Giovanni Spalletti has decided to put everything on the table for Sunday's match against Napoli, after the recent defeat against Cagliari. Juventus CEO Giovanni Carnevali expressed his full support for the coach, underlining that the team, currently at the bottom of the table, must react. The group moved to the J Hotel to focus on the Serie A match, with the prospect of also staying for the Champions League match against AZ Alkmaar.
Over the course of the week, Spalletti revealed that Juventus could return to a double centre-forward system, after experimenting with a four-man defense which did not produce satisfactory results. The coach stated that a drastic change, like the one proposed for the match against Genoa, would have been too big in such a short time. For the next match, the team aims to resume the 3-5-2 formation, with Woltemade and Kolo Muani at the center of the attack, to give more incisiveness to the offensive department.
The squad, however, is hit by numerous injuries. Key players such as Yildiz, Locatelli, Thuram, Nico Gonzalez, Conceicao, Ekhator, Milik and Celik are not available. The only immediate alternative could be Cabal, who has already played in Cambiaso's place. In defense, the probable choice is the return of Kelly, while in attack Alajbegovic and Zhegrova are expected to add momentum to the team. The young Owusu and Durmisi could be called upon to intervene in this difficult phase.
Spalletti reiterated that the match against Napoli will be decisive for his future at Juventus. If the team doesn't respond, management might consider a coaching change more easily than a 25-player change. Sunday evening's match therefore represents a turning point, both for Juventus and for Spalletti, who hopes to end his career on a positive note.