Fabrizio Ravanelli was in the stands at the Optus Stadium in Perth — a special guest alongside Alessandro Del Piero for Juventus’s pre-season friendly defeat to Inter — and his assessment of what he saw was delivered, as always, without diplomatic softening.
“Inter Are Further Ahead — But Juventus Are Being Built”
Ravanelli opened with an honest appraisal of the balance of power in the Derby d’Italia context: “It was a tightly contested match as it always is — because it is the Derby d’Italia. But it is logical that Inter are further ahead of Juventus, because they are an already consolidated team. The Juventus I watched is still being built.”
It is precisely the framing that the club’s own pre-season narrative has consistently applied — patient, realistic, and pointed towards the future rather than defensive about the present. A team in construction is not a team that has failed. It is a team that knows what it is doing.
“Kolo Muani Is the Right Signing — He Wins You Matches”
On the summer’s headline arrival, Ravanelli was unequivocal: “Kolo Muani is the right signing. He gives you physicality, pace, and he wins you matches. That is what Juventus needed. You can see immediately the difference he makes — his presence alone changes how the opposition organises its defence.”
For a legend who has spent much of the summer calling for precisely this type of striker — a powerful, physically dominant centre-forward who can be decisive in important moments — seeing Kolo Muani in black and white clearly gave him considerable satisfaction.
“Di Gregorio Must Prove Himself Now”
The sharpest verdict of the evening concerned Michele Di Gregorio, whose error-strewn performance in the Perth friendly has accelerated the goalkeeping search and heightened the debate about his future at the club. “Di Gregorio now has to demonstrate that he deserves to be the Juventus goalkeeper. He made errors. Now the ball is in his court.”
It is a measured but pointed assessment — neither writing the goalkeeper off nor offering him false comfort. In the most watched pre-season match of the summer, Di Gregorio fell short. Whether he can recover his form and credibility before Lunin, Suzuki, or another alternative arrives to replace him permanently is the most pressing individual question of the opening days of the new season.
“Spalletti Can Open a Cycle — I Don’t See Anyone Else”
On the broader question of where Juventus are headed under their manager, Ravanelli was as emphatic as he has been throughout a summer of consistently positive assessments. “A cycle can open with Spalletti. I don’t see any other manager who could do what he is doing here. He is the captain of this ship — and the ship, for the first time in a long time, is pointing in the right direction.”
