The decision has been made. But the path to it was not straight, and the person who finally resolved Spalletti’s hesitation — the “man who operates in the shadows” of the title — is the second chapter’s subject, hidden behind the paywall. What is available reveals the full texture of the tactical debate that has played out across the week.
“If He’s Not a Penalty-Box Man, He Will Have to Become One”
The starting point: the quote Spalletti produced almost immediately after shaking hands with Woltemade at the start of September. “If he is not a penalty-box player, then he will have to become one.” The direction of travel was clear from day one. The results have been partial but real: two goals, both in Europe, the second on open play in Vigo — and the increasingly important role of creating space for Kolo Muani by occupying a second centre-back and drawing defensive attention.
Nico González — Now Considered a Striker in Every Sense
The more significant transformation, Tuttosport’s Paolo Pirisi observes, is happening not to Woltemade but to González. The Argentine has been reconceived by Spalletti not as a wide forward, not as a trequartista, but as a second striker in a 4-4-2. The evidence: Spalletti played him in that role from the 25th minute at Cagliari with McKennie on the left, and described it explicitly in his post-match — “I played him as a second forward.” The reasons Pirisi identifies are specific: González is the best header in the squad, he allows Kolo Muani and Woltemade the freedom to move in the half-spaces because defenders cannot ignore his threat in the box, and he brings the venom and aggression that Spalletti has been demanding of the squad since August.
The second half against Atalanta before the international break was the first time the 4-4-2 with González and Kolo Muani together appeared clearly in the starting eleven. Tonight against Lazio the configuration is a candidate to be repeated.
The Selection Dilemma — “Yes to Two Strikers, Then Actually No”
The title’s back-and-forth reflects the genuine evolution of Spalletti’s thinking across the week. Immediately after Vigo, with Kolo Muani and Woltemade having scored in consecutive matches, the manager’s instinct was to push further: use both from the start in Serie A as well. Then, as he worked through the game plan scenarios, a specific concern emerged — being left without a striker option from the bench if the system requires tactical adjustment in the second half. Having both Woltemade and Kolo Muani in the starting eleven means neither is available to change the game as an impact substitute.
The resolution — provided by the unnamed “man who operates in the shadows,” likely a senior tactical collaborator or trusted analyst within the staff — lands somewhere between the two positions. The choice has been made. The shape of it, and the identity of the man who helped Spalletti crystallise it, is held behind the paywall.
The Lazio Defensive Dimension — “Central Defenders of 1.90m”
The second chapter — “La Lazio ha centrali da 1.90” — frames the specific aerial challenge Lazio pose: central defenders of 190cm or above, with the physical profile to compete against everything Juventus can bring. The implicit case for González as a second striker who wins aerial duels, rather than a technical player who creates from deep, becomes sharper still against that backdrop. The Lazio defensive pairing at set pieces and in the box is not one that Woltemade can exploit physically in the same direct way González can. The tactical argument for the Argentine as the starter and Woltemade as the option off the bench — or the tactical argument for a different combination entirely — rests partly on this specific matchup assessment.
