There was nothing more for Juventus, who had to settle for a draw against Fiorentina. Vanoli’s side went ahead twice, through Pellegrino and Njie, and the Bianconeri twice recovered, through Woltemade and Bremer. Partly because of refereeing described as questionable at best, Juventus took a point that could have been much more. The match saw a clear penalty claim for a handball by João Mário, a wide arm in the area, on which the VAR did not intervene.
“We Drown in a Glass of Water”
Speaking to DAZN, Spalletti began with a diagnosis of the team’s psychology. “Every now and then we drown in a glass of water. We all go in head to toe and lose security and calm. We conceded soon after, then we had good reactions, but we do not manage to be consistent in individual performance.”
It is the same pattern he described after Alkmaar, where he said the team “sat there waiting” and conceded, and after Lecce, when the second half fell away. The difference is that this time the lapse came early in the match, and the response was good but did not last.
Character: “In Some Moments We Decide to Do Nothing”
Tuttosport reads the match as another sign that Juventus lack the character to win at key moments. Spalletti put it this way. “In some moments we decide to do nothing and stay there accepting the situation, without choosing and acting. Executing something removes any doubt you have on you. And the doubtful almost never manage to bring home important things.”
The comment links directly to Carnevali’s ultimatum to the squad and to McKennie’s “the inner things cannot be trained.” It also fits Boga’s account of the Napoli goal, where overthinking was the problem and shooting early the solution.
The Handball: “Can I Have the Reserve Question?”
Asked about João Mário’s handball, Spalletti was laconic, which Tuttosport’s headline says “froze the live TV.” “I don’t know. Can I have the reserve question? I do not need to see it again. I have already seen it on the pitch.”
The answer carries more than any detailed complaint might. The headline’s quote, “I don’t need to watch João Mário again,” makes the point that he saw it clearly in real time. Tuttosport’s separate gallery gathers the fans’ anger, with phrases such as “anonymous VAR officials” and “How can you not give a penalty?”
Attack: “Kolo Is Better Now”
On his choice of Kolo Muani and Woltemade together, Spalletti explained the logic. “The choice was dictated by the fact that they come to press you aggressively, and we had to go direct to the first striker. Even though having the ball played into his feet is not Woltemade’s primary quality, since he is more about passing and link-up, he has to do that job, also because we do not have great build-up play from the back.”
On Kolo Muani: “Kolo Muani is better now. With this condition and verve he can be put anywhere. Before, he moved less. Now I see him more characterised within the team.”
It is an upbeat reading of the Frenchman, after the Alkmaar goal. Yet the page’s final section carries Kolo Muani’s own reaction: “I am not happy with this point.”
