Spalletti’s Wake-Up Call: Pressure on Players, Sparks Fly as Juventus Edge Cremonese 2-1

Match Snapshot

Spalletti, the new Juventus coach, warned that pressing players too hard can backfire, even after a 2-1 victory over Cremonese in Serie A on Saturday. He was appointed just days earlier and led his first training session with the team, sticking to a 3-5-2 shape while Teun Koopmeiners operated as a deep-lying playmaker.

Juventus’ wingers delivered a sharp start as Filip Kostich opened the scoring within 85 seconds, and Andrea Cambiaso extended the lead in the second half, before veteran Jamie Vardy pulled one back for Cremonese late on.

After the match, Spalletti spoke to Sky Italia about Koopmeiners: “After two minutes, everyone knew where he played. I expected him to find space to do more damage, because we rarely moved the ball from right to left and vice versa.”

He continued: “The idea was for Turam to push forward a bit and for Koopmeiners to exploit that space so we had an extra midfielder when needed, because Vardy remains the main danger for Cremonese.”

Spalletti added: “I saw good communication and focus. Koopmeiners was more defensive than others in terms of organizing play and controlling transitions, which was crucial given Cremonese’s threat from long balls to Vardy.”

“Bad Habits”

Meanwhile, Dusan Vlahovic, Juventus forward, said in post-match remarks that the team must shed some “bad habits”—namely relying on counters as they press forward to close out games.

Spalletti echoed this, noting: “We started letting them push forward before halftime, and after the break there were areas to improve quickly. There are clear abilities in some players, but Juventus’ level also puts pressure on them.”

From the outside, it might seem Juventus has everything; internally, the coach said, there is more to do. The team must stay calm under pressure and avoid overreaching in a bid to protect a lead as Cremonese kept threatening with high balls to Vardy.

There were also characteristic moments from Spalletti on the touchline when Vlahovic and Openda failed to capitalize on a promising move, an episode that briefly drew disapproval from the technical zone, though he soon resumed his coaching stance and stressed collaboration with the players.

Spalletti remarked: “This is what I always do. We need consistent communication with the squad and we want to make the people who love the team happy. It’s about building a strong bond with the players.”

Juventus Players’ Views

Vlahovic told Sky Italia: “We didn’t necessarily fail in the second half, but we still have bad habits to shed. We sat back too much and defended too deeply; we should have kept pressing and scored more. Cremonese deserve credit for making it difficult and for not giving up.”

Asked about his preferred role, whether as a lone striker or alongside another forward, Vlahovic replied: “It depends on the coach. I’ll give my all in any system and the coach will decide how we play.”

Filip Kostich, meanwhile, said it was “amazing” to score his first Juventus goal in more than two years, and on his birthday no less. He added: “It feels great to score and happy we won. It’s a very important match for us, and we must keep this going.”

Spalletti: The New Leader

Spalletti’s coaching journey began with Empoli, where he helped them reach Serie A. He then moved to Udinese, Roma, and Inter Milan, winning domestic titles and shaping a reputation for tactical versatility. He later led Napoli to the league title in 2022-2023 and took the Italian national team role before stepping away last June. This history frames his measured approach at Juventus: experience married to a drive for development and visible progress with new ideas.

Caption: Spalletti’s Juventus era begins with caution, creativity, and a reminder that pressure isn’t a scoreboard—it's a conversation with the squad about how far they can go.

Punchlines to end on a light note: Sniper-level sarcasm incoming in 3, 2, 1… If pressure were a goal, Juventus would be teleported to the moon—great show, zero atmosphere. And if Spalletti’s talking to the players is a strategy board, then the pieces keep moving while someone secretly plays chess with the referee’s whistle.