Two Aggressive Wing-Backs, Awkward Positioning, and Spalletti's Cold Demeanor

Luciano Spalletti opened the curtain on his era managing Juventus with a three-point gain. "The Old Lady" triumphed 2-1 over Cremonese at the Giovanni Zini Stadium, Sunday (2/11/2025 WIB). Several changes were demonstrated by Spalletti, although they have not yet fully aligned with the playing identity of the bald-headed coach.

It took Juve just 85 seconds to score their first goal under Spalletti. Left-back Philip Kostic was the first player to get on the scoresheet under the tactician who led Napoli to the 2022-2023 Scudetto.

Kostic has never been trusted to play since the kickoff with Igor Tudor, who was dismissed on Monday (27/10/2025). Under Tudor, Kostic never played more than 28 minutes this season.

Playing for 79 minutes, Kostic not only opened the scoring for La Vecchia Signora. He was noted as the player with the most successful dribbles (2 times). Kostic played more aggressively, often aligning with Lois Openda, who served as a partner to Dusan Vlahovic in the attacking line.

In defensive duties, the performance of the Serbian national team player deserves appreciation as well. A collection of 100 percent successful tackles, 50 percent duel wins, one clearance, and five ball recoveries are Kostic's assets to earn regular playing time under Spalletti's management.

"This win was important for us. I'm happy to have scored. I've had a difficult time this season, but I've always worked hard to prepare. My teammates helped me through this situation," said Kostic, who was named man of the match, as quoted by Tuttosport.

On the other wing, Andrea Cambiaso also displayed an equally aggressive performance. Cambiaso created three key assists. The majority of his passes were directed to support Weston McKennie's role as an attacking midfielder, who moved freely between the duo of Vlahovic and Openda.

Cambiaso reaffirmed his role by doubling Juve's advantage in the 68th minute. The first goal from the Italian national team defender helped secure three points for Juve, remaining unshaken, despite veteran striker Jamie Vardy briefly igniting hopes for the home team to earn points with a goal in the 83rd minute.

Similar to Kostic, Cambiaso also frequently stands alongside the two Juve forwards in the process of building an attack. The aggressiveness demanded by Spalletti from the two wing-backs resulted in two goals against Cremona.

Kostic and Cambiaso scored after winning the second ball situation inside the Cremonese penalty area. They became additional options for Juve to capitalize on opportunities when two strikers were closely marked by the opposing defenders. Both were in the right positions following a block and an imperfect clearance by the Cremonese defender.

Cambiaso considers his first goal of the season to be a beautiful moment. He also feels comfortable playing in the right wing position, rather than his natural role as a left-back.

"Of course, playing on the right is easier for me. My personality is different playing on either wing. The goal shows that," Cambiaso told Sky Sport Italia.

The aggressive performance of Kostic and Cambiaso ended the clean sheet record of Cremonese goalkeeper and Indonesian national team player, Emil Audero, in three consecutive matches. Additionally, Juve is the first team to hand Cremonese a defeat in Audero's six appearances in the 2025-2026 Italian League.

In addition to the two wing-backs who scored goals, Spalletti assigned an unusual role to Tuen Koopmeiners. The Dutch player was positioned as a central defender to accompany Federico Gatti and Pierre Kalulu.

Playing as a central defender was never something Koopmeiners had considered. In his latest interview after Juve defeated Udinese on Thursday (30/10/2025), Koopmeiners expressed his preference for playing closer to the goal to support the attackers.

In the press conference introducing him as the coach of Juve, Spalletti acknowledged the intention to position Koopmeiners in a more attacking role rather than merely as a midfielder who maintains the team's balance. In reality, Koopmeiners was deployed in the center-back position during Spalletti's debut match.

The crisis in the center-back position, following injuries sustained by Gleison Bremer and Lloyd Kelly, is the cause. Koopmeiners is even more trusted by Spalletti compared to Daniele Rugani.

Spalletti revealed that he placed Koopmeiners in the left center-back position to neutralize the service to Vardy from the right wing of Cremonese. Koopmeiners supported Kostic's movements on the left side of Juve's attack.

In addition, Spalletti requires Koopmeiners' ability to deliver precise passes to assist in the buildup of attacks from the back. This was demonstrated by Koopmeiners as he recorded the highest number of successful passes in the match, with 48 accurate passes.

"We need to strengthen the wing side to limit services to Vardy. Koopmeiners plays more defensively to help us initiate attacks," said Spalletti.

Cremonese coach Davide Nicola stated that his team's deficiency lies in the poor final passes in the attacking third of Juve's defense. "Perhaps we lack something in terms of physicality in their defense, but fundamentally I am satisfied with the overall performance of the team," said Nicola.

Beyond those two conditions, the most striking aspect was Spalletti's appearance on the sidelines. He appeared in his trademark formal style, wearing a black overcoat to accompany his players.

However, he did not appear enthusiastic when watching his team score two goals against Audero. There was no smile. His expression remained calm in response to the two winning goals of La Vecchia Signora.

Spalletti's expressions are more varied when giving instructions to his players. His shouts are very loud, making them audible from the television screen amidst the chants of both teams' supporters.