Former Italian footballer Antonio Di Gennaro claims that Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti couldn’t keep his ego in check during his time with the Italian national team.
The Bianconeri entrusted the 67-year-old with the task of salvaging the campaign following a miserable start under Igor Tudor.
The Certaldo native initially signed a short-term contract until the end of the season, but he’s now on the verge of extending his deal.
Di Gennaro claims Luciano Spalletti’s ego cost Italy dearly
Although the club is still trailing behind Como in the race for fourth place, the Juventus hierarchy is convinced that Spalletti is the right man to lead the club beyond the current season, as the improvement in terms of results and performances has been noticeable.
However, Di Gennaro warns Juventus about the manager’s uncontrolled ‘ego’, which was his undoing with the national team, at least according to the footballer-turned-pundit.
“The players got rid of Luciano Spalletti from the national team. He doesn’t know how to manage his ego,” argued the Hellas Verona legend in his interview with Fanpage.it via IlBianconero.
“When a group turns against you, it means you’ve lost control of the dressing room.
“At that point, it becomes difficult to move forward. The coach has to be able to manage personalities, and he clearly struggled with that.”
Spalletti has been in sync with the Juventus squad
Spalletti oversaw Italy’s miserable Euro 2024 campaign, which ended with a disappointing defeat to Switzerland in the Round of 16.
The FIGC chose to move forward with the former Roma and Napoli boss, but a 0-3 defeat in the World Cup qualifier against Norway in June 2025 proved to be the last straw.
Spalletti opted for a swift rebound by jumping on the opportunity to coach Juventus. While his tenure at the Allianz Stadium is still in its early stages, there have been no concerning signs in Spalletti’s man management.
In fact, the experienced Italian manager appears to be a much more popular figure in the dressing room compared to Tudor and Thiago Motta.
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