Luciano Spalletti Brings Back Juventus' Soul

Coaching Juventus, the most successful team in Serie A, is not an easy task. Two young coaches, Thiago Motta and Igor Tudor, have experienced this firsthand. Both failed to meet expectations in leading 'The Old Lady' to perform consistently and compete at the top of the league.

One similar mistake made by Motta and Tudor is the desire to present a modern style of play at Juve. An attacking football approach that prioritizes control with a dominant vertical playing zone.

As a result, Juve began two consecutive seasons without brilliance. Under Motta, the Old Lady only accumulated 1.8 points per game in the 2024-2025 season.

One season later, Tudor, a former Juve defender in the early 2000s, was also unable to instill his competitive mentality that he had while still a player. In charge of Juve for eight matches, Tudor's record yielded only 1.5 points per game.

The arrival of Luciano Spalletti brings new hope for Juve for the remainder of the 2025-2026 season. Juve's management isn't ambitious; they simply aim to consistently finish in the top four by the end of the season, rather than competing for the Scudetto.

Spalletti, who arrived in Turin with one Serie A title for Napoli, is gradually sharpening his skills to address various complex issues within the Juventus squad.

Individual player performance is being addressed. The two forwards brought in last summer, namely Jonathan David and Lois Openda, have opened their goal-scoring accounts under Spalletti's regime.

Openda particularly contributed one goal to Juventus's 2-1 victory over AS Roma, on Sunday (21/12/2025) early morning WIB, at the Allianz Arena. Another goal for the Old Lady was scored by Francisco Conceicao.

Two consecutive victories that we have achieved provide valuable lessons for facing the upcoming matches and instill confidence in our ability to compete against anyone.

The positive result marks the third consecutive victory for Juve across all competitions in December. Specifically in the Italian League, Juve has won two consecutive matches against Bologna and Roma, who are direct competitors for a spot in the top four.

Two consecutive victories have helped Juve solidify their position in fifth place with a total of 29 points. The Old Lady is just one point behind "The Wolves," a nickname for Roma, who occupy the fourth position.

Juve's opportunity to enter the elite zone that would secure a ticket to the Champions League is quite significant until mid-January. After winning against Bologna and Roma, which were important tests for Spalletti, Juve will face five consecutive matches during the period of December 2025 to January 2026 against mediocre teams.

If they can secure a clean sweep of wins and a maximum of 15 points, Juve's position won't just be in the top four. Kenan Yildiz and his teammates also have the chance to reopen the scudetto race involving Inter Milan, Napoli, and AC Milan.

However, Spalletti emphasized that the five challengers to Juve, namely Pisa, Lecce, Sassuolo, Cremonese, and Cagliari, should not be underestimated. According to Spalletti, there are no easy teams in the Italian League.

"They're all tough to beat. Our two consecutive wins have taught us valuable lessons for our upcoming matches and given us confidence in our ability to compete against anyone," Spalletti said, as reported by Tuttosport.

In the seven matches that Juve has played in the Italian League, Spalletti has recorded a better points tally than Motta and Tudor. Spalletti has an average of 2 points per match.

From a gameplay perspective, Spalletti does not demand that Juve must dominate ball control. There are periods in which La Vecchia Signora appears very superior, such as a possession rate of 72 percent against Torino, but Juve is not hesitant when it comes to chasing the ball more than controlling it.

The match against Bologna and Roma was characterized by lower ball possession. Juve only recorded 49 percent ball possession while leading 1-0 at Bologna's home, and merely noted 41 percent ball possession when hosting Roma at home. The ball possession against Roma is the lowest so far alongside Spalletti.

However, Juve actually managed to create more chances than Bologna and Roma. Against these two teams, Juve had a superior shot count, with 1.68 expected goals (xG) and 2.55 xG, respectively.

In terms of ball possession statistics, Spalletti's regime achieved an average of 53.8% ball possession per match. This figure is significantly lower than the average ball possession under Motta and Tudor, which exceeded 56% per game.

Spalletti is not satisfied with the performance of his players. In the match against Roma, he stated that his team's play should have been better, particularly in terms of clinical finishing in front of goal and avoiding conceding a goal from Roma's substitute player, Tommaso Baldanzi, in the 75th minute.

In terms of productivity, Juve has scored nine goals in seven matches under Spalletti in the league. This number of goals is still below expectations, which is 10.96 xG.

In terms of defense, Juve has only recorded two matches without conceding a goal. This defensive performance is what Spalletti aims to improve over time.

"We will continue to work on addressing the existing shortcomings. The players have shown a mentality that they always want more in every game. We hope to climb up the standings," he stated.

Manuel Locatelli, the midfielder and captain of Juve, stated that the internal condition of the team is very positive. He mentioned that Juve has proven itself to never stop pursuing goals until the final whistle is blown.

"The most important thing for us is to keep winning streaks and prove we can improve. We don't want to think too much because our goal is to win and we'll see what happens when we get to March," Locatelli said, as reported by Sky Sport Italia.