31 October 2025
The Juventus Men’s First Team takes on Cremonese on Serie A Matchday 10, with kick-off in Cremona scheduled for 20:45 CET on Saturday, 1 November.
New coach Luciano Spalletti and General Manager Damien Comolli spoke to the press ahead of the match.
DAMIEN COMOLLI
“We are truly delighted to welcome Luciano Spalletti to Juventus. He has a proven track record of success, as demonstrated by his experiences throughout his career, both nationally and internationally. We have signed a contract with him until the end of this season. We will then have the opportunity to extend his time with our club on a long-term basis. Luciano and I agreed that this was the right approach to start this adventure. We are very happy to have him with us. [Francois] Modesto, [Giorgio] Chiellini and I felt that the team needed a new coach, and we unanimously decided with the owners that Spalletti was the ideal candidate. It was essential that we were all aligned on this choice, including the owners.
In June, when I started my time at Juventus, the idea was to continue with Igor Tudor. It was only on Sunday night, after the defeat against Lazio, that we started to think of Spalletti as the ideal figure to make a change, not before. We decided to make a change simply because of a lack of positive results. We had to stop this negative cycle, and that is what led us to make this decision.
As for the role of sporting director, we are still searching for the ideal candidate. However, as far as the players in the squad are concerned, I am very calm and satisfied because each of them is very valuable, and the new arrivals are no exception. We need to give everyone the right amount of time to express themselves to the fullest, and this is also Spalletti's opinion."
LUCIANO SPALLETTI
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
“It’s a great feeling right now. We all know the history of this glorious club and how it is organised, but when you are inside it, you really feel its greatness.
I have absolute respect for Juventus' current position in the table and I would like to extend my warmest regards to Igor Tudor. I had the pleasure of meeting him and I know how he works. I am sure that I will find a well-balanced team, and we will fight to achieve our goals. I would like to thank General Manager Comolli for his kind words in introducing me and, of course, for the opportunity to be here.
I have brought four colleagues with me, three coaches and a fitness coach, because we all know each other in the world of football and Juventus has all the other personnel necessary to do the job well. Those who have accompanied me on this adventure are [Marco] Domenichini, [Giovanni] Martusciello, [Salvatore] Russo and [Francesco] Sinatti.
I am convinced that this team has potential and I am convinced that I can do a good job with these lads. Now it will be essential to roll up our sleeves because our opponents ahead of us are playing well. Goals are essential because you have to score to win games. Attacking football is another important quality, but the essential thing is to be a team, to be a group that knows how to move on the pitch. This is a very exciting challenge for me.
I don't know how much of an impact I will have, but I know how I will behave from the moment I wake up in the morning to the moment I go to sleep at night, and I will try to instil this mindset in my players."
THE FIRST CONTACT WITH THE SQUAD
“I told Mattia [Perin] that it will depend on them because their qualities will determine my future. Fortunately, given my career, I don't need to be assured of my future. It's right that I should be assessed step by step. We'll go through this experience together, and I find it a very simple, honest and clear situation. We'll start working by trying to collaborate with all the staff. I had no difficulty in accepting a contract of this type; in fact, if I had been at Juventus, I would have done the same.
Koopmeiners? Teun is a player I know well because we followed him in the previous teams I coached. For me, he is a midfielder and can also play as an inside forward, and he has also played as a centre-back. At this point, we must congratulate [Gian Piero] Gasperini because, by coaching him, he has allowed him to perform very well even in a more advanced position.
Vlahovic? As far as Dusan is concerned, I have not received any instructions from the club to treat him or any other players in the squad differently. Consequently, he will speak for himself on the pitch, as he should, and against Udinese, Vlahovic clearly demonstrated his intentions with a great performance.
There are players in the squad who would prefer to play in different positions, perhaps, but I will have to talk to them before making any decisions. I can say, however, that at the moment we could continue with the formation we have used at the start of the season. Self-discipline will make the difference. I have had the opportunity to visit the dressing rooms of almost all the teams and I have always tried to present myself in the best possible way to everyone, through attention, discipline and respect."
THE OBJECTIVES
“The priority remains qualifying for the Champions League, but I hope to be back in the Scudetto race too, and that's what we said to the players yesterday in the dressing room. These must be our intentions because only nine games have been played and there are still 29 to go. I repeat that I have absolute respect for these players.”
SERIE A THIS SEASON
“I've watched many matches this year, and few of them featured one of the two teams as clear favourites over their opponents. We are not in a position to be presumptuous about any opponent. We must let the pitch do the talking, not slogans.”
THE PAST
"I have left something behind in every city where I have coached. Something wonderful happened in Naples, with the Scudetto victory. For my part, my relationship will remain the same with the many friends I made there. When I left Naples, I said that I would not wear another team's kit, but that statement was for that single season. Like my colleagues, I am a professional, so my career path has now brought me here to Juventus, and I will give my all for this club."
