As the excitement builds for the big clash between Napoli and Juventus, the voice of Luciano Moggi has entered the debate. The former Juventus director, speaking to Stile TV during Raffaele Auriemma’s show Salite sulla giostra (as quoted by Tuttosport), delivered a sharp and detailed assessment of both teams’ current situations.
On one side stands a Juventus in the middle of reconstruction — young, ambitious, but still far from a polished, title-ready team. On the other, a Napoli side that Moggi believes still has all the right ingredients to challenge at the top despite recent missteps.
“Spalletti Is Competitive, but Juventus Are Not”
“Spalletti is competitive, but Juventus are not competitive enough to win,” Moggi said. “This is a club in reconstruction with new management, and at the moment, it does not have the strength to compete for the Scudetto. They’re missing key players in midfield, Bremer is out in defence, so I would exclude Juventus from the title race. They will struggle even to finish fourth.”
The former director then turned his attention to Napoli ahead of the highly anticipated match. “After the defeat against Bologna, I heard a lot of things, but all this talk was created just for show. Conte didn’t like the team’s performance in Bologna and made some statements to bring the group together, and I think he was right. No one mentioned that top players were missing in Rome, so the team is there, the coach is there, the club is solid — all the components are in place to fight for the title. Whether they do it or not is a different story.
“Lucca hasn’t shown his best yet, but he’s young and will improve. The group is united. Napoli’s players have a commendable desire to win — I’ve spoken with a few of them, and when that determination is there, sometimes you make it happen. Napoli want to repeat their success, and the team is capable of it.”
“The Difference Between Juve and Napoli Is Clear”
“There used to be competition between Napoli and Juventus — now there isn’t,” Moggi stated bluntly. “Of course, Juve won’t go down without a fight, but the difference between the two teams is clear.”
He then extended his thoughts to Allegri’s Milan. “Milan lost their first league match, just like Napoli did, then they were knocked out by Lazio, just like Napoli were — and afterwards, Napoli went on to win the Scudetto. So, the path is the right one. Whether they’ll succeed or not, we’ll see, but the manager is a great man-manager, the defence is one of the best, the attack remains a question mark — although with Leao, they have considerable potential. And then there’s the January transfer window to strengthen the squad.”
Lobotka’s Absence and the New Juventus Management
Napoli will be missing several players against Juventus, with one particularly significant absence: Lobotka. When asked who should replace him — Elmas or Vergara — Moggi responded, “Elmas is never a 10, but always a 6.5 or 7. He has character, but I don’t know what goes on in training, so Conte will certainly make the right choice.”
As for Juventus’ new management structure, Moggi was cautious. “I don’t know them deeply enough to make any judgements. Let’s see their work. At the moment, there’s no reason to say whether the team has improved or gotten worse. Hiring Spalletti was a good move — he’s a proven winner, and this young team can learn from him and improve. If they were to finish sixth or seventh this season, it shouldn’t come as a surprise.”
