Juventus midfielder earns comparison with Calafiori as Spalletti sends message

Teun Koopmeiners is expected to start his second consecutive game in central defence, and his contribution to the build-up has made him earn a comparison with Italy international Riccardo Calafiori.

New Juventus coach Spalletti surprisingly started Koopmeiners as a left centre-back in a three-man defence in a 2-1 win over Cremonese on Saturday and is expected to offer more of the same this evening when the Old Lady hosts Sporting CP in the Champions League.

During his pre-match press conference on Monday, Spalletti praised Koopmeiners’ performance against Cremonese, saying that “Koop demonstrated personality and substance, putting in a performance as a great defender.”

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— Massimiliano Nerozzi (@MaxNerozzi) November 2, 2025

Koopmeiners’ heatmap from the game against Cremonese shows that the Dutch midfielder touched the ball more often in central midfield and on the left flank than he did inside the Bianconeri’s box.

The Dutchman’s contribution to the build-up even prompted Gazzetta to compare his position and duties to those of Calafiori, who played in the same role with the Italy national team under Spalletti.

The Arsenal star was one of the few positive notes in the Azzurri’s Euro 2024 campaign. His performances with Bologna and the national team that season contributed to his move to North London over the summer.

‘Koop playing as a defender like Calafiori is an invitation to play with the heads held high, with the desire to dominate proceedings,’ noted Gazzetta on Tuesday.

‘The Dutchman has dropped deep, but is practically an added midfielder in the build-up.’

Koopmeiners joined Juventus in a €60m deal from Atalanta in 2024, but has been struggling to justify his price tag, playing in six different roles: attacking midfielder, winger, playmaker, box-to-box midfielder, false nine and, ultimately, defender.