The Europa League offers the opportunity to bounce back. After the Cagliari draw, after the Sports Judge’s one-match ban — which Spalletti will serve against Lazio — and after a week in which the “slap” story from the Pisacane confrontation took on a life of its own in social media, the manager arrived at the Balaídos stadium press conference in full voice. Six chapters. Uncomfortable honesty in every one.
“We Are Not Venomous Enough — The Wake-Up Call Must Sound”
The second chapter — “Non siamo abbastanza avvelenati. Ora suona la sveglia” — takes the Tacchinardi diagnosis from the Tuttosport exclusive earlier in the week and repeats it from the manager’s own mouth, in his own words. It is one thing for a former player to tell a newspaper that the squad lacks the bianconero venom. It is another thing entirely for the manager to say the same thing from the pre-match conference table, on the eve of the match. Spalletti does not shrink from the assessment. It is not, he implies, a permanent condition — it is a current one that must change, and the alarm is being sounded now: “Ora suona la sveglia.”
On the Europa League and the Rotation Philosophy
Opening the conference, on whether Juventus consider themselves favourites: “This competition gives us the possibility of broadening knowledge of the squad — it is undeniable that I need to give certain new players time and that certain others need recovery. This gives us the possibility to grow and to work in depth on the whole squad. We must face all situations to go as far as possible. In this ‘Champions 2’ there are squads with equipment and potential. Like Celta Vigo. Their manager Giraldez is very young and deserves congratulations — he has shown a team that knows how to be well-organised in both phases. We cannot allow ourselves to be found weaker in certain moments of the match, otherwise they will exploit it.”
On the selection: “Having to rotate is fundamental because we have a strong squad. We do not have eleven starters and substitutes. Gatti deserves to play for what he has shown. A player like Nick Woltemade will be used tomorrow — it is right to do so. We need him to give the squad a rest. How can you go deep in a competition if you don’t rotate occasionally?”
“Nobody Was Slapped — Only Lies”
The fourth chapter addresses the media noise that followed the Cagliari red card, specifically reports that Spalletti had slapped Pisacane in the confrontation. His response is a controlled fury: “Nobody was slapped. Only lies.” The Sports Judge’s characterisation of his behaviour as “provocatory” — not physically aggressive — is the official record. The manager is drawing a hard line between the provocation he acknowledges and the physical contact he flatly denies.
The Improvement Recipe and Woltemade’s Role
The third chapter elaborates on what the recipe for competitive improvement looks like from the inside. The Europa League is the specific context in which certain tactical ideas can be developed under reduced pressure, and in which players who need minutes — Gatti, Woltemade, Kelly, Cambiaso, Alajbegović — can be given the stage they need to build confidence and form. Woltemade’s inclusion is framed not as a concession to necessity but as a structural requirement: “We need him to give the squad a rest.” The man from Vigo in 2000 compared to the Celta Vigo of 2026 — less quality, less creativity, but enough to hurt Juventus if they are passive. The alarm clock is ringing.
Conceição on the Record
The sixth chapter contains Conceição’s own pre-match words from the Balaídos conference. The Portuguese winger, still officially managing his way back from the left thigh issue, is available and speaking with the clarity of a player whose confidence — renewed through the Argentina match and the Cagliari second half — is at a season-high. His specific contribution to the pre-match picture is held behind the paywall but the fact of his presence at the conference table alongside the manager is itself a signal about his availability and his status within the squad.
