Luciano Spalletti shared his thoughts with Rai (as quoted by IlBiancnonero) following Juventus’ 2–0 victory away to Pisa, secured by goals from Kalulu and Yildiz. For the Bianconeri, it marked a third consecutive league win and their seventh triumph in the last eight matches across all competitions under the coach from Certaldo.
The Match
“Many teams have struggled here, so it was only right that we had to work hard against a well-coached Pisa side who are organised on the pitch even if results have not gone their way,” Spalletti said.
“I look at performances, I look at matches, and Pisa have always played them well. It was fundamental for my players to see the same things they saw before facing Roma. They needed to keep the same image in their minds, and to some extent, we managed it because they defended well against a physical team with good fitness and movement.
“We had a bit of luck, perhaps in those final minutes of the first half and the start of the second, when they hit the post twice. After that, though, we were in control. We lacked speed, quality, and creativity in the final third during the first half – it was a very flat game. In the second half, that quality increased. There were some good ideas, some higher-level pieces of play, and we managed to pin them back into their own box at times. But you also have to be smart in interpreting the phases of play that the opposition force you to deal with.”
On the Scudetto
“You can always aim for whatever you want,” Spalletti continued. “I think we must have important aspirations. Whoever we play, the shirts of our opponents are always the same colour as those teams fighting for the top four – and that’s what we should be aiming for.
“Of course, there isn’t much balance at the moment; we have to make some assessments. Just two weeks ago, we were said to be performing worse than anyone, and now after two games we’re near the top of the table. If the others keep not playing, we could even go first – but they’ll have to play their games too.”
On Yildiz
“I always tell him that I love him, because it’s the truth,” Spalletti said about Kenan Yildiz. “I need him, even when we’re not training – when I’m at home, I still need him. So I try to tell him things that can spark a reaction, because he had a first half below his level.
“He wears this shirt number, the Juventus number, so he must give us something more than ordinary players. It’s only normal that I expect more from him, and that I try to say different things to him in order to trigger some kind of response. In the second half, he fixed things for us. In the end, I’ll always love him and defend him, but every now and then I like to play with words, to play with behaviour – because that’s how it works with footballers.”
