Juventus have been struggling throughout the 2025/2026 campaign so far. New manager Luciano Spalletti was brought in in late October to try and save the sinking ship, but things have not turned out to be quite as straightforward as was once planned. Despite this, Spalletti has managed to garner some recent success with the team, as they secured three points in the Champions League with their win against Bodo/Glimt midweek. Meanwhile, the Serie A game against Cagliari on Saturday saw the Juventus team walk away 2-1 victors.
This change in form is hopefully a step in the right direction for Spalletti and the players who have been struggling on the pitch, leaving them at a sickening 7th in the Serie A.
Despite this, there remains a lot of media attention on the team from the Italian press, and speculation was once again rife following the game on Saturday. Spalletti was asked, following the game, why Di Gregorio, the holder of the number 1 shirt at Juventus this season, was absent from the squad that played Cagliari Calcio.
Spalletti was pretty straightforward in his response, citing that the player had been the victim of a stomach bug, was unwell, and therefore could not play. Spalletti had opted to go for Mattia Perin as Di Gregorio’s replacement.
Spalletti went on to say that this was not a punishment or a sign that he did not back Di Gregorio. Indeed, it seems the manager’s opinion is quite the contrary as he stated, ‘Di Gregorio has the balance of a top player and person’. He went on to say the goalie had only trained for one day before the match and emphasised the beauty of the squad at big clubs such as Juve, where he could easily turn to Perin, who was waiting in the wings.
Quick changes like these are often surprises to fans and gamblers alike, but they sometimes don’t always reflect such big, dramatic attitude changes in the team’s dressing rooms. For those who were looking to place a bet on Di Gregorio’s performance, the surprise exclusion may have posed some problems; however, on the best crypto bookmakers, the wide markets and quick transactions easily allow you to amend your bets accordingly to reflect team changes.
The manager’s comments will no doubt fill Di Gregorio himself with some confidence that he has the public backing of his manager and that being left out of the squad during busy scheduling periods is not a reflection of waning confidence in the player from Spalletti.
Following his defense of the goalkeeper, Spalletti then used his moment with the media to turn the spotlight on a bigger and broader issue at Juventus at the moment. The psychological weight that the team is carrying. He stated that players “let themselves get frightened” by external influences and a constant expectation to perform. This is perhaps why the players of this massive club have not quite been reflecting wider expectations. Spalletti believes this mindset is much more of an issue than personnel or tactical hurdles that the team needs to overcome.
Having had only 3 wins in the league before Spalletti started in October, the team has managed 2 since his arrival, alongside some draws. Things do seem to be looking much more positive for Juventus since the new manager has entered the frame. Despite these disappointing draws in the league, he has brought a lot more assured stability to the team, and the most recent back-to-back wins could create a platform to allow the team to progress onto better things in the coming weeks and months.
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