, drawing twice and losing the other three. They’re eighth in Serie A and stuck on zero points in Europe, in a group that includes Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa. Massimiliano Allegri, hailed as a common-sense players’ coach back when he was winning four straight titles and taking them to two Champions League finals, is about as popular as a pair of Crocs at Milan Fashion Week.

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On Friday, they announced record losses of €254 million ($245m) in 2021-22, bringing the total over the past three seasons well beyond the half-billion mark. Season ticket sales fell 27% year on year and large sections of empty seats are noticeable at games, prompting some supporters to turn to the hashtag #StadiumVuoto (or “#EmptyStadium”) in an effort to voice their dissatisfaction with the club and, primarily, Allegri.

Juve’s on-pitch woes this season are well-chronicled. It’s down to a combination of injuries to key players (or players who Allegri thought should be key), poor planning and even poorer decisions by the manager. They are magnified and made more infuriating to fans by Allegri’s manner, which too often seems glib and dismissive, if not downright in denial.

But as poor as Juve have played, the reality is that fourth place is still just four points away, and they still control their own destiny in the Champions League.

– Juventus post record losses after season with zero trophies

The heavy…