On the eve of a crucial Serie A showdown with Como, Luciano Spalletti faced the media and delivered a passionate and introspective press conference, touching on injustice, mentality, tactical adjustments and the decisive days ahead for Juventus. The Bianconeri coach did not hide recent pain and frustration, but repeatedly insisted that his team must transform that suffering into fuel for a strong reaction.
Turning pain into motivation
Spalletti opened by reflecting on the difficult recent days for Juventus, both on and off the pitch, speaking in emotional terms about how certain episodes have affected the squad.
“Sometimes there are things that you see, you feel, you hear, but they still pierce you even if they are unfair,” he said. “Because they pierce you. You have to acknowledge them and decide what to do with what has happened. The reaction is certainly a value, but it is the awareness of the strength of the team that tells you whether you stand still or whether you keep trying to grow in the moment you are going through.”
The coach stressed the importance of analysing events with clarity and objectivity, and of using disappointment as a springboard rather than a weight.
“We analyse things in the right way, objectively,” he continued. “As we have tried to say several times, we must use this pain like an elastic band that stretches you and then launches you towards the next match.”
Kalulu, injuries and selection headaches
Spalletti then addressed the disciplinary situation surrounding Pierre Kalulu and the club’s request for clemency, as well as the latest injury news.
“What has been done for Kalu is an obligatory act, because we are dealing with two obvious injustices that everyone has been forced to acknowledge,” he explained. “In my opinion the club has done the right thing.”
On the fitness front, there was a significant blow in defence and a cautious note of optimism in attack.
“Bremer will not be available for the match,” Spalletti confirmed. “David is in the squad and he doesn’t have the training load or the certainty to be able to play the whole match, but he comes with us and then we will decide whether to use him from the start or later on.”
The coach admitted that absences have left Juventus short in key areas, especially on the right side.
“Locatelli seems not to feel tiredness, he is always very present with enthusiasm and a spirit that he transmits to others,” Spalletti said. “With McKennie, it is very hard to do without him, especially in certain roles. The club did well to bring in Holm, but he got injured straight away and then Kalulu’s suspension and Bremer’s injury leave us a bit short. We do not really have other right-backs, or right-sided wing-backs, and McKennie is someone who is very useful for us.”
Openda, David and the balance of play
Asked about Lois Openda’s role and the management of Jonathan David, Spalletti underlined that labels matter less than the team’s collective functioning.
“Starter or substitute changes little for Openda,” he said. “Maybe we have evaluated some things badly. I think the fundamental thing is that David has a bit more time to build relationships with the team. If we become disjointed, we lose effectiveness and strength.”
He reiterated that Juventus’s growth under him is built on collective play rather than individual flashes.
“Our growth lies in having been good at building this team whose main quality is the collective game, and that resembles the sum of the characteristics of the players we have,” he noted. “Football is a bit hybrid: you score when you are defending, you concede when you seem to have the situations under control, you go to press their team and with one long ball they go and score at the other end. I am convinced of that and I trust myself enough. What we have tried to build with the team is the right way.”
For Spalletti, consistency and execution are non-negotiable, regardless of the phase of play.
“What we say we want to do must be done well and done completely,” he stressed, “whether we are pressing or whether we are starting to move the ball, which would give us more possibilities to go and attack.”
“We must change our tune”
At one point Spalletti was asked directly about the need to change something in Juventus’s approach, and he made it clear that some messages have to remain inside the dressing room.
“There are things that can be said in a press conference and things that cannot be said because they are for the players,” he replied. “This is something that cannot be said here. The famous three steps backwards were discussed in the meeting, and they can be the steps you take to gain a run-up and have more push. We will see if that is the case.”
On the goalkeeping position, he confirmed there would be no change.
“The responsibilities are all the same for everyone,” Spalletti said. “We continue with Di Gregorio.”
Looking back at the heavy defeat in Istanbul, he was very clear about one key factor that must not be repeated.
“What we must do differently in Istanbul is not get ourselves sent off after 10 minutes,” he said dryly. “To pick up two yellow cards… we would like to be judged in matches where it is 11 against 11. Then there is Bergamo, which is also a defeat, because the three steps are the defeats we have suffered.”
Spalletti acknowledged that the team must run more, press better and above all keep a cooler head when games become chaotic.
“There are moments when we have to run more, press more, and sometimes we need to think better,” he reflected. “We must not let ourselves be dragged into the chaos of matches constantly swinging, because you have to keep a clear enough head to think. In these last games we have allowed ourselves to be involved emotionally and we have not been good at hiding some hesitation in our decision-making. And in your uncertainties, the opponent gains an advantage.”
Eight decisive days and the Como challenge
Looking ahead to a vital stretch of the season, Spalletti did not shy away from the significance of the upcoming fixtures.
“Will the next eight days be decisive? Of course,” he admitted. “We are aware of the analysis that has been made and I am convinced that our team will have a clear reaction. This elastic band is well stretched so that we can express our qualities to the maximum.”
Turning specifically to Como, he was full of praise for their coach and the style of football they play.
“Como are a strong team who know how to use the ideas and the football that their coach has in mind, who in my opinion is very strong and has great qualities to pass on to the team,” Spalletti said. “He was the example of the complete player, always available, and he wants to transfer that to his team.”
For Spalletti, Como’s game is built on simplicity and control, which then allows them to show their technical level.
“For him, controlling the game is the simplicity on which everything is then built, in terms of quality of play and results, and in my opinion he is doing very well,” he added. “I consider him among the best we have. I went to watch him coach when I was national team manager and I had that confirmation.”
He warned that Como’s system and attacking quality, with or without Nico Paz, can be highly dangerous.
“Watching their matches, the system changes, now they are playing 4-2-3-1 and regardless of Paz or not, he has top-level quality,” Spalletti said. “When he shoots he has this power and precision that can turn everything around when you do not expect it. But then there is the value of the team, they drag you into this trap of having to chase them and spaces open up which they exploit in an instant. There are dangers, but I am equally convinced that our team can take back control of the situation because we had managed to reach a certain level of play. Then we were not good at defending that level.”
He pointed out that playing in numerical inferiority in the last two matches makes it harder to judge the team’s true level, but emphasised his faith in the squad.
“In the last two games we played with a man down, so it is hard to judge whether we lost them or were forced into certain situations,” he said. “I am very confident because, aside from being good lads – and sometimes that is not enough – I see a team that has good lads but also intelligent people, and I want to lean on the intelligent side of this team.”
Future and mentality
Questions about Spalletti’s own future were brushed aside with a firm but calm response.
“Does this situation matter to you?” he replied to one journalist. “I do not think it is the solution that can change things. If it were the solution, I think it would be almost the opposite. Since they have also spoken to me about it, it is something that can be sorted out from my side, because I am not someone who looks for different things. I look for a football pitch with a ball and players to coach, preferably intelligent ones, and here everything is in place because my players are like that. If that was the need, we could fix it immediately.”
Finally, he returned to the theme of maturity and personality, qualities he believes Juventus must show if they are to move forward.
“More mature team? Personality, character… even talent, if it is not supported by personality and character, is not enough,” Spalletti concluded. “These are the foundations for anything. You have to be a bit tough in life, not just accept things as others want to present them to you, because it is from these qualities that you become what you need to be in that moment.”
