14 hours ago
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Replaces Tudor
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Luciano Spalletti has been named Igor Tudor’s successor at Juventus. Spalletti, who guided Napoli to the Serie A title in 2023, has signed a contract until the end of the season. The contract includes a clause for an additional year should Juventus qualify for the Champions League this season.
Spalletti left Napoli in the summer of 2023 to take a break from football. That sabbatical, however, only lasted a few months as the 66-year-old took over the Italian national team in the summer of 2023. After a 3-0 defeat to Norway, which has endangered Italy’s direct qualification to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Spalletti was replaced by Gennaro Gattuso. Before coaching Napoli, Spalletti coached AS Roma twice, Inter Milan, and Udinese Calcio.
The very same Udinese side that Juventus beat 3-1 on Wednesday. Reserve coach Massimo Brambilla oversaw what was Juve’s first victory since mid-September. The club lost three games in a row and failed to score in the last four games—enough to get Tudor fired. Tudor was only put in charge this spring—taking over from Thiago Motta—and was given a new contract after qualifying Juve for the Champions League.
Juventus back to a back-four? New signings lack impact
In Spalletti, Juve have now signed an experienced, detail-oriented coach. That’s perhaps why he managed to land the job ahead of Edin Terzic and Raffaele Palladino, who were also linked to the position. The expectation is that Spalletti will install the same 4-3-3 system that made him a success at Napoli. Tudor had previously made the switch from a back-four to a back-three.
More importantly, Spalletti will also be asked to get the most out of the summer transfers. Francisco Conceição was signed on a permanent deal after being previously on loan. On top of that, the club signed Edon Zhegrova, Loïs Openda, and Canadian men’s national team forward Jonathan David. The investments in the attack haven’t paid off, however. Openda and David, in particular, have struggled, and getting both going will be paramount for Juventus going forward.
