Alessandro Del Piero believes his former club Juventus and its star man Paulo Dybala will return to form in the second half of the season.
Juve won Serie A and reached the UEFA Champions League final last term, but it is four points off the pace in third place in the league and has won just once in four matches in all competitions - scraping past lowly Benevento earlier this month.
Dybala, meanwhile, started the campaign in blistering form but has scored just twice for club and country since September.
Del Piero is confident these struggles are just part of the process in a long season, however, backing both the Bianconeri and Dybala to improve.
"It's not the first time that Juve has limped in the fall," the Juve great told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"You have to be in shape in the spring, so I still expect Juve to compete in Italy and in Europe."
On Dybala, Del Piero added: "Against Barcelona [a 0-0 draw on Wednesday], Paulo played very well; he was the only one to offer something more.
"He held the ball, took the fouls, hit the target in the final third. He is looking for the goal-scoring form he showed at the beginning of the season.
"Dybala is raising the bar further. He will find the right balance to return to those levels."
After hosting Crotone this weekend, Juve will start December with big games against Napoli, Olympiacos and Inter - a run Del Piero believes can boost the side's confidence.
"They need those two or three games that give you the feeling of being back," he added. "[Coach Massimiliano] Allegri is waiting for this moment."
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