Radja Nainggolan, never known as a Juventus sympathiser, has heaped praise on Luciano Spalletti and the remarkable transformation he’s brought to the club since taking charge in November.
“Spalletti is like a football father to me — he understood me better than anyone and made me a better player,” the Belgian told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “He’s a top manager. Juventus haven’t played this beautifully and dominantly since the Scudetto years with Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini. People called him finished after leaving the national team, but he’s proving once again what a genius he is.”
A Team Built for the Title
Nainggolan admitted he’s not surprised by Juventus’ Scudetto-level form under Spalletti. “He’s a football genius who sees things others don’t. He doesn’t have a magic wand, but he always gets the best out of his players. How can anyone be surprised by a coach who won the title with Napoli, playing great football without being favourites? If I were Juventus, I’d lock him down immediately.”
On the title race, Nainggolan still gives Inter a slight edge: “They’re top and remain favourites, but this is a balanced league where anyone can slip. This is the best Juve we’ve seen in years — they’re strong, and since the poor start under Tudor there’s been no pressure to win at all costs. If the teams ahead drop more points, you never know. Do I regret turning down Juventus back in the day? Not at all. I always wanted to be a protagonist and was motivated by the idea of beating them to win the title.”
Spalletti’s Tough Love
The former Roma midfielder also shared an anecdote about the time he got on Spalletti’s bad side. “It was a match against Torino — I was awful in the first half. In the dressing room, Spalletti shouted, ‘Are you going to wake up or not?’ Then he splashed water on my face and took me off around the hour mark. There was no way back!”
The New Nainggolan and What Juve Still Lack
Asked whether Weston McKennie could be Spalletti’s new version of him, Nainggolan agreed. “Yes, he defends, attacks and can play in a thousand roles. He’s got that same spirit.”
He also gave his take on Juventus’ remaining gaps: “Do they need a new deep-lying playmaker? No, because Locatelli already fills that role well. What they really miss is someone like Džeko — a proper target man to help link play. Jonathan David and Openda are both quality strikers with great scoring records, but Italy is the toughest league for forwards. If it were up to me, I’d sign Edin any day, even now. As for Mateta, I don’t know him that well — I’ve only seen him play a few times.”
