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 has urged his Juventus squad to put in the same performance as they did in the first half of their 2-0 victory over Lecce when they take on Genoa in Serie A on Wednesday evening, and has made it clear that he is the only one responsible for picking the team’s tactics and formation, not the players: ‘They wouldn’t dare to dictate the system we play with’.
The seventh-placed Bianconeri are hoping to make it back-to-back victories when they travel to Genoa in Serie A on Wednesday evening (19.45 GMT, 20.45 CET), after picking up a much-needed 2-0 win away against Lecce on Sunday.
Juventus had been beaten 3-0 by Lazio the weekend prior and were held to a 1-1 draw by Cagliari the week before that, and with eight points separating Juventus and the top of the Serie A table, there is already some catching up to do.
Spalletti sat down to give his thoughts on Juve’s form, their upcoming test against Cagliari and his decision on team tactics during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
Spalletti’s pre-match press conference ahead of Genoa vs. Juventus
First up, Spalletti gave his pre-match assessment of the opposition, Genoa, who he feels will give Juventus several different things to think about.
“[It will be] a very tough team to face with their atmosphere and from a tactical point of view. They have multiple options in games: They have the physicality of Osmajic, Ostigaard, they’re good at set-pieces and at attacking spaces when they go man-for-man during the game. They also have skill with Messias, Baldanzi and El Shaarawy.
“Then there’s De Rossi, who makes a difference as well. He was my man on the pitch, he was the one who dictated my thoughts through a megaphone, my leader on the pitch.”
Spalletti faced multiple questions about his recent switch of formations. It had been suggested in the press that the players ‘asked’ to change things around, which supposedly led to Spalletti’s recent switch to a 3-5-2.
Spalletti insists that he is the only one responsible for picking the team and their tactics, though.
“This is a good set-up and it starts from the evaluation of our players, but it doesn’t make us forget the composition of our squad. We can’t penalise those who have a different set of characteristics: A small rotation is all that’s needed for it to become a 3-4-2-1, and anyone can fit into the two. Kolo Muani can play in that space and almost be like an attacking midfielder or an outside forwards. He’s one of those players.
“It’s a solution that is designed to take us into the future, not to just play these games or to try and motivate one or two players. When some people said that the group requested this approach, that is something that is not up to the players.
“I am dealing with a group of serious players, more serious than the questions that are asked of them. They wouldn’t dare to dictate the system we play with, otherwise that would be disrespectful to their teammates. It feels like there’s a made-up Whatsapp group where these sorts of questions are passed around.”
Spalletti was asked for a comment on Harry Kane’s victory at the Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday night and whether he has spoken to any of his players about their potential of reaching the same heights.
“My players and I have other goals to talk about,” Spalletti replied. On Kane, he added: “I talked about it with my staff and we thought it was right that it was given to him. It was a logical choice given the quality of the player. He has frightening numbers, even if he’s not always highlighted like some other players. That’s how it should be.”
The next question Spalletti faced was about the schedule: Juventus have already played three games over the last nine days and have another four to go before the next international break on November 8, a fortnight away.
“We’re on the ball, the team is on the ball, the club is on the ball,” Spalletti insisted. “We have to be ready for the game because it will be a massively difficult match. We have to play like we did in the first half [against Lecce], and obviously it’s risky if we start suffering after that.
“The closeness of the matches is risky in terms of fatigue but also your state of mind. Eventually. It comes down to whether you want to do it, if you shy away from it or try to find new solutions to get through this period we’re currently in. We’ve seen that the team has the right mentality. They’ve pushed, fought, and battled to win games. They misplaced a few too many passes in the second half [against Lecce], but they showed they’re in the right place.”
Spalletti was asked if there is a chance he will revert back to a 4-3-3 at some stage.
He replied: “When I talked about making a small rotation, that was about the 3-4-2-1. If we go back to a four-man defence, we’re mixing it up even more again. You lose the tactical system on the pitch, but in certain circumstances, it helps to have an extra body in midfield.
“In the second half against Lecce, they went to a back three and we had to take a midfielder out and go to a 3-4-2-1. That gives us three or four options to do something different in attack without using up all five of our substitutions.
“It’s fairly easy to identify which 16 players will play in the match. It doesn’t matter who player from the start, but what is important is what they show if they only have 20 minutes available. We expect some serious responses, like the ones we had in Lecce.”
Juventus sit in seventh place ahead the midweek round of Serie A fixtures, with four wins, two draws and two defeats on their record after eight league games. What does Spalletti make of the team’s ranking?
“We need to go and win games and put in convincing performances like we did against Lecce,” Spalletti made it clear. “We have to identify the solution we want on a tactical level and remove a few of the mental doubts. We have to bring home results and have a clear mind.”
Spalletti was asked if the upcoming match against Napoli this weekend might affect his team selection against Genoa on Wednesday.
He replied: “We have to take everything into account. The team will stay the same, but today I’ve seen a lot of focus on the choices that we are going to make. I feel clear about it.”
And lastly, what does Spalletti make of Randal Kolo Muani’s recent form?
“He always causes fear and his teammates take advantage of that,” said Spalletti. “He always strikes fear into his opponents.
“I loved it when Douglas Luiz made it 2-0 [against Lecce], look at his reaction and how much he cares, that tells you where his mind is. He had the reaction of a very happy player, one that was happy for his teammates being able to go and score. He’s happy if the team wins, even if he doesn’t score. That state of mind is everything for me and I have total trust in him.”
