Three things Spalletti must fix at Juventus

Juventus are three points below a Champions League spot, but Luciano Spalletti won’t only have to improve results, but also fix some long-term issues in the team.

Spalletti arrived at Continassa on Thursday morning, hours after a 3-1 win over Udinese, to sign his contract with Juventus.

The agreement is until the end of the season, but includes an option to extend in case of Champions League qualification. To reach the target, Spalletti have to fix some short and long-term issues that have been affecting the team for far too long.

So, what will Spalletti need to adjust in his tenure at the Allianz Stadium?

One of Juventus’ main issues under Tudor was to simply create goal-scoring opportunities. Before the Croat’s sacking, the Old Lady had gone four consecutive matches without scoring, equalling an unwanted record from 1991. Sky Sport showed on Monday that Juventus are fourth in Serie A for ball recoveries high up the pitch, but are only 18th for chances created from such situations. This means Juventus were pretty good in their high press under Tudor, but then didn’t really know what to do with the ball in the final third. Tudor often rotated Juventus’ starting centre-forward during his tenure and perhaps a clearer hierarchy will help the Old Lady make sharper moves in the final third.

Is this something a coach alone can solve? Not necessarily, but Spalletti has proved to be good at developing players technically and mentally. Tudor insisted that Juventus had many leaders. In his final pre-match press conference, he mentioned Manuel Locatelli, Khephren Thuram, Mattia Perin, Jonathan David and Dusan Vlahovic as the current and future standout personalities in the dressing room. The pitch, however, has shown that Juventus lack players who can take responsibility in critical moments, and Spalletti will necessarily have to work on the mental side of things, not just technique and tactics, to build a team that can match the ambition and the tradition of a prestigious club like Juventus.

This was one of the reasons that led to Tudor’s departure and something that Spalletti must work on alongside club directors, especially Damien Comolli. Naturally, the Bianconeri will have to make some acquisitions in the January transfer window to fill the gaps in the team and start bringing players suitable to Spalletti’s playing style. Juventus are still waiting to appoint a new sporting director, but whoever he is, he’ll have to base transfer decisions on Spalletti’s needs and demands. Having a clear identity on the pitch will also depend on the club’s work in the transfer market. Every top team’s success is based on shared projects and a common vision between the directors and those working on the pitch daily, but Juventus have lacked it in recent months and years.