Savo Kovačević is uniquely qualified to speak to the specific convergence of Juventus, Celta Vigo, and Vigo itself. The former striker knows the Balaídos from his playing days, knows the Juventus shirt from his time in Turin, and knows precisely what the combination of those two things means for a team arriving in Galicia with something to prove. La Gazzetta dello Sport brought him to Vigo for the occasion, and his assessment covers the full range — competition prospects, squad deficiencies, and a specific verdict on the striker question that has preoccupied Italian football journalism for weeks.
“Juventus Are Favourites — But Relaxing in Vigo Is Forbidden”
The headline verdict on the Europa League is unequivocal: Juventus are among the tournament’s favourites. The qualification is equally clear: the Balaídos, the atmosphere, and the specific competitive character of a Celta side that will be desperate to respond after their opening defeat in Nicosia — “relaxing in Vigo is forbidden.” The atmospheric warning echoes Tacchinardi’s memories from the 2000 4-0 defeat, and Spalletti’s own pre-conference analysis of a stadium that “gives them pleasure and hurts you.” The gap in quality between the two clubs does not neutralise the advantage of that environment for the side playing in it.
“Spalletti Needs a Nine Like Me — That’s the Profile That’s Missing”
The most characteristically direct line of the interview. Asked about Juventus’s attacking problem — the absence of a genuine number nine willing and able to plant himself in the opposition area and score goals — Kovačević offers the most compact possible diagnosis: “Spalletti needs a nine like me.” It is not false modesty and it is not false immodesty. It is a precise technical observation from a former centre-forward about the specific profile that the current squad lacks: a pure penalty-box presence who occupies central defenders, wins aerial duels, and does not drift from the area looking to combine. The Calciomercato.com reporting from earlier in the week — confirming the January pursuit of exactly this profile, with Sørland described as “the closest to Spalletti’s wishes” of any summer target — gives Kovačević’s self-assessment its competitive precision.
“I’d Back Woltemade — Tonight Is the Opportunity for Him to Show What He Can Do”
Against the backdrop of the Gazzetta verdict on Woltemade — “already a case,” Corriere dello Sport’s “needs to change gear immediately,” the viral miss for Germany, the Newcastle manager explaining he was “one or two behind others” — Kovačević is notably measured in defence of the German. “I’d back Woltemade.” His confidence is not blind: it is the specific empathy of a striker who understands what early-season goal droughts do to a player’s psychology, and who recognises the qualities that Spalletti and the club identified when they moved to sign him. The Europa League in general, and tonight’s match in particular, is the opportunity for Woltemade to produce the performance that changes the narrative. Kovačević believes he will take it.
