Former Juventus midfielder Alessio Tacchinardi shared his candid thoughts on the club’s Champions League victory over Bodo/Glimt during an appearance on IlBianconero’s YouTube channel. Reflecting on the hard-fought win in Norway, he highlighted the challenges of such away games while praising the second-half turnaround.
Tacchinardi noted the difficulties of “cold matches” like those against Rosenborg, emphasising the injury risks on artificial pitches. “In Italy we’re not used to it, it’s a different and tough style of football, the ball moves much faster,” he said. “The Old Lady was struggling in the early minutes, it showed. The victory is a big plus, but I won’t get carried away – even in Spalletti’s comments, it’s clear things are going well but more needs to be done. He keeps stressing personality, hunger, and courage.”
On the first half, Tacchinardi was blunt: “It was a must-win game, but the first half was embarrassing. I don’t know if they realise where they are, what they’re doing, and what shirt they’re wearing. That was a do-or-die match – lose it and you’re out of everything. Fortunately, Spalletti must have turned the dressing room around. Juventus can’t play a first half like that; I’d accept it after ten straight wins, but not now. I was shocked. In the second half, the team changed attitude. The players need to step up.”
Praising Kenan Yildiz’s impact, he added: “Yildiz was phenomenal, but he can’t do it every time. Fortunately, Bodo left him one-on-one, but in Italy they mark him with three. With Bodo, it worked out because they let him shine. He did it all alone. Finally, a goal from Miretti, a midfielder who hits the target. Otherwise, you stay flat. At 2-2 we scored, but winning matters – we need more. I respect Cagliari and Udinese, but real heavy matches follow. Juventus can’t afford a bad half; something extra is required.”
Tacchinardi also addressed pressure at the club, contrasting it with lighter atmospheres abroad like Villarreal. “There’s pressure, even media pressure, at Juventus – duties and honours,” he explained. “I went to Villarreal and wondered if it was football: no tension, laughing in training, beach trips. I didn’t like it; if I’m playing, I want pressure. This huge pressure cap doesn’t seem to come from the club. Chiellini isn’t saying ‘win at all costs’. Comolli wants to win but works for it. I don’t see excessive pressure stopping them. Or maybe Spalletti sees a lack of personality and is fixing it – he turned them around at half-time, after the derby, and after Fiorentina.”
Finally, on new signings Openda and David, Tacchinardi suggested: “They’re perhaps penalised by a system where they feel stifled or alone. Maybe they’re used to a different setup. Openda seems everything but a pure striker – a counter-attacker, like a second striker orbiting the main one. That’s my impression. I think they’re feeling some pressure too: it’s easier going from Juventus to Bayer or Villarreal, where pressures differ abroad.”
