A slide down the table
Juventus arrive at Sunday’s meeting with Napoli in an uncomfortable position. They lost 2-0 at Genoa and have slipped to ninth in Serie A after nine matches, with four wins, two draws and three defeats, according to [1]. The same outlet reports that Luciano Spalletti [2] after the defeat, and that Juventus are on 14 points and struggling for consistency.
The recent run bears that out. Juventus beat Atalanta 2-0 at home on 20 September, drew 1-1 at Cagliari on 11 October and lost 3-0 at home to Lazio a week later. They then won 2-0 at Lecce on 25 October before the loss at Genoa on 28 October. That is two defeats in the last three games, and a side that has scored 11 and conceded 10 in nine matches. Those numbers describe a team that has not been dominant at either end, and the Genoa result leaves little margin for another slip.
Team news: who is missing
The absence list is long. [1] lists Kenan Yıldız, Manuel Locatelli and Khéphren Thuram-Ulie as absent, and names Nicolás González and Francisco Conceição among the recent absentees. The article describes Yıldız’s absence as conditioning Juventus’s season. Gleison Bremer is a doubt for the Napoli game, per [2], which would add to the pressure on the defence.
There is some help in attack. Spalletti said Edon Zhegrova will not start against Napoli but will come on in the second half, and the same report says Boga is being managed in the same way. Jeff Ekhator is back in full training after a hamstring injury that has kept him out since the Parma game. According to [3], citing Di Marzio and Tuttosport, he is unlikely to start but could be a bench option.
On the other side, the preview confirms that Allegri serves a touchline ban for the match, with Marco Landucci in charge on the day.
Spalletti and the noise around him
The bigger story off the pitch is Spalletti’s position. [4] reports that he is on the brink of being dismissed, and that Stefano Pioli, Paulo Sousa and Antonio Conte have been linked with the job. It adds that no formal talks have taken place. This is a rumour and should be read as one, since the report carries low confidence and no club statement backs it.
The same piece cites La Stampa as saying part of the dressing room is unhappy with his training methods. The claim is that he talks too much during sessions, which reduces intensity. Again, this is unconfirmed reporting rather than established fact.
What can be said is that results have fed the speculation. A home loss to Lazio, a defeat at Genoa and a ninth-place position are the kind of numbers that invite questions, and a match against Napoli, with an assistant coach on the opposing bench, is the kind of game in which Juventus will want to answer them on the pitch.
What it means
Juventus are ninth on 14 points from nine games, and the table is the clearest measure of the problem. A team with four wins, two draws and three defeats, and a goal difference of just +1 (11 scored, 10 conceded), is mid-table on merit. The form line of L, W, L, D, W over the last five shows no clear trend, and the two most recent home and away swings, a 3-0 loss to Lazio and a 2-0 win at Lecce, underline how uneven they have been.
The next fixture asks for a response without much help from the squad. With Yıldız, Locatelli, Conceição, González and Thuram-Ulie out and Bremer doubtful, Spalletti has to find solidity and creativity from a reduced group, with Zhegrova and Boga held back for the second half and Ekhator at best a late option.
The site’s forecast still favours Juventus: a 42.0% chance of a home win, 28.0% for a draw and 30.0% for a Napoli victory, with a predicted score of 2-1. That is a narrow edge rather than a confident call, and it will be graded publicly after the match. A win would steady the mood around Spalletti. Another defeat would give the dismissal reports more weight.
Sources
- Football Italia: Spalletti: ‘Juventus have to do something different, I’ve been through it before’ football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Cannavaro: ‘Spalletti and Allegri are similar, Kolo Muani and Hojlund less killer than strikers of my era’ football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Spalletti recovers another option in attack as Ekhator eyes Juventus debut football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Newspaper reveals one reason why some Juventus players are unhappy with Spalletti football-italia.net ↩
