Spalletti: ‘Juventus wallow in doubt and lose confidence’
FLORENCE, ITALY - NOVEMBER 08: Luciano Spalletti manager of Juventus reacts during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and Juventus at Stadio Artemio Franchi on November 8, 2026 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
Luciano Spalletti reiterated Juventus ‘can’t seem to be consistent’ and ‘lose confidence, so we wallow in doubt’ after a 2-2 draw with Fiorentina, but remained enigmatic on penalty appeals.
The Bianconeri had to fight back twice for a point in Florence this evening, as they went behind within four minutes to a Mateo Pellegrino header, then once Nick Woltemade had equalised with his first Serie A goal, Alieu Njie had restored the Viola advantage.
Gleison Bremer rose to meet a Douglas Luiz corner kick for the final 2-2 result, although both teams had late complaints against the referee.
Spalletti sees same Juventus problems
“We tend to drown in a glass of water sometimes, and lose confidence in the way we play,” Spalletti told DAZN Italia.
“We conceded so early, but then reacted well, we just can’t seem to be consistent throughout a match, as a team or as individuals. We do really well for 10 minutes, then are lacking in something else the next, we aren’t consistent.”
The Njie goal raised eyebrows, because while Guglielmo Vicario had made the initial save, his teammates weren’t reactive enough to clear, allowing the Fiorentina player to bundle in the loose ball.
“In some moments we decided not to make decisions, we just stay there and accept the situation, without taking action or the initiative. Doing something takes away the doubt, but when you wallow in the doubt, you never manage to be in control of a situation,” confessed Spalletti.
It was a new trident attack this evening with Jeremie Boga and Randal Kolo Muani taking the wings, leaving Woltemade as the centre-forward.
“We made this choice because Fiorentina are aggressive, and seeing as we don’t build out too well from the back, at times we need to be more direct going for the centre-forward. It is not his greatest strength, holding up the ball, as he likes to combine with his teammates, but he’s the best at it in the squad.
“Kolo Muani is doing better, and with these fitness levels and rediscovered verve, you can put him anywhere and he’ll deliver a performance. He moves around a lot more and seems more engaged with the rest of the team.”
Radu Dragusin’s goal was disallowed for a push on Bremer, while Juve had penalty appeals rejected for a potential Joao Mario handling offence.
“I don’t know, do you have an alternative question?” replied Spalletti with a smile when shown the replay of the incident.
“I didn’t need a replay, I already saw it on the pitch.”
The result means that Juventus go into the break for international duty in seventh place, falling six adrift of Milan and the Champions League qualifying spots.
A tally of 18 points after 11 rounds is their worst start to a Serie A season since 15 points in 2021/22 under Max Allegri.
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