Spalletti: ‘Most important Juventus win, but I have to be hard on them’

Luciano Spalletti insists the victory over Bologna was ‘the most important’ of his Juventus career so far, but notes where Juan Cabal, Lois Openda and Jonathan David can improve.

The Bianconeri knew the importance of this fixture, as they were two points behind Bologna in the Serie A table, so it was a head-to-head for European places.

Check the Football Italia Player Ratings for Bologna 0-1 Juventus

Was this the most important victory of Spalletti’s time at the club so far?

“Absolutely, because we were facing a team that has an identity, quality and enthusiasm, they were built well and even down to 10 men made it difficult for us,” Spalletti told DAZN Italia.

“Having won here means even more for my players, and they must be congratulated this evening. They did really well.”

Both sides had chances in the first half, but the game changed in the space of five minutes when first substitute Cabal nodded in a Kenan Yildiz cross on a corner, then Torbjorn Heggem saw red for bringing down Openda.

“I had seen things done well in training, and told the directors that I saw the players energetic and reacting well in training. We needed a performance that could give them confidence, and I hope after this we can continue to improve,” continued Spalletti.

“Aside from the goal, the overall performance needs to be evaluated in football. Juventus were in the heart of the game for 90 minutes tonight, battled for every ball, went beyond these individual duels that Bologna force you into, and this bodes well for the future.

“Cabal must learn to keep some of his emotions in check. He is like a pedigree horse with his strength and ability to sprint repeatedly, he has talent with back-heel flicks, but talent is also repeating the 100 metre runs 20 times. He doesn’t mind being in one-on-one situations, is good in the air, but in the games he played so far he wasn’t precise enough for his talent, so I had to be hard on him.”

Openda was another substitute who made an impact tonight, as he fought hard and got Heggem sent off, but also missed some sitters.

“I liked his performance. Openda is a different player to Jonathan David, who frankly seems more like a second striker to me than a centre-forward, as he combines with teammates. Openda has more power, and probably against teams like Bologna feels more at ease, because he can run at them with sheer pace when those spaces open up,” concluded Spalletti.

This result means Juventus climb above Bologna into fifth place awaiting Como’s trip to Roma tomorrow, while they also steadied the Champions League ship with a midweek 2-0 win over Pafos.

Gleison Bremer made his comeback after two months out, but Teun Koopmeiners was booked and will therefore be suspended next week against Roma.