Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti was heard shouting in the direction of Teun Koopmeiners during Saturday’s win over Lecce.
The Dutchman played an integral role in the opener, winning the duel that kept the ball alive before providing the ‘pre-assist’ for Dusan Vlahovic’s historic opener, which came just 11 seconds after kickoff.
The extremely early opener suggested that the contest would witness a flurry of goals, but the scoreline remained unchanged for the next 90 minutes, with the visitors holding on to their slim lead.
How Teun Koopmeiners infuriated Luciano Spalletti
After the contest, Spalletti expressed his dissatisfaction with the team’s overall approach, lamenting the lack of initiative shown by the Juventus players.
Vlahovic and Pierre Kalulu both had goals disallowed for marginal offside goals, but the 67-year-old insisted that his men should have been more proactive.
According to JuventusNews24, Spalletti had already voiced his frustration with the players’ demeanour during the game.
The manager was particularly heard reprimanding Koopmeiners when he failed to properly advance the play.
“You need to wake up. You’re pissing me off! You have to move the ball. The ball has to move,” said Spalletti as picked up by DAZN’s microphones.
Koopmeiners had a decent display despite Spalletti’s scolding
With Khephren Thuram struggling for form and fitness, Koopmeiners earned his first start in two months.
But while Spalletti audibly berated the Dutchman, the Italian media still handed him decent grades in the post-match player ratings.
La Gazzetta dello Sport rated Koopmeiners’ display at 6.5/10, while Tuttosport gave him an average 6/10. On the other hand, Il Corriere dello Sport was less impressed, rating his outing at 5.5/10.
In our own player ratings, the Netherlands received a 6/10, while Vlahovic, Andrea Cambiaso and Weston McKennie picked the highest mark (7/10).
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