Spalletti: ‘I did damage to Juventus, Kenan Yildiz like Kvaratskhelia’

Luciano Spalletti admits he ‘did damage’ to the Juventus players with bad choices against Napoli, compares Kenan Yildiz to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and warns Jonathan David ahead of the Pafos game.

It kicks off at the Allianz Juventus Stadium in Turin on Wednesday at 20.00 GMT.

The Bianconeri suffered their first defeat since Spalletti took over from sacked Igor Tudor, falling 2-1 to Napoli in Serie A at the weekend.

They are also feeling the pressure in the Champions League after just one win, three draws and a defeat.

Everything Spalletti said in his press conference

“Pafos are a tough team, they have many Brazilian players in the squad who can play good football. They were only embarrassed by Bayern Munich, and had some top opponents in the tournament,” said Spalletti in his press conference.

“In physical terms, they are very rugged, eager to go into individual duels, they use their hands and push, so it’s going to be a battle for every ball.

“I was impressed with their organisation on set plays, as three of their goals were from dead ball situations, and the players supporting the striker are excellent.

“We must be wary of their counter-attacks, because they try to intimidate you, then if you break that first press, they sit very deep. We mustn’t lose cheap balls, make sure the preventative marking is all prepared to avoid dangerous situations.”

Juventus have struggled to score goals for a while under several different coaches, and the situation only got worse after losing Dusan Vlahovic to injury.

“The numbers are not what we want right now, both in terms of results and individuals. I have more experience of the players at my disposal now, and that is fundamental,” noted Spalletti.

“I saw that some things improved. We are not as good at keeping these things going regularly in a match situation, so we’ve got to do them more often.

“I saw some good moves from our forwards. It was a great goal that we scored at the weekend, so that means you’ve got it in your DNA. It is essential that we convince ourselves we can do it more often.”

This is Spalletti’s fifth week in the job, so did he expect to see more improvement by this stage?

“I have the same intentions and certainty as when I accepted the Juventus job. I see them improve in training, and the more I see these players, the more I get angry and am at the same time relaxed. They keep me on a rollercoaster, really.

“You see some things and believe at last, they’ve got it and will repeat it more often, but instead it gets cancelled out and we start from scratch.

“However, I will not change based on a result, I will keep trying to understand and explain for what will come in future.”

Khephren Thuram has been struggling with some fitness issues lately, so will he play tomorrow?

“I consider Thuram to be a top player who did well at the weekend, using his physicality in a slightly different way to usual. He needs to improve his running off the field, as it can create spaces for his teammates. He has some good moments and some less good, but it was not a bad performance against Napoli.”

Daniele Rugani and Gleison Bremer were in training today, so are they available and could it lead to Juventus trying a four-man defence?

“We await them with open arms, they will be on the bench tomorrow, I cannot say if they’ll play or not, as they have at most 10-15 minutes in their legs and we can’t over-do it. We’ll see what happens going forward and how they do.”

Spalletti was pushed on his decision to use Kenan Yildiz as a centre-forward, leaving both Jonathan David and Lois Openda on the bench in Naples, perhaps a way of pushing the strikers to step up.

“Perhaps people misunderstood me, but I am convinced there is great potential within Yildiz that you have not yet seen, so I intended to say that. He is giving his all, and growing game by game, but his margin of improvement is incredible.

“It’s kind of the same things I said about Kvara when I first had to deal with him, saying he could become a super top player. If you were at all our training sessions, you’d realise what I mean about his potential and what we see.

“Just the goal he scored on Sunday was remarkable, running to the by-line and hooking it back from that angle with such delicacy.

“As for the strikers, I wanted to win the game! I wasn’t going to risk losing just to send a message! I chose that approach because I was convinced it was the right system for the game, but I didn’t get the result I wanted, and the responsibility is mine.

“The very first thing I said when analysing the match was that I didn’t put the team in the best condition to deliver. Those were my choices, I damaged you with them, is what I said.

“I knew Napoli would be aggressive, so I felt an extra midfielder would force them out of position. Yildiz was pressing Rrahmani, but if I put him wide, he’d be chasing down his man and wasting energy there,” explained Spalletti.

“At the same time, I thought Conceicao would send Buongiorno wide right, where he is in his best position, and I hoped he’d struggle there. I wanted to stretch them out and create those spaces with some quality passing, that was the plan.

“Instead, it didn’t work, we lost a ridiculous number of balls, I think 113 the statistics said, and Napoli controlled the game. I had given Yildiz and Conceicao the option of chasing back less, but it didn’t work.

“It was a painful lesson for me, so seeing as I should’ve predicted it wouldn’t work, I made it more difficult for them. In the second half, when we changed system, I saw a different energy and balance to the team. We had equalised and got the match on track, but then we conceded another goal and it all become more difficult.”

Spalletti had wanted the 4-3-3 when first coming to Juventus, so could he go back to that?

“Now I know the team a little better, although having all 22 players available in a training session is frankly rare with the fixture list so packed.

“We need to realise that football is moving away from these tactical system titles, as they vary in different moments. Almost all teams are aggressive, continually rotate positions and deform the old school systems, so it makes little difference.

“Having a right-footed defender could change some things, like not having Lloyd Kelly outside the box on his weaker foot. We’ll attempt the 4-3-3, or the 4-2-3-1, but it changes little.”

Juventus have struggled when falling behind and this could show a lack of self-belief, not helped by the constant rotation of players like David. Could the Canadian require four or five starts in a row to really get to grips with the team?

“I too could do with 4-5 games in a row in charge of Real Madrid to show what a good coach I am. Is that what you think? It doesn’t work like that. If you go really strong for two weeks in training, I’ll give you 10 minutes on the pitch. The more consistent you are in training and the match, the more I give you regular time.

“It doesn’t work like that, players thinking they need 4-5 games in a row to prove themselves. You can’t just come to training one day well, one day less, and say you need 4-5 games. It doesn’t work like that.

“So if you write this all down and explain it to the players, you’re doing me a favour,” concluded Spalletti.