Luciano Spalletti explained the reason for his expulsion at the end of the 1-1 draw between Juventus and Cagliari, when he and Cagliari's coach, Fabio Pisacane, were removed from the pitch for a "rather dramatic" greeting. In his interview with DAZN, Spalletti said he tried to maintain a cordial atmosphere, praising the Cagliari team for their skill and ability to "waste time". "I told him that they are good and that they play well, but they also know how to waste time. He replied: 'What does time mean?' and kicked us out", he explained, underlining that the episode was "all quite normal".
The Juventus coach then continued by commenting on his team's performance. He highlighted the need to have Kolo Muani with a teammate, suggesting that in the 25th minute, with McKennie on the left, the team could have made better use of Muani's presence. He also praised Nico Gonzalez, calling him "the strongest player with the head we have", and explained that his presence in the center of the pitch makes Juventus "difficult to mark". According to Spalletti, the result is not his main concern; what matters is "finishing a career well", given that he is almost 70 years old. "I don't think about the result, but about the performance. If you play like this you win many times," he added.
Meanwhile, Spalletti has expressed some reservations about Gianluca Mina. He said he wanted to "best manage the potential of the team" and that Mina, like last year, "takes us around a bit with his behavior as a strong footballer". The coach reiterated the importance of protecting the team from behaviors that could distract, but also recognized that a player with "character, strength and personality" can bring home more episodes and positive results.
The episode of the remedied greeting, the criticism of playing times and the comments on individual performances were the highlights of Spalletti's interview. Juventus remains in a competitive position in Serie A, but the manager underlines that the team must continue to improve to achieve its goals. With the season still underway, Spalletti and his team will have to face the next challenges with the same determination and attention to detail that characterized the match against Cagliari.