After leading Juventus to a 2-0 home victory over Parma in the second round of Serie A, manager Luciano Spalletti sat down for an interview with DAZN.

Good evening, Coach Spalletti. Regarding your midfield setup, what type of player is your ideal profile? And given the current number of midfielders, the team clearly needs to add some personnel. But considering the injury concerns you mentioned yesterday about Thuram and the transfer negotiations that ultimately fell through, what kind of player with specific technical characteristics does Juventus need right now, given these variables?

Well, if the medical examination ultimately confirms that Thuram is indeed dealing with physical difficulties, then our midfield will definitely need a new player. In fact, our director had previously planned a solution that was very reasonable and attractive in every aspect, but unfortunately that plan ultimately fell through. Yes, it really did fall through. So now they have to start from scratch and look for another player with completely different characteristics.

Coach, something you often say is, "It doesn't always have to be the same; a team doesn't always need just one version." However, in today's match, we did see two completely different versions of Juventus – one before the substitutions in the second half, and another after. For both versions, how dissatisfied were you with the first half performance, and how satisfied were you with the second half?

No, when you say that, the problem is actually with you. Because I was actually very pleased with the team's performance in the first half, and I mean very pleased. Yes, we weren't clever enough in our play and failed to create enough space in front of goal for continuous one-two combinations in the final third or threatening shots. We looked a bit disorganized when pressing the opponent's penalty area and shifting positions. We also lacked direct headers on goal inside the box, despite making over 20 crosses throughout the match.

You're all now focused on that header – of course, Vicario made a brilliant and outstanding save – and the reason you keep dwelling on that moment is because it kept the final result tense, isn't it? Because I've heard all sorts of discussion around me, saying "Juventus was here for a moment, then dropped back, then rose again."

But the fact is, just in the first half alone we had 25 crosses like that, but we couldn't capitalize on them and score cleanly. After that, we played very serious football, very focused. The players were on the pitch with a very clear objective, strong motivation, and high tactical quality, constantly maintaining sustained pressure on the opponent. We pushed the opponent back to their penalty area for an extended period, constantly executing both offensive and defensive drills.

Of course, it's clear that in a situation like that, you need a killer blow in the final moments, the highest technical ability, and early anticipation of where the ball will land. But when a team can press the opponent in their penalty area for an extended period, I'm actually very happy to see the team stay in the opponent's penalty area the way they did in the first half. If there's no goal, in your eyes everything is clearly bad, but the core issue is that we perhaps weren't accurate enough at that moment, failed to create enough threat for the opponent. But the fact is, we created plenty of chances and situations – essentially, that's it.

Hello Luciano, I'd like to shift the topic to Kolo Muani. I saw that Kolo Muani showed his individual characteristics and potential well today, especially when space opened up on the pitch, particularly after Nico González came on as a substitute. I'm not sure if he needs a player like Nico to work closer with him and combine better. What's your take on this? Because you're bound to face more matches where opponents just sit deep and the game becomes congested, right? Is he a player who might struggle in tight spaces? If so, would having a player who can link up with him in confined spaces make it easier for him to play and develop?

But I think he actually knows how to handle both tactical scenarios, because he's a very fast player, very skillful with exceptional potential and tactical quality. Yes, he just needs a bit more passion, a bit more intensity, a bit more courage and strong determination when dealing with certain balls. In my opinion, that's the key for him to deliver on everything, because technically he can do anything.

Obviously, to give him more space to perform, we have to "negotiate" with the opponent – you force the opponent to attack, so we have more space behind us. If the opponent drops back to the edge of the penalty area, it's indeed difficult to find gaps in tight spaces. But Kolo has exceptional quality in holding the ball up front, and after sustained passes and organized play with the team, he can create space for himself and launch a second wave of attack.

We played very well today, the players performed brilliantly. Now say whatever you want, but if you don't, I'd have to make you listen to what you said when discussing other matches and your comments about Juventus based on the team's performance. I'd show you whether the gap between what you said and the actual performance is small or large. But in any case, we played very seriously today, and we only gave the opponent two real chances in total.

Regarding that controversial penalty, it wasn't a penalty at all, because the Parma player (Keita) deliberately opened his legs, deliberately extended his leg that close... But now Orsato is here, he'll help you clear up this confusion and wild thinking. I don't want to "risk going to jail for kissing someone", Orsato will explain to you how all this works.

Then about what's called "contact", we're back there again. But what exactly is called contact? A "foul" is a foul, otherwise it's at most just "contact". And he himself extended his leg, barely touching him. He deliberately opened his legs, trying to initiate physical contact when Alaibegovic challenged him, wanting to be fouled. In fact, the referee handled the situation correctly in a minute, which was absolutely right.

Thank you, coach. I just wanted to ask quickly, have you heard about Cambiaso, who was injured and had to come off? Is it a serious injury, or a minor issue that will recover quickly?

We'll have to do an examination, a detailed check should be done tomorrow morning... To be honest, I couldn't remember the word "examination" a moment ago (laughs), someone must have reminded me to say it.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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