Spalletti joining Juventus: Not perfect but fitting

29/10/2025 07:29:00 soccer

By the time this article reaches readers, Juventus may have finalized the deal with coach Luciano Spalletti. Will this somewhat forced "marriage" bring a happy ending to Juve’s comprehensive crisis?

Italian media report that Juventus’ leadership held decisive negotiations with Spalletti yesterday (October 28, Italy time). The former Italy national team coach is said to be ready to accept a short-term contract lasting only until the end of the season, with a salary of 3 million euros and an automatic renewal clause if Juve secures a spot in next season’s Champions League.

Spalletti – The most viable choice

Juventus targeted many candidates, from big names like Roberto Mancini, Jurgen Klopp, Zinedine Zidane, and Xavi to younger coaches such as Raffaele Palladino and Edin Terzic, but Spalletti is regarded as the most feasible and suitable option currently for several reasons.

Spalletti has vast Serie A coaching experience, having managed several top clubs and won trophies—something Juventus longed for when courting Antonio Conte and Gian Piero Gasperini last summer but was turned down. Moreover, Spalletti is eager to prove himself again after his failure with the Italy national team. This ambition explains why he might accept a "stopgap" contract, which figures like Mancini, Klopp, or Xavi would find hard to agree to. Tactically, Spalletti’s favored 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formations are also seen as fitting with Juventus’s current squad. Legend Gianluigi Buffon voiced support: "Luciano suits any big club aiming to keep ambition. You won’t lose many matches with him."

However, while experts support him, many Juventus fans strongly oppose choosing Spalletti. This is because he previously made unfavorable remarks about Juve while coaching their major rivals Inter, Roma, and Napoli. Spalletti even tattooed the Napoli logo on his arm after their 2023 Serie A title and declared in early 2025 that he would "never coach another Italian club to avoid facing Napoli," which makes many fans reluctant to welcome him in Turin. Radical fan groups, representing the supporters, have expressed backing for Igor Tudor, believing Juve’s predicament is not the coach’s fault but lies with the club’s upper management.

Spalletti is the best option for Juventus at this moment

Clearly, this is not an ideal partnership—both sides will face challenges—but it is the most appropriate choice given the current situation: Juventus needs an experienced coach to revive the team, and Spalletti needs a major platform to reassert himself.

Stopping the decline is the immediate order

While waiting for the official appointment of the new coach—expected soon so Spalletti can immediately begin preparing for the match against Cremonese this weekend—Juventus must focus on tonight’s Serie A Round 9 match against Udinese. A win is mandatory to stop the free fall and regain morale before the "Old Lady" returns to the Champions League, where they have only 2 points from their first 3 matches.

This task will fall to interim coach Massimo Brambilla, who currently leads Juventus U23 (Next Gen). Although only a temporary fix, Brambilla might create a short-term positive effect thanks to his understanding of the players, especially Kenan Yildiz, who has shown a noticeable drop in form recently. Yildiz was once Brambilla’s prized pupil at Next Gen, and whether the former coach can find the right position and role to help the Turkish "gem" shine again will be an intriguing point to watch.

Reviving inspiration and activating Yildiz’s talent will be crucial to unlocking the attack and freeing the forwards from the scoring drought that has lasted four matches. Tudor has failed miserably in utilizing notable strikers like Jonathan David, Lois Openda, and of course Dusan Vlahovic, the only one with Serie A experience among the three forwards.

Roma - Parma: What’s worth watching?

A team sharing the top of the table with 18 points after 8 rounds yet considered unwatchable? It sounds paradoxical, but that’s the reality. Roma is showing an extremely dull face with one of the lowest scoring rates in its history (only 8 goals after 8 matches, the lowest among the 11 leaders). Roma’s main strength under new coach Gian Piero Gasperini is a solid defense conceding only 3 goals, but fans clearly do not come to the stadium or sit in front of the TV just to watch them defend.

Facing Parma, the goal drought might become even more severe, as Parma has scored the fewest goals in the league after 8 rounds with only 3 but compensates with a strong defense, conceding just 2 goals in their last 5 matches. They recently drew two consecutive 0-0 matches against Genoa and Como, the latter having beaten Juventus 2-0 in the previous round. When all 22 players on the Olimpico pitch play with a defensive mindset, where will the goals come from?

Nguyen Vinh

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