Capello criticises Spalletti over Yildiz claims: ‘Hard to say’

Fabio Capello feels it’s ‘hard’ to ask more from Kenan Yildiz and says that even if Luciano Spalletti was trying to motivate the squad, he should have delivered his criticism behind closed doors.

Juventus suffered their first defeat under Spalletti on Sunday as Antonio Conte’s Napoli beat the Old Lady 2-1 at the Stadio Maradona.

The Bianconeri had travelled to Naples on the back of three consecutive wins across all competitions.

“Spalletti has just arrived, he’s trying to do things, bring ideas and give the team more personality,” Capello told Gazzetta.

“In the match against Napoli, maybe he was a bit intimidated by Conte’s side and, knowing the strength of their midfield, he decided to play without a centre-forward. It didn’t work well.

“Napoli are a team with quality, and when they defend, they do it with a lot of men, with compactness and without leaving much space,” Capello continued.

“Spalletti is trying to find some solutions, and after three consecutive positive results, he wanted to pick up points. That’s how I see it. But you could see the difference between the two teams.”

Spalletti’s tactical choices raised eyebrows as the Tuscan tactician started Kenan Yildiz as a false nine, but Capello feels the biggest issue for Juventus lies elsewhere.

“Yildiz is one of those players you have to leave free. Of course, he has to get back into possession when you lose the ball, but then he needs the license to invent things,” he said.

“Players with quality and creativity have to be allowed to express themselves. It wasn’t the right context, against such a sharp and determined team, which actually positively impressed me.

“The ball moves slowly and rarely vertically, that’s something not easy to fix because it’s been going on since last year. That means it’s a problem of players’ characteristics.

“The ball moves quickly when you have players with technique and vision, who aren’t afraid of trying a vertical pass. Thuram is a player who carries the ball, Locatelli sees the play, he could also play vertically, but perhaps there aren’t movements in that direction because his teammates prefer to receive the pass at their feet. The only one who asked for the ball in behind got injured, and that was Vlahovic.”

Even Spalletti’s post-match quotes didn’t impress Capello. The Juventus coach demanded more from Yildiz, who had been substituted minutes after scoring a temporary equaliser at the Stadio Maradona.

“I think that was something to be discussed internally when reviewing the match with the players; there was no need to say it to the media,” concluded the ex-coach.

“I think we all ask more of our players, but right now it’s hard to say that about Yildiz. He was probably trying to motivate them, but even sort of guilt trip towards Locatelli seemed a bit too much to me.”

Juventus’ next game is in the Champions League against Paphos on Wednesday, December 10.

The Bianconeri sit 7th in the Serie A table with 23 points, four below fourth-placed Roma.