Spalletti: ‘Juventus will always be condemned to win’
TURIN, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 20: Luciano Spalletti, Manager of Juventus, looks on before the Serie A match between Juventus and Atalanta BC at Allianz Stadium on September 20, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Luciano Spalletti insists Juventus “will always be condemned to win” as they prepare to resume their Serie A campaign at Cagliari on Sunday.
With quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb, the Bianconeri coach was speaking at his pre-match press conference after a three-week international break that he used to balance rest against a heavy fixture load.
“The break was long, and there are pros and cons to everything,” Spalletti said. “We managed it simply, giving long rest periods to balance out all the games. Build up the fatigue, build up the rest, there’s no other medicine. That’s how you manage it, assessing things carefully at an individual level and tailoring the work for the players who stayed with us.”
Asked how his internationals had returned, and whether Edon Zhegrova could start, he couldn’t resist a joke.
“Zhegrova is one of those who has crossed over from the non-starters to the starters. I’ll check the minutes and give you a call… They’ve all come back in the right frame of mind and handled the final sessions well. I’m pleased with the focus, the tempo and the way training has gone. We’ve tailored a few things, a few workloads, depending on how many games they’d played and when we got them back. We’re happy with the players available to us right now, and above all with the condition they’re in.”
Fabio Pisacane’s Cagliari sit fourth, two points above Juventus. They allow more shots than any side in Serie A yet have the league’s best defensive record, and Spalletti believes that paradox is by design.
“You’ve summed it up, because sometimes statistics need to be put in the context of reality – statistics can turn reality on its head. It’ll be a difficult game. They deliberately give you some of the pitch and invite you to play in their half, because they have players who switch the play quickly, who keep the ball well and who cancel out your counter-press. As in previous years, they manage to bring certain players to the fore, and this year they’re doing it with Daniel Maldini. We’ll have to be very good, very decisive, very alive and intense. If you give them space, they know what to do with it.”
Andrea Cambiaso is fit, and Spalletti refused to dwell on the absentees.
“Cambiaso has done all his training sessions properly. I’m happy with the players I have available. You can’t avoid obstacles, and we shouldn’t try to avoid them – we have to go through them. You run into obstacles, things happen to you, but describing them and talking about them is a waste of time. We’re happy with the players we have, and we’ll go and play with them to try to win the game.”
Asked when Juventus would look hungrier than their opponents, he pointed to the response after the defeat at Sassuolo.
“We always want to improve and keep growing. We always want to learn, because whoever stops learning often ends up repeating themselves, and those who go out and learn new things usually grow. We’re training well and we want to learn new things. I don’t see anything negative stopping us from reaching the level you mentioned. What did you call it, hunger? That’s always important in football. Your love for the game has to show on the pitch, by passing on to those around you a serious approach and a constant drive for high standards in your performances and results. That’s something we’re doing. There’s always time and room to grab a bit more. We’ve often said ‘good, very good’, but there’s always more to take. You think you’ve reached a certain level, and then the following year you say: ‘How much more is there still to see?’ But our attitude is right. After the defeat at Sassuolo we won two games that were far from straightforward. We’re on the path we need to be on.”
Spalletti on Kolo Muani and Douglas Luiz
Randal Kolo Muani is being asked to broaden his game.
“We want to leave Kolo Muani free. In fact, we’re encouraging him to do things beyond what a traditional centre-forward does. He covers ground easily, he has quality out wide and through the middle, and he’s good in the air, acrobatically and at turning on the spot. We rate him very highly. As well as supporting him in his choices, we’re trying to show him something new. He’s been too much of a pure centre-forward, and he needs to move around more to do what’s being asked of him.”
Asked about Cagliari’s Alessandro Romano, who recently made his debut for Italy, Spalletti preferred to praise his own playmaker.
“What he’s doing has been recognised, because he’s made the national team. But I’d rather save my compliments for my own players. Usually the best playmakers are the ones who don’t drive their coaches mad, and I have a very good one in Douglas Luiz.”
Then came the line that framed the whole press conference, in response to a question about whether Juventus are being underestimated.
“We couldn’t care less. There will never be any respite for those of us who chose this club. Juventus will always be condemned to win. We’re the ones who set our own sights and raise the bar. We know we can be part of that group. Some people mention us for the Scudetto, others feel obliged to put us somewhere else. But we’re the ones with strong ambitions, we know exactly where we are at this point in time, and we don’t need anyone else to tell us.”
Spalletti hails Gonzalez and Koopmeiners
Nico González, Zhegrova and Douglas Luiz have all been revived under Spalletti, and he believes it comes down to character.
“Some players show you that they have the look of a determined person, someone who wants to shape their own future. Nico shows he’s intense in everything he does. He has this intense, focused, special look in his eyes, and he shows you straight away the path he wants to take.”
He also hinted that Teun Koopmeiners could move back into midfield, pointing to the form of Jhon Lucumí and Lloyd Kelly in defence.
“He can do lots of things. He has vision and that sudden long pass. He finds the space for you – it’s like he has 3D glasses that let him see beyond the wall. He has a foot that puts rhythm into the ball and points the way to goal. In defence we have Lucumí, who’s doing really well, and Kelly, who already has a good spell with us behind him. Koop is a deep-lying playmaker who knows how to make the team tick and take it by the hand. He may well have made some mistakes, but I always expect him to show his quality. I haven’t lost faith in Koopmeiners running Juventus’ play.”
Finally, Spalletti was asked whether Sarr’s forward runs had surprised him.
“He’s a sort of halfway-house holding midfielder. He has a short stride, but with his runs he gets through a lot of work. His timing is right, he’s more like McKennie. He covers the ground, and he could be another one of those who has crossed over to the starters.”
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