Juventus have suffered their first defeat of the season, falling 3-2 at the Mapei Stadium against Sassuolo. The Emilian side won the points through goals from Esposito, Bowie, and a decisive intervention from loanee Vasilije Adžić — exactly one year after his famous long-range strike against Inter. It was not enough for the Bianconeri that Edon Zhegrova scored a brace in the second half to reignite hopes of a comeback. Luciano Spalletti spoke at length to both DAZN and in his post-match press conference — and the interview begins with one of the evening’s more memorable exchanges.
“Don’t Cry…” — the Siparietto That Will Be Remembered
Before Spalletti could answer his first question on Sky, the interviewer began formulating his question with a tone that prompted an immediate and lightly ironic intervention from the manager: “Don’t cry, don’t cry…” It was a line that said everything — and nothing — simultaneously. The analysis that followed was rather more pointed.
“It Burns Excessively — We Lost Our Equilibrium Going Forward with Eight”
On DAZN, the immediate post-match assessment was a mixture of frustration and honest self-criticism. “It burns excessively because we could have won — we had deserved to turn it around. We lost our equilibrium, going forward with eight players, but in the situation before we could have scored the 3-2 ourselves. The players tried to win it — and it was me who stimulated them.” He added the caveat that frames the entire tactical story of the defeat: “Perhaps they executed too literally — going into the area in too great numbers to turn the match around. In my view we had already created the position to turn it around completely. Then clearly, when you lose the ball going up with that many above the line, there is certainly blame on our side. It all comes from the desire to go and close it out.”
“We Played Too Little Through Kolo Muani — But He Must Also Be More Ruthless”
The assessment of the centre-forward situation was characteristically direct. “We must play more through him — giving him the ball to hold and using him to reverse the opponents’ press. We did it too rarely. In some cases, however, he must be more ruthless — that is true.” He continued at the press conference: “We must give him more balls into his feet. We gave him too few. If there are no outlets available, sometimes you must play through the first striker, who holds the ball at the edge of the area. At that point we play off the supporting players and it becomes difficult for the opposition. We must stimulate him more — and I will be there until the very end.”
“The Second Half’s Attitude Pleases Me More Than the First”
The full press conference assessment of the match’s tactical evolution was detailed. “In the first half we couldn’t find the spaces — the tight combinations that cut out lines of the opposition. We played too little through Kolo Muani because when they had created man-on-man situations we should have played to the first striker and reversed their pressing intentions. It seemed to me that on several occasions we arrived close to the post with Conceição for crosses, we had two shots from the edge of the area where we could have hit wherever we wanted, and I could see the conditions had been created to win the first half too — not doing much, because you miss the final pass, the cross goes long, you don’t find the man in the area.”
His conclusion was unambiguous: “The second half’s attitude pleases me considerably more than the first.”
“We Lost Equilibrium — but We Had Created the Possibility of Winning the Game”
On the tactical decision to push forward in search of the equaliser and then the winner — and the vulnerability it created: “Balances must be maintained — and the possibility of managing what subsequently happens. By overloading one situation, one search, we lost equilibrium in the other. But we had created the possibility of going to win the match. Now everyone asks how we can concede a three-against-two like that. It’s true — you can’t remain so exposed. But going forward we were eight against seven. We could have circulated the ball and maybe shot at goal instead of losing it. We lost a match that bleeds — because it costs us enormously in terms of enthusiasm and of the table. But at least we stayed even in terms of numbers — we just had to manage it better, and that was my instruction.”
On Zhegrova: “When He Creates These One-Against-Ones He Becomes Unplayable”
On the Kosovar winger’s brace — his first Juventus goals in competitive football and the moment that briefly suggested a comeback was possible: “He becomes unpredictable and unplayable when he creates these one-against-ones in tight spaces. Then perhaps he loses an easy ball and doesn’t have the quality to chase back on the flank. But if you play an offensive match he is an incredible player.”
On Adžić: “He Has Great Qualities — He Needs to Play with Continuity”
On the Juventus loanee who scored the decisive third goal precisely one year after his famous strike against Inter: “He has a great many qualities. He has a bag full of positive things — endurance, technique. He is a footballer with his own creativity. The important quality is the foot he has — but in all of this he needs to build his knowledge, he needs to play, he needs growth. He came on in the second half. He needs to play with continuity. If you give another player without his foot the space to be alone in that zone of the pitch, everything becomes simpler. Adžić will have important possibilities in the future.”
The Wagon — Still On It
The final word, on Kolo Muani and the patient conviction that has defined Spalletti’s entire relationship with the French striker’s Juventus career: “I will be there until the very end.” The first defeat of the season has arrived. The international break follows. The European adventure begins on the other side. And the manager, as always, is looking forward rather than back.
