Spalletti hints Juventus could change system and sends message to Yildiz

Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti admits he could change system after the international break: ‘We can play with two wide forwards, or a central striker, or a 4-3-3…’

Juventus were held to a 0-0 home draw by city rivals Torino on Saturday.

This means Spalletti is still unbeaten across all competitions, but has only won one of his first three games in charge of the Old Lady.

After his post-match interview with DAZN, Spalletti spoke to reporters, including Football Italia’s at a press conference at the Allianz Stadium.

“We lacked the quality and creativity you need when matches are this rusty,” Spalletti said.

“In these cases, you need a move that goes against the flow, something a bit illogical. A precise touch to slip the ball between two opponents and maybe a bit of luck. We haven’t had much of that so far.

“We definitely have to improve, because we have the potential to, but I’m happy with the players’ attitude and what I saw. It’s another match we can add to our bank of experience.

“We’re not satisfied. Inside the dressing room, nobody was happy,” Spalletti continued.

“We moved the ball a bit too slowly, and we never really switched play quickly from one side to the other. Some players felt a bit of fatigue after playing just two days ago. But I liked how Zhegrova and David came on, and Gatti showed a very positive attitude. I’m very confident.”

Juventus beat Cremonese 2-1 on Spalletti’s debut last week, but the Bianconeri then collected a 1-1 draw against Sporting CP in the Champions League and today’s 0-0 draw.

The Serie A giants will visit Fiorentina at the Stadio Franchi after the international break.

“These three matches haven’t changed my opinion about this team,” Spalletti added.

“We tried some things, experienced some situations firsthand and gained more knowledge. There’s room to change formation, too. As I said earlier, I’m disappointed to go home without three points, but when it happens in games like tonight’s, you are not devastated, just sorry, because we tried for the entire match.”

When asked whether the new system could include two centre-forwards, Spalletti replied: “We can also play with two strikers, it’s possible. We have the right characteristics. Openda can play as a centre-forward or support striker. We can play with two wide forwards, or a central striker, or a 4-3-3. These are things we’ll need to analyse properly.

“I took Vlahovic off because he did well to recover and make himself available,” explained the Juventus boss.

“He was at risk of not playing because of a problem he had. This morning, he trained, and he was ready, and we appreciated that.”

Lastly, the Italian tactician was asked whether Kenan Yildiz is feeling tired. Spalletti seemed to agree, but this doesn’t mean the Turkish star will be rested: “It could be a fair impression, playing while tired…but I’ll make him play again and keep him there. He can relax,” he concluded.