A black-and-white balance sheet. Literally. With a few nuances here and there — attributable to limited minutes, minor physical complaints, or the impossibility of performing miracles in inadequate contexts. As the Juventus internationals return to the Continassa in staggered groups, Luciano Spalletti from this morning will have the opportunity to open a colourful folder of evidence. To consolidate impressions formed across the opening weeks of the season — or, where warranted, to change his mind and reverse course.
The U-Turn — Zhegrova Rehabilitated
In a sense, the most significant reversal has already been made public, delivered verbally in last week’s Tuttosport exclusive. The tone toward Zhegrova has shifted from the barely concealed frustration of Reggio Emilia — where Spalletti had pointedly emphasised the Kosovar’s reluctance to contribute in the defensive phase — to an outright endorsement. “If Edon manages to complete himself he will become a crack.” The Nations League appearances with Kosovo — one goal, one assist, 81 minutes against Austria and genuine menace in both outings — offered a performance level not seen since the version that tormented Juventus’s own defence in the Champions League game against Lille two seasons ago. The evidence supports the endorsement. The u-turn is complete.
Promoted — Sarr and Kalulu
The second chapter — “Sarr e Kalulu promossi” — confirms both players returned from their international windows having added to rather than diminished the positive impressions already established at club level. Sarr’s Nations League work with Senegal added competitive minutes and reinforced the specific qualities — work rate, positional intelligence, physical aggression — that converted Spalletti’s scepticism into conviction. Kalulu, starting only twice for France under Zidane across four matches, nevertheless maintained the standards of professionalism that define his position within the group and returned without physical concerns.
The Deferred Verdict — the Remandati
The third chapter — “Juve, i rimandati” — houses the players whose international break left questions rather than answers. The “one worrying still frame” of the headline concerns a specific image or moment from one of the national team matches that has created a note of physical caution on a player’s file rather than optimism. Given the context of the article — Conceição’s left thigh, Alajbegović’s precautionary rest against Poland — this appears to be the moment category rather than a single player. Those whose verdicts remain suspended pending the return checks at the Continassa.
Woltemade Among the Failed — Zero Goals, One Spectacular Miss
The fourth chapter delivers the most explicit negative verdict of the audit: Woltemade among the bocciati. The German striker made two appearances for Jürgen Klopp’s Germany, scored no goals, and — critically — missed a spectacular chance that has been discussed across the German football media in terms that would make any striker wince. The paradox the Pirisi Tuttosport piece mapped earlier this week is here given its sharpest competitive expression: a player whose performances for Juventus have been modestly encouraging, but whose international window has been both embarrassing and — given Bayern Munich’s intensifying interest — potentially reputation-shaping at the precise moment it most needed to be impressive. The Newcastle loan that gives all the power to someone else looks less comfortable with each passing week of the German national team’s high-profile assessment of the man they may be about to purchase.
