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LUCIANO SPALLETTI EYES SERIE A SUCCESS DESPITE JUVENTUS STRUGGLES

New Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti believes he can turn the team's form around and challenge for the Serie A title. The former Napoli manager signed an eight-month deal after Igor Tudor was dismissed.

Luciano Spalletti eyes Serie A success despite Juventus struggles
Spalletti vows to chase Serie A glory again - COURTESY/PHOTO

In his limited time at the club, Luciano Spalletti, the new coach of Juventus, is confident he can turn things around and perhaps contend for the Serie A championship.

On Thursday, Spalletti took Igor Tudor's place; the former coach of Napoli and Italy signed an eight-month contract.

Tudor was let go on Monday after losing three in a row and going eight games without a victory since September 13. Wednesday's 3-1 victory over Udinese under temporary coach Massimo Brambilla put an end to the decline.

On Saturday, Spalletti's debut game as manager will take place in Serie A at Cremonese. Three days later, Juventus hosts Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League.

"Why would I have signed an eight-month deal if I did not think this squad has potential and possibilities, despite its challenging times?" In his first press conference as Juventus' coach, Spalletti stated this on Friday.

Therefore, I think I can work well with them. You proceed from there: from availability to drive to self-control, to accomplish significant outcomes, and I see an opportunity to make some corrections."

Since 2020, when it ended a nine-year winning streak, Juventus has not won Serie A.

The squad is now six points behind leaders Roma and Napoli in seventh place in the standings.

Juventus is in the elimination stages of the Champions League after drawing two games and losing one.

Spalletti stated, "I hope to be able to get back into the (Serie A) title competition." "Why not? Yesterday, we talked about it with the players. We have to strive for the top, and the title race is the top in this instance.

"There are still 29 games to play, which is a significant number of games left. Nine games have already been played. In my roughly thirty years in the field, I have saw it all. He laughed and continued, "I have been fortunate enough to follow this road here, and I do not see why I should settle just because I am elderly."

Most famously, the 66-year-old Spalletti led Napoli to the 2023 Serie A championship. when that, he had a bad stint with Italy and was let go in June when the Azzurri's World Cup qualifying campaign started poorly.

In addition, Spalletti has coached Inter Milan, Roma, Sampdoria, Venezia, Udinese, Ancona, Empoli, and Zenit St. Petersburg.

Since the dismissal of Massimiliano Allegri in May 2024, Spalletti has become Juventus' third full-time coach. He is the club's fifth coach during that time, including caretakers.

Tudor, who helped Juventus clinch a Champions League position with a fourth-place finish last season, took Thiago Motta's place when the club sacked him in March.

According to Italian media on Thursday, if Juventus made it to the Champions League, Spalletti's contract would automatically be extended for a further two years.

Damien Jacques Comolli, general manager of Juventus, clarified that the club has the option to prolong for an additional year if it so chooses, but that the renewal is not automatic.

Additionally, there is a moral agreement, and we talked with Luciano about how we see this as a possible long-term partnership that we would definitely want to have on the club side.

"And we both believed it was the appropriate approach, Luciano and I, and then we can get down and decide the way forward during the season."

TIRED OR TOUGH? THE CONFLICTING ITALIAN MEDIA REPORTS ON SCOTT MCTOMINAY’S PERFORMANCE

Scott McTominay and Napoli suffer Champions League elimination after a 3-2 home defeat to Chelsea's clinical Joao Pedro.

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Napoli and McTominay crashed out against Chelsea

Scott McTominay had a rough night as Napoli crashed out of the Champions League on Wednesday. The reigning Serie A champs missed out on a play-off spot after losing at home to Chelsea.

It was a wild night in the Champions League, and Napoli ended up as one of the biggest letdowns. Even with home advantage against Liam Rosenior's team, they only managed to finish 30th overall. Chelsea, on the other hand, walked away with sixth.

McTominay, along with Manchester United loanee Rasmus Hojlund, couldn’t stop Napoli from falling 3-2 in Naples. Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez opened the scoring, but Napoli hit back before halftime thanks to Antonio Vergara and Hojlund.

But after the break, Joao Pedro bagged a brace and sealed Napoli’s fate. The Italian press didn’t hold back in their reviews of McTominay’s performance.

Il Napolista gave McTominay a 6 out of 10. They liked his grit but pointed out he lost possession a few too many times in midfield. Still, they said he was a threat going forward—enough to give Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez something to worry about. But in the end, it just wasn’t enough for Conte’s side.

Il Messaggero also gave him a 6. They called his first half “average”, even though the game was played at a high level. After halftime, they thought he looked tired and didn’t live up to his usual standards.

Corriere dello Sport was a bit more generous with a 6.5. They praised his fighting spirit—classic Premier League style—and said he gave it everything he had. But as Serie A’s current MVP, expectations are high, and he just couldn’t find the goals Napoli needed.

Essere Partnopei matched that 6.5 rating. They praised his energy and said he was as active as ever, moving the ball well. Still, his efforts couldn’t keep Napoli from being knocked out.

Napoli Magazine skipped the ratings but said McTominay wasn’t at his best. He’s a key player for Conte and stayed committed, but it wasn’t enough to push Napoli into the next round.

"DON'T JUMP SHIP!" — ANTONIO CONTE’S EXPLOSIVE WARNING TO NAPOLI STARS AFTER JUVENTUS ROUT

Scott McTominay and Rasmus Hojlund fail to fire as Juventus crush Napoli 3-0. Discover Conte’s defiant post-match reaction.

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Napoli slip to fourth as title rivals capitalise on defeat

Napoli just fell nine points behind in the Serie A title chase after Scott McTominay and the rest of the squad took a heavy 3-0 loss against Juventus.

The defending champs barely put up a fight at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. Juventus looked sharp, closing the gap with Napoli to just a single point. Right now, Gli Azzurri sit fourth with 43 points, Juventus are right behind on 42, and Inter still lead the pack with 52. If Antonio Conte’s side wants to catch up, they’ve got a lot of work to do.

McTominay played the whole match for Napoli but couldn’t change the game. Frustration was obvious for the visitors. Rasmus Hojlund, on loan from Manchester United, struggled again and didn’t make much of a difference up front. While his parent club edged out Arsenal 3-2 in London, Hojlund missed two decent chances in Turin. He hasn’t scored for Napoli since late December.

Romelu Lukaku finally got back on the pitch after his injury, but with just 12 minutes left, the result was already settled. Juventus were two goals up—Jonathan David bagged the first, Kenan Yildiz added another, and Filip Kostic finished things off near the end with a third.

Napoli are still missing another Scot, Billy Gilmour, and creative midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is out hurt as well. Next up, Chelsea comes to Naples on Wednesday night. Napoli really needs a win to stay in the hunt for a Champions League play-off spot.

Conte faced up to the defeat but made it clear Napoli aren’t about to give up on the Scudetto—even with all these injuries.

Conte didn’t sugarcoat things:

“As long as it was 1-0, it felt close—like we might grab a draw,” he said. “But after their second goal, things opened up, and then they scored a third. Credit to them, but also to my guys. There’s not much to say or criticise. Even here in Turin, they gave everything.

“Sometimes you get past these obstacles, sometimes you don’t. For the first time in my career, I had to bring on a player [Giovane]. I’d never even seen him in training—a kid who just joined us Saturday. That tells you something about what we’re dealing with right now.

“But we’re not quitting. We know the situation, and we’ll keep pushing. It feels like we’re out at sea in a storm, but we’re not bailing. If someone wants to jump ship, fine—they can swim to shore. The rest of us are staying on board, ready to fight with everything we’ve got, whatever comes our way.”

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