Cremonese 1-2 Juventus – 3 things we learned from Spalletti’s first game in charge

Luciano Spalletti got his Juventus career off to a winning start on Saturday night, with a 2-1 win against a plucky Cremonese side.

There are easier first games than against a brave newly-promoted side who have already taken points from the likes of Atalanta, Milan and Como this season.

However, Spalletti and his tactical gamble paid off, with his Bianconeri looking rejuvenated with fresh ideas and desire.

Join Football Italia as we take a look at three things we learned in Spalletti’s first win as Juventus coach.

The biggest difference in how Juventus played this evening, compared to under the Tudor reign, was the fluidity of the formation.

It would appear that gone are the days of the structured 3-5-2 and 3-4-2-1 and whilst Spalletti’s formational choices didn’t stray too far from the framework left by Tudor, there was an air of dynamism and fluidity that was not present during the Croatian’s time at the club.

New roles for Teun Koopmeiners, who operated on the left-side of the back three, Weston McKennie, who appeared to drift from an 8, to a 10, to a winger, and Lois Openda who drifted from the flank to a more central #9 position alongside Dusan Vlahovic.

The constant movement and fluidity in this tactic caused difficulties for Cremonese, especially in the first half. The Bianconeri team took turns to press and cover for one another, with the wide players pressing hard in the first instance, before dropping off and allowing their midfield cover to push forward instead.

Juventus have a wealth of individual talents in their squad but Tudor seemed to have difficulty getting them in line. Spalletti, however, appears to be taking a more liberal approach to his players’ roles and there is potential for this to get the best out of his team.

Cremonese looked promising before the start of the season but after an impressive start to Serie A, the newly-promoted side have proved they are no pushovers.

Despite coming away empty handed, they gave a good account of themselves on the night and gave Juventus a scare in the closing stages of the game.

Tonight, Nicola’s side struggled in the opening stages, Spalletti’s Juventus dominating them for most of the first half. However, tweaks made by the head coach and substitutions breathed new life into Cremonese, while Juventus took their foot off the gas.

At the end of the day, a loss is a loss – and you do not get any points for such a result. However, it was just the second time this season that the club have come away with nothing and Cremonese’s continuously impressive performances against the biggest clubs in the country are a very promising sign for the future.

Jamie Vardy also scored his second goal of the season, as the Englishman starts to settle in more at his new club. If the former Leicester City man can keep the momentum going and keep finding the back of the net, surviving relegation will be a walk in the park.

One of Igor Tudor’s main problems at Juventus this season, before he was replaced by Spalletti, was his conundrum in attack.

Whilst the likes of Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao have proved dangerous on the flanks, Tudor was unable to get it right with his centre-forwards.

In the summer, the Bianconeri signed both Jonathan David and Lois Openda. The former, having arrived earlier in the summer and therefore having more time to train with the team, has been given the most opportunities but has really struggled to hit the ground running in Italy.

The Canadian has just one goal in nine Serie A appearances this season. Meanwhile, Openda, who has played roughly 200 less minutes in the league, is goalless. Tudor’s rigid structure meant he struggled to get the best out of his forwards and Dusan Vlahovic’s inconsistent form has been cause for yet more selection headaches this campaign.

However, tonight Spalletti started both Openda and Vlahovic together, with the Belgian given more license to alternate between a more central role and pushing down the flank. A couple of times the former Leipzig man did well to burst to the byline and put a good ball in for Vlahovic or one of the other Bianconeri players lingering in the box.

Openda’s versatility could lead to him becoming a major asset for Spalletti but it is not clear how the return of Kenan Yildiz will impact this – and whether or not Spalletti will favour selection consistency or fluid rotation.

Read our match report for the Juventus win here, and check out our player ratings.