Vasilije Adzic returned from the international break with a much-needed confidence boost after scoring a beautifully taken free-kick for Montenegro against Gibraltar. It was his first goal in two months — the last coming from a stunning 30-yard strike that sealed Juventus’s win over Inter — and it marked one of the few positive notes for the Bianconeri during the recent international pause.
Speaking after the match, Adzic admitted, “This goal means a lot to me; it gives me greater belief in myself.” His growing self-assurance could become an asset for Luciano Spalletti, who may see the young midfielder as one of the keys to reshaping Juventus in the coming weeks.
Spalletti: “He’s powerful, has a fantastic foot, and plays clean”
La Gazzetta dello Sport detail how Spalletti has already demonstrated faith in the 19-year-old, using him as a substitute in all three of his matches in charge so far, even in crucial late-game situations. Speaking after the Champions League draw with Sporting Lisbon, the Juventus coach described what makes the Montenegrin special.
“He’s powerful and has a fantastic foot. He might not be quick on his feet, but he is quick in his head. He plays with a kind of precision and cleanliness that’s essential for our style of football,” Spalletti said.
The manager also revealed an interesting pre-debut detail. Before giving Adzic his first appearance against Cremonese, Spalletti sought advice from goalkeeper Mattia Perin: “I asked him, ‘Does Adzic fit in this kind of match?’ and Perin told me, ‘Physically, he’s a beast — he’s strong.’ That convinced me to send him on for Thuram.”
Finding the right role in Spalletti’s system
Adzic joined Juventus as a creative attacking midfielder from Buducnost and was used in that position by both Thiago Motta and Igor Tudor. However, under Tudor, his playing time dropped after a costly mistake against Atalanta led to a goal. Adzic’s limited mobility in tight spaces raised questions about whether a deeper midfield role might suit him better.
That adjustment has already been tested by Brambilla in the Next Gen squad, where Adzic operated as a left-sided mezzala in a 3-5-2, and more recently by Vucinic with Montenegro, where he played as a central midfielder in a 4-4-2. Now, Spalletti may be considering a similar evolution — a move that brings to mind his past work with a player who transformed under his guidance.
A Brozovic-style transformation?
In 2018, during his first season at Inter, Spalletti had a breakthrough moment when he repositioned Marcelo Brozovic from attacking midfielder to a deeper role in front of the defence. The tactical switch unlocked the Croatian’s best qualities and became one of the hallmarks of Spalletti’s tenure at the club.
“I was wrong to wait so long to try him there,” Spalletti later admitted. “His quality is reading the game on his own terms. I feared restricting him by placing him deeper, but he gave structure, personality, and cleanliness to our play.”
That same word — *cleanliness* — now echoes in how Spalletti describes Adzic. The young Montenegrin may still be only 19, with far less experience than Brozovic had at 26, but his composure and technical precision have clearly caught the coach’s eye.
