(Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Juventus secured a victory over Celta Vigo in the Europa League last night, thanks to a late goal from Randal Kolo Muani, but Luciano Spalletti believes his team must improve after another disappointing first half.
The Bianconeri have struggled to start matches convincingly since the international break. Their problems were evident at the weekend against Cagliari, when they began slowly and conceded the opening goal.
Juventus were expected to learn from that experience, but they again found themselves under pressure against Celta Vigo. The Spanish side started brightly and looked determined to take advantage of playing at home, having lost their opening European fixture.
Celta took the lead and threatened to make life difficult for the visitors. However, Juventus improved after the interval, showing greater urgency and creating opportunities to turn the contest around. Their second-half performance ultimately helped them secure an important victory.
Spalletti demands a better start
Despite being pleased with the result, Spalletti was not entirely satisfied with his players’ performance. The Juventus manager believes his team were too slow during the opening period and failed to react quickly enough when possession changed hands.
His concerns reflect a recurring problem for the Old Lady, who have struggled to establish control early in recent matches. Although their improvement after half-time was encouraging, Spalletti will want his players to demonstrate greater consistency throughout the full 90 minutes.
Juventus cannot afford to keep giving opponents opportunities to take control of matches, particularly when facing teams capable of defending organisedly and exploiting mistakes.
(Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images)
Juventus must improve their response
Spalletti acknowledged that Celta Vigo performed well in maintaining their shape and making life difficult for Juventus. He also highlighted his team’s slow reactions when they lost possession, suggesting that their transition play needs improvement.
Speaking via Tuttomercatoweb, he said: “We were a bit slow to do everything in the first half. They are good at being tidy. When the ball was lost we were slow to reactivate and catch up on the phases of the game.”
His comments underline the need for Juventus to improve their concentration, movement and reactions from the opening whistle. While the victory provides encouragement, Spalletti will expect a more complete performance in their next match, rather than relying on a stronger second half to rescue the result.
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