Luciano Spalletti, coach of Juventus, expressed relief following his team’s hard-fought 1-0 victory over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League. The Italian manager delivered a stark warning, stating his side was “five minutes away from defeat” and defended his team against critics who had downplayed their earlier win against NEC Nijmegen.
Speaking to Sky Sport after the match, Spalletti highlighted the performance against AZ, calling it a “serious match against a strong, very strong team.” He then turned his attention to those who had mocked Juventus for beating NEC, a team he noted was “at seven points.” When you laugh in our faces because we beat NEC and say it was a weak team, at seven points, there are things to reconsider in terms of consideration, humility and just appreciation of the value of others
, he said.
Spalletti’s Defense of NEC Victory
The Juventus coach used the AZ win to bolster his argument that previous victories should not be dismissed. Is it because the others were weak that we win a match?
he questioned. Yes, we win a serious match, but tonight we won a great match by playing great football.
Spalletti insisted that his opponents, including NEC, show consistent strength. What they do once, they do with conviction, with force, and repeat over time. Their strength is precisely to always fight with great intensity in game situations.
Close Call Against AZ Alkmaar
Our central defenders, who were playing wide, no longer came out: ‘I’ll go, I won’t go, I’ll go, but in the end no’, we stayed halfway
, he recounted. If the match had lasted five minutes longer, in my opinion, we would not have managed to win it
, he concluded.
