21 November 2025
The Juventus Men’s First Team return to action this Saturday, 22 November, after the most recent international break, and a tricky Serie A Matchday 12 fixture away to Fiorentina awaits. Kick-off in Tuscany is set for 18:00 CET.
Ahead of the game, Bianconeri coach Luciano Spalletti was put through his usual pre-match press duties.
Here’s what he had to say...
FOCUS ON FLORENCE
“I know Florence well because in my past life I lived there. I will accept any kind of reception, but above all I want to say that once I’m on the field I will be the coach of Juventus. I have always respected everyone, I have no debts with anyone from a moral point of view, I am calm.
“I expect a great performance from my players because it will be a very difficult game. We will not only find an opponent that will give everything, but an entire city that will push their players to give their all tomorrow. We must show that we belong at Juventus, and that we are professionals.
"Paolo Vanoli is a coach I like. I have seen him coach and I really admire his attitude during matches.”
THE SHAPE OF THE GROUP
“It’s clear that I didn’t have many players available to me during this break, but with the ones who were here we worked in depth on important aspects. This willingness from the players is nice. We only had seven or eight players, as a result we had a bit of time available to dedicate to each of them. Wherever we placed our focus, we saw a great response from the guys. Football, by now, is an open library for everyone.
“I couldn’t have asked for more from those returning from their national teams. At this Club, everyone is very organized. Everyone showed a great desire to train, even those who returned after long trips, and we put them to work, of course managing their workloads. Today [Friday, 21 November] we will have them all available.
“But the real work is something else: managing to find our own stability on which to rest the strength of the team. It’s more a matter of creating a foundation recognized by the players. I am happy to have found what I was hoping to find here at Juventus.
“We have qualities and we must base ourselves on these qualities. We must know them, be aware, without being overwhelmed by the periods in which we are unable to be at our best. In a group you must share, know each other, stay together, have the same passion. Everyone. It’s not enough to just pass the ball to each other. Other behaviours are needed, and in this team, all these characteristics exist.
“Being part of Juventus doesn’t mean being presumptuous, it also means not succumbing to the pressures. Personality is that thing you manage to develop based on where you find yourself.”
THE INDIVIDUALS
“In general, it is not the position that changes a great player, but they are the one who always brings his style of play with them, in whatever area of the pitch you put them. It’s a typical characteristic of modern players.
“We need understand where we want to make the most [Teun] Koopmeiners’ qualities, and I think that in these three matches he has shown them. I’m happy that he responded the way he has, because it wasn’t a given. Teun has great personality and in these first matches of mine here at Juventus it has been evident; he has brought out his leadership. We’ve got two strong defenders who are back from injury in [Lloyd] Kelly and [Juan] Cabal, and consequently we could also see Koopmeiners in a more advanced position.
“Kenan [Yildiz] is the one who breaks the mold, he offers another perspective. Whoever sparks Kenan into life, sparks the whole team into life because he represents the team. He has the behaviour of a leader, which is the best thing I could ask for.”
