Juventus returned to winning ways in Perth, defeating Filippo Inzaghi’s Palermo with goals from Kenan Yıldız and Arkadiusz Milik. But the final friendly of the Asian tour will be remembered less for its result than for the words Luciano Spalletti delivered afterwards — some of the most pointed, purposeful, and revealing of his entire first summer in charge.
“We Were Well Trained in This Friendly — I Liked Playing at High Tempo”
Spalletti’s immediate reaction to the Palermo performance was warm. “I liked the match because it developed at high tempo — against an opponent who knows how to play. We were well trained in this friendly. I liked the speed of play, the interesting triangulations — though we lost a few balls through impatience. We need to find some equilibrium, but I saw a team with confidence again.” The closing summary of the Australian leg was positive: a squad that has been worked hard, played in heat and rain, faced Chelsea and Inter, and emerged with its belief intact.
On Yıldız: “He Sacrificed Himself — and That Is Exactly What We Love”
The most telling tactical observation of the press conference concerned Yıldız’s off-the-ball work — a dimension of the Turkish international’s game that too often goes unnoticed. “Because Alajbegovic almost always attacked the right centre-back, Kenan sacrificed himself to track the full-back — with humility, like a professional who gives everything for the team. And that is something we love enormously.” It is a small but significant detail: Spalletti is not simply developing Yıldız as a creative talent. He is developing him as a total footballer whose contribution without the ball matters as much as the moments of brilliance with it.
The Douglas Luiz Bombshell: “Most Probably He Will Stay Next Season”
The statement that will generate the most immediate debate concerned Douglas Luiz — the Brazilian whose summer has been one long meditation on whether departure or redemption would come first. Spalletti made his position clear: “If he will stay? This is an assessment we will make — most probably he will remain next season. I have played him consistently because that is how I learn to know him better. He has undeniable qualities but we need to think about his defensive coverage. He can play alongside either a more offensive or a more defensive midfielder, he has versatility in the build-up and in threading passes forward. He knows how to play football and he knows the game — I am satisfied.”
The words “most probably he will remain” represent the most significant public statement on Douglas Luiz’s future since the summer began. They do not close every door — the qualifier is deliberate — but they signal that Spalletti’s months of patient observation have produced a verdict. The player who cost €50 million, failed at Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa on loan, and was widely expected to leave is, for now, staying. The ultimate decision of whether Spalletti’s intuition is right will be taken by the season itself.
On Milik: “He Can Be Very Important”
Arkadiusz Milik’s return to form — the Polish striker scored against Palermo in what was an emotionally charged goal for a man who has spent two years watching football from treatment rooms — received a generous and forward-looking assessment. “Milik found the goal again and you can see that the more he plays, the better he feels. He is a player who can be very important.” It is not a guarantee of a starting role. But from a manager who has been deliberately ambiguous about the squad’s forward pecking order all summer, the word “important” carries real weight.
On Gatti: “He Was Meant to Play 20 Minutes — and Ended Up Being Excellent”
Federico Gatti, asked to contribute more than planned following Kalulu’s precautionary withdrawal, received the kind of understated but warm endorsement that signals genuine manager confidence. “Kalulu does not concern us. Gatti was good — he was only supposed to play 20 or 30 minutes and instead finished the match excellently.” Meanwhile, on Yıldız’s physical progress: “He is still taking steps forward physically — but the fact that he no longer feels pain in the knee is fundamental for finding his condition again.”
The Most Important Line of the Entire Press Conference: “The Shirt Must Be Earned”
Spalletti’s closing passage was his most pointed — a message aimed not at individuals but at the collective culture he is determined to instil. “Competition? Now there are players who have raised the overall level of the squad — and the shirt must be earned through sweat. If your place is always taken for granted, it is clear that the level of preparation drops — above all mentally, more than physically, before every match.”
It is the sharpest sentence Spalletti has spoken all summer. In a squad populated by expensive players who have, for various reasons, come to expect their position without earning it anew, the message is intended to reach every corner of the dressing room. Nobody’s place is guaranteed. Nobody’s past investment by the club entitles them to future minutes. The shirt must be won again, every training session, every game. That is the culture of the new Juventus — and on the last day of the Australian tour, its manager has articulated it as clearly as he ever will.
Locatelli’s Final Word
The captain had the last statement of the press conference, and chose his words with the directness that has come to define his leadership of this group. “It has been important for us to play here — there are so many Juventus supporters in Australia, and this week has been a real pleasure. We thank everyone for the welcome. Now we begin a new season with the objective of returning to the Champions League next year — because that is what our supporters deserve.”
The tour is over. The season begins in twelve days. The squad boards the plane home knowing, perhaps more than at any previous moment, exactly what is expected of them.
