Luciano Spalletti praises Juventus’ win over Bologna as the most important of his career, but notes areas for improvement for his players.
Luciano Spalletti has hailed Juventus’ win over Bologna as the most important victory of his career, but emphasized that there is still room for improvement. The Bianconeri’s 1-0 win was secured by a late goal from substitute Juan Cabal, and Spalletti praised his team’s performance.
“We were facing a team that has an identity, quality, and enthusiasm, and they were built well,” Spalletti told the media. “Even down to 10 men, they made it difficult for us. Having won here means even more for my players, and they must be congratulated this evening.”
Spalletti noted that Cabal, who scored the winning goal, needs to work on keeping his emotions in check. “He is like a pedigree horse with his strength and ability to sprint repeatedly,” Spalletti said. “He has talent, but he needs to repeat his performances and be more precise.”
Lois Openda, who was involved in the incident that led to Bologna’s player being sent off, also impressed Spalletti. “I liked his performance,” Spalletti said. “Openda is a different player to Jonathan David, who seems more like a second striker to me. Openda has more power and can run at teams with sheer pace.”
Spalletti also praised his team’s overall performance, saying they were “in the heart of the game for 90 minutes tonight, battled for every ball, and went beyond these individual duels that Bologna force you into.”
The win moves Juventus up to fifth place in the table, and they will be looking to build on this result when they face Roma next week.
Gleison Bremer made his comeback after two months out, but Teun Koopmeiners was booked and will be suspended for the match.
Spalletti concluded by saying that the win was a confidence booster for his team, and he hopes they can continue to improve. “I had seen things done well in training, and told the directors that I saw the players energetic and reacting well in training,” he said.
“We needed a performance that could give them confidence, and I hope after this we can continue to improve.”
