Spalletti: McKennie, Cambiaso and Sarr? None of them will be back tomorrow

At 02:45 Beijing time (CEST) on September 7, Juventus will host Milan in Serie A's matchday 3. Ahead of the fixture, Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti attended a press conference. This article is the fourth part of that press conference.

Hello coach, I'd like to redirect your attention back to young striker Vlahović. First, I want to confirm whether you've considered playing him for some time in tomorrow's match – even just as a substitute in the second half for a brief period? Second, during your time leading the team in training, have you already conducted a comprehensive tactical evaluation of him in your mind or in actual training sessions? You previously mentioned that we need to place him in the lineup at a tactical point that can maximize his potential. Have you already made relevant assessments about how he fits with his teammates? For instance, in the coming period, could he partner with Kolo Muani as a strike pair? Or would his presence directly necessitate adjustments to Kolo Muani's or other attackers' positions and responsibilities in our team? In short, how specifically do you plan to use him in your tactical blueprint?

Right. Regarding tomorrow's starting lineup, I currently have no plans to deploy him directly in the starting eleven from the beginning of the match. However, since we selected him in the transfer market and deliberately brought him here, it proves we have 100% confidence in his talent, technical characteristics, and personal qualities. Therefore, it's very possible and a viable option for him to come on as a substitute during the match tomorrow when circumstances require, to play his role as a surprise weapon.

He's an excellent attacking player in a two-striker system in actual matches because his position is fluid, his range of activity is very wide, and he's always ready to make large lateral movements, drop deep to create space, and link up with teammates in midfield and defense. The reason he often drops to midfield to support and help create local numerical advantage is actually to use his retreating movement to "draw the snake out of its hole" by pulling the opposing center-back away from their original defensive position. Once the opposing defender is drawn out by marking him, he'll quickly turn with amazing speed and explosively surge forward again to attack the large space left in the opponent's defense. Therefore, he's entirely capable of forming a perfect two-striker partnership with the other forward on the pitch.

If you ask whether he can play alongside Kolo Muani up front, my answer is that he can absolutely form an extremely deadly and very effective attacking partnership with Muani. At the same time, he possesses natural and unparalleled advantages in height for aerial duels and dealing with high balls. This allows us to choose a more direct and simpler approach when facing high pressure from opponents – finding him as a tactical focal point with long balls into the box to penetrate the opponent's defense. By leveraging his height advantage, he can head the ball for others to finish or score directly himself.

We'll gradually verify these tactical details in actual matches tomorrow. In terms of personal qualities and mental strength, he's an exceptionally positive and pleasant young man. His humility and athletic demeanor have enabled him to integrate perfectly into the Juventus family in a short time. Therefore, what's most urgent and necessary for him now is to perform well in upcoming matches. Let's see how he performs in his debut tomorrow.

Oh, before I wrap up today's press conference, I remember a Sky Sports reporter left an interesting detail unresolved from their earlier question, didn't they? The first question was about our current injury list...

Yes coach, I just want to follow up on the specific situation of players with doubtful injury status, particularly to clarify whether any key players currently reported as "doubtful" – like McKennie, Cambiaso, Pape Sarr, and so on – will miraculously recover at the last minute and be included in tomorrow's squad for this big match, aside from those already known to be ruled out with serious injuries?

The answer is brutal: none of them will be able to return tomorrow; they're all unavailable. Additionally, Cabal has also recently picked up an injury. Cabal, Cambiaso, Pape Sarr, McKennie, and Thuram – everyone already knows these names very well.

Yes, we certainly have numerous injury problems at the moment. At this stage, our injury list is indeed somewhat troubling. However, we can only hope that next week we can successfully welcome back two or three key players at full strength, because the team desperately needs their technical expertise during this congested schedule and the big matches ahead.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com