Juventus CEO Giovanni Carnevali defended Luciano Spalletti after the heavy loss to Lazio and the 2-2 draw with Rennes in the Europa League. The boss made it clear that the club is not planning an immediate coaching change, but admitted that Spalletti's position is under serious pressure.
„The coach is the same as before. He knows he has to work. The bench is hot, but that's part of being at a club like Juventus, where after two weak games people start talking about changes. "But we know what we have to do and he is working on the problem areas," Carnevali said.
The statement came after a home loss to Lazio and a 2-2 draw with Rennes, in which Juventus showed a better reaction but failed to achieve victory. Italian media described Carnevali's words as both a defense of the coach and a warning that results must improve.
The club is looking for consistency
According to Goal's analysis, behind the public support for Spalletti lies a broader strategy at Juventus. The club has been talking for months about the need for consistency after a series of changes at the managerial and coaching levels.
This line is linked to John Elkann, who, according to Goal, has insisted that Juventus end the practice of frequent rotations. Carnevali and Frederic Massara were brought in with the expectation of building a more sustainable management model, rather than reacting to every short-term crisis.
The same approach has been applied to the coach. According to the publication, Elkann wanted to extend Spalletti's contract even before Carnevali took office. The Italian specialist has received a new two-year contract, which shows that the club's intention is related to longer-term work, and not just to results in individual matches.
Spaletti remains at the helm
Carnevali did not deny the pressure, but emphasized the need for time. His words mean that Juventus' immediate priority is to stabilise their performance without starting a new process of changing the coach.
“We have to think about recovery, not about changing every time there is a difficulty“, Carnevali said before the match with Rennes, stressing that the club wants to give Spalletti the opportunity to work on the problems identified.
The next test for the coach and the team is the visit of Lecce in Serie A on October 25. The match will be the first opportunity for Juventus to respond to the accumulated tension with a result on the pitch.
Sources: goal.com, sport.sky.it