Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti discusses his team’s performance against Cagliari, while reserving special praise for Kenan Yildiz.
The Bianconeri found themselves trailing in the 26th minute, when Marco Palestra set up Sebastiano Esposito.
However, Yildiz pulled off an equaliser less than 60 seconds later, before finishing off a slick team play before the interval to complete the turnaround.
Luciano Spalletti analyses Juventus win over Cagliari
While Juventus managed to**maintain their lead until the final whistle**, Spalletti wasn’t completely satisfied with the team’s display.
“We entered the pitch timidly, doing academic things, but you expect something better from the players we have in the team and from the coach,” admitted the 66-year-old in his post-match interview with DAZN via IlBianconero.
Luciano Spalletti waving his hands as he complains against a refereeing decision
(Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)
“Then you put yourself in a position to score, and at that point, you realise you could have done things differently.
“After conceding a goal, we started playing better, keeping possession, threatening in the box. Then we were poor at converting our chances.
“Cagliari did well, they played an important match, but we had 14 chances… If you don’t score on those occasions, it’s obvious that the others will be encouraged.”
Spalletti discusses Yildiz & Napoli return
Spalletti thenlauded Yildiz, even though he insisted that the young forward still has a large room for improvement.
“He has the quality of a great player, of a number 10. He can steer the team towards a win out of nowhere. The system also starts by leaving him free without relegating him to the wing, while allowing him to cut inside at times.
“He still has to improve, as there is still an extra level to unlock.”
Finally, the Juventus manager insisted he’s excited about his return to the Stadio Maradona next weekend, although he’s not sure how the Napoli fans will receive him.
“I can imagine the happiness of returning to that stadium, but I don’t know how they’ll greet me. It’ll be very easy for me, though.”
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Michel Sakr
Michel is a football journalist based in Beirut who has been a die-hard Juventus supporter since 1996. He is a Law graduate and a member of the Beirut Bar Association. In addition to writing for Juve FC, he is also the Head Writer for The Laziali and a Featured Writer on other websites including Stretty News, and The Cult of Calcio.