Juventus go into the Napoli match with several changes in prospect. Spalletti is weighing a different distribution of players between midfield and attack from the side that lost at Genoa, in search of the shake-up that recent results demand. Training at the Continassa on Friday points towards a reworked eleven, starting with the shape itself. Juventus could drop the 3-5-2 used in recent outings, though Spalletti is leaving open the option of changing system during the match.
The 4-3-3 Has Been Rehearsed
The system tried in training is a 4-3-3. After the post-Lazio switch to a back three, which Spalletti justified on grounds of solidity while admitting it sidelined the wide forwards’ one-on-one threat, the return to a four-man defence would restore the width he said the team had lost.
Koopmeiners Close to a Start
The most notable individual change involves Teun Koopmeiners. The Dutch midfielder is described as improving, and his case for a place in the starting eleven is gaining weight. Spalletti is considering a midfield three of Koopmeiners, Douglas Luiz and McKennie, with Koopmeiners given the task of linking midfield and attack.
The role would let the former Atalanta man operate more centrally, joining attacks and arriving in the spaces the forwards leave behind. Douglas Luiz would keep the main responsibility for managing the ball and building play, while McKennie would offer dynamism and the ability to cover several zones.
The selection fits Moggi’s recent relay of Gasperini’s advice, which was that Koopmeiners should be put on the pitch and left to find his own position rather than being handed a rigid role. Spalletti’s description of a linking function is closer to that than the more defined brief Koopmeiners had earlier in the season.
Two Wide Forwards Beside the Frenchman
The attack is the other half of the story. The article’s description says the return of two wide forwards alongside Kolo Muani is what forces one of Kolo Muani and Woltemade out. With Kolo Muani presented as the fixed reference point of the front three, Woltemade appears to be the one at risk, though the line-up is not confirmed.
Zhegrova is putting himself forward as a starter, which would bring back the one-on-one wide threat that the 3-5-2 had suppressed. The left flank remains an open question, with Spalletti still deciding who to trust there. That matters given Çelik’s and González’s absences and the doubts over Cambiaso’s form.
Ekhator Back in the Group
The article also notes Jeff Ekhator’s return to training with the group, which gives Spalletti one more forward in the squad. After ten matches missed through two muscle injuries, his readiness for Sunday is a medical matter rather than a tactical one.
