Spalletti: Juventus ‘need more rest’, ‘I expect a reaction’ after 0-0 Monaco draw

Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti has expressed the need for his players to take more rest heading into their busiest period of the season, and says that he wants to see a ‘reaction’ from the squad after their disappointing draw away against Monaco in the Champions League earlier this week. 

A congested fixture schedule is beginning to stack up for Juventus after their spot in the Champions League play-off round was confirmed earlier this week. 

The Bianconeri finished the Champions League table in 15th place after a slightly lethargic 0-0 draw away against Monaco. They have been drawn against Galatasaray in the play-off rounds as a result. 

Up next for the Bianconeri, though, is a trip to Parma in Serie A on Sunday evening. Spalletti, speaking in his pre-match press conference, spoke about the importance of rest for his players approaching their busiest period of the season. 

“Obviously we’ll have a period with a lot of games in close proximity and we will have to find solutions,” Spalletti told the press (via TMW).

“Before, we played once every seven days, we always trained with a day off and we will change that. The solution is to give more rest. The boys seem to be responding very well. Today we have our preparation for the match against Parma and yesterday we did ‘invisible’ training. 

Spalletti was later asked to clarify what he meant by the term ‘invisible training’, to which he replied: “Invisible training is when we don’t see (the players), they stay at home. But, they have to think about tomorrow’s game and the upcoming games, so it’s a mental switch. 

“When you play so much, you have to find the right balance. Play a lot, rest a lot, train a lot. I see no other solution than to let them rest. I totally trust my players and I don’t think about anything other than having super, top players here.” 

Despite potential issues with fatigue, Spalletti believes that Juventus can only improve through playing more matches. 

“We’re gaining new experiences and more knowledge, which can help us in the future,” he said. 

And, addressing the 0-0 draw against Monaco, in which the Bianconeri failed to register a shot on target, Spalletti said: “We didn’t do very well in the last game, I expect a reaction after that game because we couldn’t find our normal rhythm. 

“I would change the terms ‘in possession’ and ‘out of possession’. There are continuous, changing factors and there are periods of ‘chaos’ where you need to know how to adapt. I want to see the team doing that again, which might sacrifice some possession in the aim of scoring goals, but no, it was too ‘normal’ or too quiet the other night.”

And on the upcoming test against Galatasaray, Spalletti said: “It’s a nice place to go and see, they are in love with football. For us, it will be a whirlwind playing there, but we can’t avoid it and we have to tackle it head on. Let’s put ourselves in a position to correct some situations. 

“It’s an environment that intensifies everything, the ball almost takes a back seat. The match is so exciting: The tackles, the duels, that it makes you risk losing sight of the most important thing. 

“As I said before, we have to face it head on and be convinced that we’re playing for qualification on equal footing. They’re a very difficult opponent, which has individual quality scattered amongst their team. They have players I know quite well. We can’t shy away from it, but we can’t put things ahead of tomorrow’s game.” 

Spalletti was asked if he is beginning to find the same enthusiasm for football at Juventus that he previously had at Napoli. 

“The important thing is that you won’t see me looking tired,” he said. “We’re entering a great period full of matches. This is my world. I’m a bit obsessed, but it’s hard for me to tire of football. I get tired if my team doesn’t move forwards or if it flattens out. I get tired if I see that my team doesn’t try new things, isn’t imaginative. 

“I like this period we’re heading into and I hope that my players like it as well.” 

And when asked for updates on potential transfer dealings, Spalletti said: “The transfer window is in the club’s hands, and rightly so. If there is a way to help the team, we will see in the last few hours if we’re able to do something or not. This doesn’t affect the work we put in on a daily basis. The club is working uninterruptedly and so we’ll see.”