The Juventus coach is left with a bitter taste in his mouth despite the important victory against Pafos: “At times, we did the bare minimum: there are a lot of things to fix”
Looking rather grim, despite the victory and the three crucial points earned against Pafos that revive Juventus’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League round of 16. Luciano Spalletti had this to say: “It was essential to win because victories are what set many things right. But we needed to do more. At times we did the bare minimum; I even saw some embarrassing moments. But in the second half we loosened up.” Why didn’t he make changes earlier? “I was afraid of causing confusion by making changes in the first 45 minutes, but then we were more organized and determined. These matches are always difficult; Pafos had conceded very few goals up to this point. And as for the difficulties we’re having in defense, we need to bring in a right center-back so Kalulu can play as a pure full-back, and also Cambiaso, who is very attacking but struggles a bit when he has to defend.” In the first half, however, Juve risked conceding on at least three or four occasions: “We gave away too much and didn’t make the most of our qualities, failing to capitalize on our chances. That’s how it is for now. My opinion of the players hasn’t changed, though, even if they’re not doing enough compared to what I expect. Not nearly enough…”
little time—  The Bianconeri coach continued his analysis, also touching on the fact that he took over mid-season: “ There’s little time; even after the Napoli match, we had a plane malfunction and didn’t return until 5 a.m. Training sessions have been minimal and tactical, with just a few set pieces this morning. I can’t seem to get the rhythm and intensity back; I don’t have the chance to really push the guys. Yildiz? I rested him for the final 20 minutes, hoping he’ll recover better for Bologna and trying to take some of the stress off him. Same goes for Miretti and Adzic, who has quality. There are things to sort out. This team needs to be brought up to speed.“ The focus is on the formation: ”I hope to soon have a center back who can play on the right side because the team is too limited as it is: the fullbacks give up a bit in defense; we’re working on it, but I want to develop the 4-2-3-1.”