Capello: ‘Tudor pays for everyone’ but Spalletti ideal for Juventus

Fabio Capello refuses to solely blame Igor Tudor for Juventus’ poor results as he feels the Croatian tactician has paid ‘for everyone’ and believes Luciano Spalletti is an ideal candidate for the job at the Allianz Stadium.

Juventus sacked their coach, Igor Tudor, on Monday following three consecutive defeats and a winless streak of eight matches.

“Tudor pays for everyone. At Juventus, eight matches without a win and three consecutive defeats are too many, but the responsibility doesn’t lie solely with the coach,” Capello told Gazzetta.

“The original sin was the half-hearted trust the club placed in Tudor. Last summer, the directors looked at other coaches too, and only late did they confirm Igor by renewing his contract. Players can sense these things and look for excuses in such situations. But the real question is: Did Tudor build his team, or did somebody else?

“I’m not entirely sure who’s really in charge at the club,” Capello continued.

“Certainly, someone with Giorgio Chiellini’s experience and stature would be useful alongside the team, just like Paolo Maldini was for Pioli’s title-winning Milan. Chiellini, however, seems to be busy with political and institutional matters.”

As reported by Football Italia, Tudor paid a high price not just for Juventus’ poor results, but also for a frosty relationship with Damien Comolli. Juventus directors were not impressed by Tudor’s communication style, but Capello agreed with the former Bianconeri boss.

“I’ve always liked Tudor’s communication style,” he said.

“When he spoke about the lack of top players, he was right. That’s the problem for Italian football in general, not just for Juventus.

“It’s not like it used to be. Nowadays, top players rarely choose Serie A. As a result, the clubs are forced to rely on reinforcements who can help, but not all of them can handle the pressure that comes with playing for the biggest teams.”

The Bianconeri have identified Spalletti as the number one choice to replace Tudor, and a meeting between the ex-Italy coach and Comolli is expected to take place today.

“Luciano is a coach of great quality and experience; he’s already managed top clubs and won. After the disappointment with Italy, he’ll have a desire for redemption inside him that could be an added value in a situation like this,” noted Capello.

“What could be better than restarting from a historic and prestigious club like Juventus? Spalletti has the right charisma to lift the Bianconeri back up. Paradoxically, the most positive aspect is the standings. Despite a poor start, Juventus are only six points behind leaders Napoli and Roma.

“Any coach will have to restart from Yildiz and from getting the strikers scoring again.”

Capello, however, warned that: “if you don’t have superstars like Messi or Yamal, players who can score on their own, you need to get the ball into the box for your forwards.

“Even a phenomenon like Haaland needs to be supplied. Beyond Spalletti’s ability, you need midfielders and quality players to deliver those balls so that Vlahovic, David and Openda can score.”

Spalletti has been without a team since June 2026 when he was sacked by the Italian Federation following a 3-0 loss against Norway in the World Cup qualifiers.