This is not the first time this week that Alessio Tacchinardi has spoken about Juventus in a language that cuts to the bone. Before Celta Vigo, in his exclusive Tuttosport interview, he identified the central problem with forensic clarity: only one player in the squad possessed genuine Juventus character — and that player did not play. After the 0-3 defeat to Lazio at the Allianz Stadium, he returns to Sportmediaset with a verdict that has progressed from diagnosis to verdict.
“An Embarrassing Squad — Mentally and Physically Drained”
The opening word is “imbarazzante” — embarrassing. Not disappointing, not below expectations, not frustrating. Embarrassing. “The squad has lost itself. A Juventus that, honestly, was embarrassing. I think both mentally and physically — even accounting for having played Thursday — this is a very depleted squad.”
The Thursday reference is the same one Spalletti himself used on DAZN: the 4:30am return from Vigo, the recovery prioritised over preparation, the six changes made against Lazio. Tacchinardi acknowledges the physical context but declines to allow it as sufficient explanation. A genuinely competitive Juventus squad would find the resources to compete regardless. This one did not.
“A Year of Spalletti and I See No Identity, No Improvement”
The passage that elevates this beyond a simple post-match reaction: “Let us get to the heart of it: nearly a year into Spalletti’s time here, I do not see a great identity. I do not see a squad that has improved. So I do not know whether the club will be right or not to make some evaluations. The direction this squad is heading is truly negative. This is the worst Juventus of the Spalletti management era.”
The phrase “I do not know whether the club will be right or not to make some evaluations” is pointed. It is not, explicitly, a call for Spalletti’s removal. It is something more precisely calibrated: the observation that after approximately one year of Spalletti’s management — from his emergency appointment last October through the summer rebuild and into the start of this season — the evidence does not support a conclusion that the team has a clearer identity or is better than it was. And that in those circumstances, the club must ask questions. Tacchinardi stops short of prescribing the answer. He does not stop short of framing the question.
The framing connects directly to what he said last week — “only one player has the Juventus character, but he doesn’t play; Spalletti has it, the players don’t” — and to the trajectory of the Monday morning chorus. Ravanelli: badly built squad, total confusion. Di Canio: ice hockey goalkeeper defending. Spalletti himself: I do not know if the squad follows me. Bremer: I cannot carry everyone. Vicario: no alibis. And now Tacchinardi, completing the circle: no identity, no improvement, the worst Juventus of this era. Wednesday’s Rennes match has rarely carried so much weight on so many dimensions simultaneously.
