Spalletti: ‘Juventus not at Inter and Napoli level yet’

Luciano Spalletti feels Juventus are still ‘not at the level’ of Inter and Napoli, even after sweeping Cremonese aside 5-0, and he’s ‘not interested’ in a longer contract.

The Bianconeri knew that this was a big opportunity after the top three were all held to stalemates over the weekend, and they took it with gusto, crushing Cremonese 5-0.

They rode their luck a little too, as Gleison Bremer scored by mistake redirecting Fabio Miretti’s shot, then after Jonathan David’s counter-attack, Cremonese had a penalty revoked by VAR.

Kenan Yildiz did convert eventually, despite Emil Audero fingertipping the initial spot-kick onto the upright, before Weston McKennie forced a Filippo Terracciano own goal and then made sure with a header.

“I just want to note that in my view, neither of the two penalties today should’ve been awarded,” added Spalletti, agreeing with the entire Sky Sport Italia panel of pundits.

Did the coach expect such a remarkable run of form?

“When you take on this work, there can always be surprises, good and bad ones, as the pitch does the talking,” Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia.

“We were in control, we had a good game and were set out well, we had the right hunger against an opponent that knows what it’s doing. Davide Nicola knows the top flight very well and what his squad has to do, so they are well-organised and ready to battle.

“With a bit of good luck, we managed to get the result on track early, but then also had some bad luck with that penalty off the upright. I think all things considered we were in charge, although there were still a few wobbles that are hard to get rid of.”

This result puts Juventus firmly in the Scudetto race, as they caught Roma and Napoli on 39 points.

However, Napoli, Inter and Milan all have a game in hand, so once those fixtures – rescheduled for the Supercoppa Italiana commitments – are played on Wednesday and Thursday, we’ll have a clearer idea of the Serie A table.

After that, coming up this weekend, Juventus will go head-to-head with Antonio Conte’s Napoli.

“I watched Inter-Napoli last night, they showed the top level of football, open and attacking football, with character and ideas, representing their coaches,” noted Spalletti.

“I think we need to improve a lot to reach their level, and we need to take those steps quickly. I have seen great effort from these lads, so I feel we can make those improvements.”

Since Spalletti took the job in November, Juve have collected 24 points in Serie A with seven wins, fewer only than leaders Inter on 25 with eight victories.

Nonetheless, his contract only runs to June 30 and there is no automatic clause to extend even if they qualify for the Champions League.

“I already said I am the only person who doesn’t need a contract right now, because if I were to start again, I’d hope to find a new team. We talked about it at the start with the general manager and were very clear, so I am really not interested in the contract,” replied Spalletti.

“I just want to see these players giving me the excitement I got from football when I started playing as a kid and then coaching later on. That is what makes the difference for me.

“I’ll also say that I was asked about the contract before the game with Lecce, and that was a draw, so if I’d been asked this question before today’s match, I would not have answered…”

Among the reasons for the lack of a longer contract was also the fact Spalletti was coming off the unusual sacking from the Italy job, so did that experience knock him back?

“I am old now, and my kids always remind me of that, so changing my attitude and thoughts now is tough. Having said that, one must try to keep up with the times. I’ve got players so sharp and strong that they are what counts to see where we can go.”