Juventus lead twice through Kolo Muani and Woltemade in their first starting combination at the Allianz Stadium — but concede twice through individual errors to finish 2-2 against Rennes in Europa League MD3. Three wins from four now in Europe (two victories, one draw in the league phase, the Lazio 0-3 the brutal counterpoint). Spalletti’s post-match is long, specific, and reveals both the improvement from the Lazio disaster and the distance that still exists from what this squad should be producing.
“The Referee Was Very Good — Less Good on the Disallowed Goal”
The opening comment addresses the most controversial moment of the evening: a Lucumí goal disallowed for a reason Spalletti himself found unclear. “The referee was very good — a little less good in the choice of this episode. I don’t know the rules, but the way it happened gives you some interpretation. I was upset about it. The Rennes player could have cleared that ball and Lucumì didn’t disturb him. He made the wrong movement — not because someone got in his way. To give momentum to the search for the goal, it seemed right to me.” He adds, after seeing the replay in the dressing room: “I was surprised and I was upset. I need to go and inform myself about this rule — I thought I knew it, but having seen it tonight I have many doubts.”
“We Are Comfortable Going Backwards — We Must Go Forward at the Same Speed as the Ball”
The tactical diagnosis on Juventus’s persistent reluctance to hold the ball high: “We are a bit accustomed — it is a small problem that comes from far back: we do not feel at home when taking ground. We need to go at the same speed as the ball going backwards — the ball commands. Today there were already good things, we chose to go one-on-one several times and did it well. The rhythm was good, but we conceded two goals we must not concede.”
“I Continue to Not Sleep — Even Though We Did Better”
The headline phrase — and the one that most accurately captures the manager’s state of mind after a week in which he has been everywhere from the edge of a breakdown to cautious optimism: “I continue not to sleep, even though we did better. If I don’t win I’m not happy. When the situations come up there in front we have to go and take them.” An honest acknowledgement that better is not enough, that the improvement from Lazio is real but the distance from where this squad needs to be remains significant.
“The Result Was the Product of Trivial Individual Choices — This Is What Separates a Strong Player From a Champion”
The most substantive passage of the evening, connecting the two goals conceded to a broader philosophical observation about the margin between good and great: “I don’t hold back — but it’s true that we need to fill that extra piece to aim for continuous results. The first goal can be avoided. For the second goal we go to take a corner kick. The result is the product of individual choices for trivial reasons. This is the difference between a strong player and a champion: the one who anticipates everything. What matters is the eyes and the head — the technical action comes after. In Messi, everything that is happening is already clear before the ball arrives. For all strong players the action comes second to the anticipated knowledge.”
On Kolo Muani and Woltemade Together — “They Can Become Three, Not Two”
In the press conference, pressed on the first-start partnership: “Today they did well but I think I can expect more from both of them, because their qualities are superior to the performance they produced this evening. The qualities generated by the two elements are not just the crude sum of their individual contributions — they are something more. They can coexist together, but when they collaborate they can become three, not two. Today was a good match but they can do more.”
Çelik — “Recovering in Two Days Looks Hard”
The injury concern that complicates the Lecce away trip on Saturday: Çelik felt a muscular tightening during the Rennes match and Spalletti’s assessment is cautious: “I doubt he recovers in two days.” The full-back who has been the season’s most consistently reliable presence returns to the doubt-list at the worst possible moment.
