Del Piero reacts to Spalletti slapping Openda: ‘A good relationship’

Alessandro Del Piero believes there is nothing much worth reading into after Luciano Spalletti slapped centre-forward Lois Openda on the touchline during Juventus’s 2-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League, instead suggesting that there must be a ‘good relationship’ in place for the coach to have done such a thing. 

Shortly after Weston McKennie had put Juventus two goals up in their Champions League league phase match against Benfica on Wednesday night, Spalletti was seen slapping centre-forward Openda as he warmed up on the touchline, supposedly telling him to ‘wake up’. 

Openda did not seem visibly upset by the incident, the opposite if anything, but Spalletti’s actions were a topic for discussion after full-time, in his post-match press conference and in Thursday morning’s papers. 

Luciano Spalletti found a unique way to motivate and celebrate with his players during Juventus’ 2-0 win over Benfica 😲 pic.twitter.com/LpetFJ8HNo

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 21, 2026

In the Sky Sport Italia studio for analysis of Juventus’s victory against Benfica were Del Piero, Fabio Capello and Paolo Di Canio. 

Bianconeri legend Del Piero spoke at length about the performance his old side put in. 

“It was a tough game, but Juve are better than Benfica at converting chances,” Del Piero said.

“I saw a strong and attentive team. They needed a lot of focus and some nastiness. We saw players doing well at recovering the ball, like McKennie for the second goal, but also from Locatelli who sacrificed himself three or four times to block shots inside the area.

“Overall, it was a nice, convincing victory. They managed to hold on well and have earned an excellent position in the league standings.” 

Del Piero was also asked for his opinions on the Spalletti-Openda slap incident. 

He said: “If a coach lets himself do something like that with one of his players, it means that there’s a good relationship. There’s a lot of communication. 

“Luciano is good at that, and it’s becoming increasingly important for young players today, who need a different style of communication. Maybe not like this, though,” he joked.”