Here's where we are at currently with Juventus: I'm starting to Google different words to name these columns because I kinda ran out of ways to say this team is in a rut.

Once again, Juventus did some good things and enough bad ones to let more points get away from them, as a would-be comeback against Atalanta (and fellow top four competitors) was thwarted by the visiting side to finish out a 2-2 draw on Sunday night at the Allianz Stadium.

So many things that were starting to become strengths of this team in the first half of the 2023-24 season like the defensive solidity and the good performances at home are completely gone in this second-half slide - and La Dea waltzing into the Allianz is just further proof of the current state of this team.

Let's cook.

Offensive Player of the Week: Weston McKennie Who would have foreseen that Leeds getting relegated last season would be the best thing to happen to Weston McKennie's career?

McKennie continued his remarkable season by notching the assist on both of Juventus' goals and playing a great all-around game. It's even more impressive when you consider that the American international was just back from a shoulder injury that would have probably sidelined him for a few more games if it was a player with less grit than him.

He was still very clearly nursing his injury at times in this game, but that didn't stop him from making a sizable impact. It was a good shift from the comeback player of the season for Juventus.

That being said... McKennie is having a really good season, and good for him. He went from surplus to requirements, to getting loaned out to coming back as an afterthought. But he worked hard, found himself a niche in Max Allegri's system and has become arguably Juventus' best midfielder this season.

Which brings me to my point: If Weston McKennie is your best midfielder, how good is your team really? This sounds like a diss against McKennie, but it really isn't. He's a pretty good player, but would he start for any team with big Champions League aspirations? Would he start for soon-to-be Serie A champions Inter Milan?

And that's for all of Juve's good players - think of so many of the guys who are getting heavy minutes for this team. Think about them in this context: Would this player get serious playing time for, say, Juventus at their peak of last decade - Arek Milik? Alex Sandro? Not even close, right?

(Obviously I refer to Alex Sandro at his current age and form. Sandro did play in some of those elite Juve teams, but he was a different player back then.)

The youngster brigade? Fabio Miretti, Samuel Iling-Junior or Kenan Yildiz? They are all getting minutes at Sassuolo during the streak and probably not even close to sticking around in the senior team.

Juventus is currently a team filled with players that fluctuate between average and pretty good at their best. Tons of prospects that could theoretically one day become great but are decidedly not so at the moment. And when that is the reality of your team, how much can we really expect?

For as lacking as Juve's current team is to truly compete at the highest level, there is mounting evidence that the coaching staff led by Allegri is not helping matters necessarily.

The consistent lapses in concentration (especially in the defensive phase), the apparent lack of preparation against set plays and the noticeable downshift in form after crashing out of the title race are things that should be steadied by the coaching staff.

Adding to this are the just outright baffling substitution patterns that Allegri has been employing lately. I understand that looking at the bench in games like these has to be a pretty grim experience for a guy who used to manage significantly more talented teams but, exactly why is Sandro and Hans Nicolussi Caviglia getting into the game before a dude like Yildiz?

(Yildiz went from starting the most important game of the season against Inter Milan to getting 10 minutes at best at the end of matches in a matter of a month. I understand that his form dipped significantly from his swashbuckling stretch, but that's a pretty brutal demotion.)

Hell, at that point, wouldn't even throwing out Filip Kostic to spray crosses be a better idea? Kostic is another guy who was a stalwart of the starting lineup to now not even sniffing minutes in the last couple of games. Not that Kostic was setting the world on fire, but that's a harsh transition, too.

The more games we see in this awful stretch and the more we see this team play it becomes very clear that the problems that ail Juventus are not just about one person but an entire litany of issues that are plaguing the Bianconeri.

Parting Shot of the Week Thanks to results elsewhere Juventus dropped to third place in the league table and they now trail both Milanese squads in the standings.

Their tow four standing still feels decently secure, but at this rate there really doesn't seem to be something that could put this team back into gear.

They have to face Genoa before facing Lazio in back-to-back matches and their best hope is to use that matchup to try and fix whatever it is ailing this team. Chances are low, but what else is there to do but hope at this point in the season.

See you (early) Sunday.