Juventus vs Inter: Spalletti's Assessment of Serie A's Benchmark
Luciano Spalletti did not bother dressing it up. On the eve of a pre-season Derby d’Italia in Perth, he looked straight down the camera and called it as he sees it: Inter are still the benchmark.
“These are the sorts of games that help you understand a lot about the mentality of the team and whether or not we're working in the right direction,” the Juventus coach said, framing a friendly that will kick off at 12.00 BST (21.00 local time) as something far more serious than a marketing stop on tour. Inter, in his eyes, remain the strongest side in Serie A. Juventus, he made clear, are still chasing.
A Derby d’Italia with homework attached
Perth is a long way from Turin and Milan, but Spalletti knows this fixture never really loses its edge. Even in August. Even on the other side of the world.
“Obviously, Inter are a very strong team like Chelsea,” he reminded the room, fresh from Juve’s recent test against the Premier League side. “We will need to be a team in every moment of the game because Inter will find advantages if we're not compact.”
That word – compact – has followed Spalletti throughout his career. His Inter, his Napoli, his Roma sides were built on structure and synchronised movement. Now, with Juventus in transition and the Europa League looming, he wants his players to use this match as a measuring stick. Not just for fitness. For mentality.
Yildiz to step up
The focus quickly turned to Kenan Yildiz, the young attacker who has become a symbol of Juventus’ new direction. He impressed in flashes against Chelsea in Hong Kong, but his minutes were limited. That will change in Perth.
“He will play more than he did in the game against Chelsea,” Spalletti confirmed. It was one of the few answers that came without a long pause or caveat.
The coach revealed that three or four players had been held back from full training to manage fatigue, a nod to the strain of a globe-trotting pre-season schedule. “It's not easy to organise these sorts of events. They take extra effort and we'll have to discuss it over the next few days to see how we've recovered.”
Yildiz, though, will be central to the plan. “I will see after the game tomorrow whether he will be a starter (in the league), but I think I will let him play for a half, or almost a half.”
It is not a guarantee, but it is a clear sign: Spalletti wants answers from the 19-year-old now, not later.
Circati admiration, but no move
Transfer questions followed, as they always do at this time of year. This time the name was Alessandro Circati, the Parma centre-back linked with a move to Turin.
Spalletti did not hide his appreciation. “He's a promising young player who has shown a lot of great qualities and he could also be of interest to any club.” Then came the cold reality of squad planning.
“But right now, we only have a couple of strong routes in our sights and those do not concern him. We can't create alternative situations at the moment because we have a very large squad.”
Admiration, parked. Juventus may like Circati, but for now he remains outside their immediate plans.
Goals by committee
If Circati is not a priority, the centre-forward position certainly is. Dusan Vlahovic has gone. In his place, Juventus have moved for Randal Kolo Muani, Jeff Ekhator and Kerim Alajbegovic, reshaping the attack without a single, obvious 20-goal talisman.
Is he missing that kind of guarantee? Spalletti pushed back.
“I think we've signed players who collectively will be able to exceed those numbers,” he said. “It's not important to have somebody who scores 20 goals.”
The calendar drives that logic as much as tactics. “This year, the season will be characterised by the fact that it will be played on Thursdays and Sundays, it will be difficult to always play with the same players. The Europa League engages you even more than the Champions League.”
The message is clear: rotation will not be a luxury, it will be a necessity. The solution, in his mind, lies in variety and shared responsibility.
“Even without a physical centre-forward, we have Ekhator who has a few of those characteristics, Kolo Muani commands the area. It's a bit of an open situation, but with the players we have available, with what we've done on the market, we'll be able to make up for it through everyone's collective work.
“Alajbegovic is somebody who can score goals. We want to help Kolo Muani's numbers. We're quite calm for the moment.”
No star around whom everything revolves. Instead, a group that must learn to attack as one.
Bastoni, old wounds and a new test
The past still lingers whenever Juventus and Inter meet. It resurfaced again when Spalletti was asked about Alessandro Bastoni and the defender’s infamous celebration after Pierre Kalulu’s wrongful sending off the last time these clubs crossed paths.
Would there be tension? Any lingering resentment?
“It will be simple, we will continue to do what we did after that game,” Spalletti replied, brushing aside any notion of a personal feud. “We didn't create any big aftermath, we didn't talk about the players' behaviour on the pitch.”
He refused to be dragged into a sideshow. The priority, he insisted, lies elsewhere.
“We just want to play a good game against the strongest side in our league and learn as many things as possible to get to their level.”
That is the heart of it. In his mind, Inter still sit at the summit of Italian football. Juventus, rebuilt and rebranded under his watch, are not there yet. Perth will not decide a title, it will not settle a rivalry, but for Spalletti it offers something just as valuable at this stage: a clear look at the gap he still has to close.
