MILAN (AP) — Igor Tudor could be exactly the coach Juventus needs and at exactly the right time.
Tudor accepted the job last weekend, replacing Thiago Motta with the storied Italian club in disarray and discord.
Juventus is out of all competitions, having been eliminated from the Champions League and the Italian Cup. In Serie A, its faint chance of challenging for the title has evaporated after conceding seven goals and scoring none in its last two matches — 4-0 and 3-0 losses to Atalanta and Fiorentina.
That has left a shellshocked Juventus in fifth place and at risk of not qualifying for the Champions League next season. Motta also reportedly lost the support of key players.
Enter Tudor.
The 46-year-old has a reputation for being a fixer, coming into clubs during the season and turning things around — having done that at Udinese (twice), Hellas Verona and Lazio.
Tudor also has a reputation as a no-nonsense coach, who can handle difficult players and who will follow his own beliefs rather than toe the line to appease club bosses.
He left Marseille and Lazio after falling out with the hierarchy.
“Am I someone who resolves problems? I consider myself a coach,” Tudor said in a news conference on Thursday. “I started coaching young and I’ve been doing it for 10-15 years, I have gone around a lot, I can also be a bit particular because I make choices with my heart.
“I continue if I feel it is right. If not, I go home regardless of my contract. I live in the present. I want to be here for 10 years but I will do my work in the same way. We can’t control what happens in the future.”
Tudor has been given a contract until the end of June, taking him through to the end of the domestic season and the Club World Cup in the United States. His contract will reportedly be automatically renewed for another year if Juventus qualifies for the Champions League.
Juventus is one point below fourth-placed Bologna and Tudor’s first match in charge will be on Saturday, at home to Genoa.
“I believe a lot in this team because it has quality players and a great desire to improve,” Tudor said. “We know that we are going through a difficult period and that there has been little time to work on changes, but there are no excuses in life and I have never looked for them.”
Tudor knows Juventus well, having spent almost a decade as a player at the club, and then returning as an assistant coach to Andrea Pirlo in 2020-21. Pirlo and Tudor were fired at the end of that season.
The Croatian tactician is very much aware of the demands of the record 36-time Serie A champion.
“At Juve I learnt a lot, both as a player and as assistant coach,” Tudor said. “This club has a unique work culture. I’ve told the lads about some moments I experienced here as a youngster … what makes up Juve: Respect, discipline, sacrifice and the will to win.
“Over the years I have been involved with many teams and I have never seen a mentality like the one I found here. At Juve, hard work comes first and every choice is made with great care. This spirit must be our starting point.”
One of the many stars Tudor played with at Juventus was Lilian Thuram, who was his Bianconeri teammate for five seasons.
One of Thuram’s sons, Khéphren Thuram, plays for Juventus.
“I spoke to Lilian yesterday and he told me that if Khéphren does something wrong, I have to immediately give him a smack,” Tudor said with a laugh.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Juventus' head coach Thiago Motta looks down during the Serie A soccer match between Fiorentina and Juventus at Florence's Artemio Franchi stadium, Italy, Sunday March 16, 2025. (Alfredo Falcone/LaPresse via AP)
FILE - Lazio coach Igor Tudor gestures during the Serie A soccer match between Monza and Lazio at the U-Power Stadium in Monza, Italy, Saturday May 4 , 2024. (Alberto Mariani/LaPresse via AP, File)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two Democrats vying to be Iowa's next U.S. senator are scheduled to debate Thursday, as each seeks to convince voters he's better positioned to flip the Republican-held seat in a contest that has seen heavy outside spending and high-profile endorsements.
State lawmakers Zach Wahls and Josh Turek are competing in a June 2 primary. It is one of a few remaining competitive Democratic Senate primaries this year, as the party looks to find the best approach to reclaim the U.S. Senate this fall.
Iowa’s Republican Sen. Joni Ernst opted out of a reelection bid, leaving the seat open for the first time since she replaced retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin in 2014. Republican Senate leaders have backed Ashley Hinson, a congresswoman representing northeast Iowa, committing $29 million for her to help keep their thin majority.
Democrats see an opportunity to flip seats in the once-competitive state, despite President Donald Trump’s double-digit win in the last presidential election and an all-Republican federal delegation. But first they need to settle which federal candidate will be at the top of the ticket. Early voting began Wednesday.
While Wahls and Turek have raised and spent similar amounts, a Democratic political organization, VoteVets, has spent about $7 million to support Turek in the final stretch of the campaign. That's more than the two candidates have spent combined.
Turek, who is not a veteran, was born with spina bifida after his father’s exposure to chemicals while serving in the Vietnam War. The group has said Turek is uniquely positioned to advocate for veterans’ services, especially health care and military families.
Wahls has criticized the influx of cash as insiders in Washington trying to exert outsized influence, and it's likely to come up again Thursday, as it did at an Iowa Press debate last week.
Wahls has been vocal about who should — or should not — lead Senate Democrats, saying he would not vote for Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York to be the caucus leader.
“The leadership of Chuck Schumer has failed the Democratic Party, it has failed the state and it has failed this country,” Wahls said during last week's debate. “Dark money has an agenda, and that agenda is to protect the broken status quo and the failed leadership of Sen. Schumer.”
Schumer has tried to keep the focus on Republicans.
Wahls is endorsed by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who joined him in Iowa for campaign events over the weekend. The progressive senator told voters the Senate needs Democrats who are willing to “get in there and stand up and fight.” Wahls also often highlights the support he's seen from unions and local elected officials.
Turek responded to Wahls' criticism saying he's not a “DC insider."
“I don't know these folks," he said. Turek explained his criteria for leader candidates but stopped short of saying he wouldn’t support Schumer.
“I will go up and ask whoever is deciding to run for leadership ... ‘What are you going to do for Iowa? What are you going to do for Iowans? What are you going to do for the middle class?’” Turek said.
In the last week, Turek unveiled a rare endorsement from Harkin, who represented Iowa in Washington for three decades, as well as former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Turek also has collected endorsements from sitting U.S. senators, including Illinois' Tammy Duckworth, New Hampshire's Maggie Hassan and Nevada's Catherine Cortez Masto.
In the first debate last week, Turek and Wahls were aligned on many issues. Both said that they would not support the Republican president’s tariffs or the war in Iran and that they do support raising the minimum wage and restoring health care access with a public insurance option. They criticized corruption in Washington and proposed higher taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans.
But they also started to draw some contrasts. More of that is likely Thursday.
Wahls referenced a law Turek supported in the Iowa legislature that makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally. Turek defended his vote, saying it was Biden-era legislation and stressed the importance of a secure U.S.-Mexico border. Turek said he also supports an easier path to citizenship and reforms to immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
Turek highlighted his working-class background and contrasted his work for a nonprofit with Wahls’ work for a political organization focused on electing young Democrats.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.
This combination of file photos shows Iowa State Sen. and candidate for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate Zach Wahls speaking in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Sept, 11, 2025, left, and Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek speaking in Des Moines, Iowa, April 8, 2026, right. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette via AP, File)
