Luciano Spalletti addressed the Sky Sport cameras ahead of Monday’s final pre-season friendly against Palermo in Perth — Juventus’s last outing before they return to Turin and begin the final preparations for the Serie A season opener at Frosinone on 23 August. His words covered the goalkeeper controversy, the transfer market, and a warm assessment of an opponent he clearly respects.
“Di Gregorio Was Unlucky on the Second Goal — Perin Starts Tomorrow”
The question that has dominated Australian media coverage of the tour concerned Michele Di Gregorio’s position after the Inter friendly exposed his vulnerabilities. Spalletti’s response was carefully balanced — neither abandoning his goalkeeper nor offering unconditional support.
“Di Gregorio made saves that deserved compliments in the first half — and then he was unlucky on the second goal.” The diplomatic framing of the Inter errors as misfortune rather than incompetence is significant. Spalletti is unwilling to publicly bury a player who remains on the squad’s wage bill and who may yet have a role to play.
The operational decision, however, was unambiguous: “Perin plays tomorrow — we had already prepared that from before. First two matches a half each, then a full match each.” It is a rotation plan presented as premeditated rather than reactive — a deliberate management strategy rather than a crisis response.
“The Transfer Market Doesn’t Concern Me — We’ve Had the Same Ideas from the Start”
On the still-unresolved areas of Carnevali and Massara’s summer business, Spalletti remained serene and deliberately uninformative. “From the start of the market we have had the same ideas — even after playing these matches. We keep going along our path.” It is the language of a manager who trusts his directors, has communicated his requirements clearly, and is now focused on the football rather than the negotiating table.
Gatti in Doubt — Limited Minutes if He Does Appear
Federico Gatti, who missed the Inter match, remains a fitness doubt for the Palermo friendly. “Gatti won’t start because he has some muscular fatigue — we’ll see if he’s needed. If so, it will be 20-30 minutes at most.” The centre-back’s situation — subject of ongoing Napoli interest — continues to be managed carefully, with the club clearly reluctant to risk a more serious injury at this stage of pre-season.
Filippo Inzaghi: “Juventus Will Be Scudetto Protagonists — They’ll Fight Inter Until the End”
The most striking contribution to the pre-match coverage came not from Spalletti but from the Palermo manager standing opposite him — Filippo Inzaghi, the former Juventus and AC Milan striker who watched last week’s Inter-Juventus friendly from the stands and came away genuinely impressed.
“I think Juventus will be protagonists this season. I saw the other night against Inter — beyond the result — I saw Juventus’s substitutes coming on. In my view, Juventus have built a deep squad, they have a great manager, and the arrival of Carnevali has certainly been important. For me, Juventus this year will be protagonists — they will fight Inter until the very end for the Scudetto. Then there will also be Napoli and, I think, Como too. It will be an exciting championship — but I see Juventus as protagonists because they have signed important players. In my view the squad was already very strong. They will be one of the candidates for the title.”
High praise from a man who played the Derby d’Italia from both sides of the divide — and who, even with his own Palermo squad preparing to face Juventus the following morning, cannot disguise his genuine admiration for what Spalletti and Carnevali are building.
