Juventus needed a night that could quieten the noise without pretending every problem had disappeared. The 5-0 Europa League win over NEC did exactly that: an opponent well below Serie A standard was swept aside, but Luciano Spalletti also received the individual and collective answers he had been waiting for before Sunday’s meeting with Atalanta.
The decision
After the chaotic defeat to Sassuolo, Spalletti changed course sharply. Juventus began with a three-man defence, Gatti between Kalulu and Lucumi, while Celik returned to the right and Weston McKennie worked from the left. The idea gave the side more protection, with McKennie free to attack space and Celik offering greater balance on the opposite flank.
Douglas Luiz and Sarr formed the midfield pair. Luiz kept his game simpler, though he did not provide the creative authority expected of him, while Sarr continued his adaptation but remained involved throughout. Ahead of them, Nico Gonzalez and Alajbegovic exchanged positions, dropped deeper and moved inside to unsettle a NEC side that could not cope with the movement.
The system was listed as a 3-4-2-1, but the most important change was in Juventus’ control of the contest. Their possession was cautious without becoming sterile, a significant contrast with the slow circulation seen against Milan and Sassuolo. Juventus invited NEC forward and then attacked the spaces behind their fragile lines.
It took nine minutes to open the scoring. Grabara, impressive with both his distribution and reactions, delivered a measured long pass of around 50 metres for Nico Gonzalez. The Argentine ran through, rounded the goalkeeper and finished.
Alajbegovic then scored his first Juventus goal, driving a precise effort from outside the area after McKennie had found space. Woltemade added a third from the penalty spot, with Gonzalez winning the foul before handing him the ball for his own first goal.
Spalletti’s substitutions brought another useful message. Kolo Muani entered on the left, with Woltemade through the middle, and immediately looked more suited to the task than when asked to play centrally. The Frenchman created the fourth for Celik after combining in the box, then drove directly towards goal to make it five himself.
Woltemade’s penalty was not his only contribution. He offered a central reference point, bringing runners into play rather than trying to operate as a conventional No. 10. With quicker players around him, Juventus found the kind of forward connections they had lacked in recent matches.
NEC contributed to the ease of the evening. Their playmaker Nejasmic and right-sided attacker Chery were their most credible performers, but the Dutch side’s loose structure, hurried passing and defensive errors repeatedly exposed them. The scoreline should therefore not be treated as proof that Juventus have suddenly become an elite European force.
Still, Spalletti has reasons to retain elements of the plan. The back three cannot become an untouchable principle, but Gatti showed he can be useful in that role. Grabara made a case against being regarded simply as a deputy goalkeeper. Alajbegovic combined attacking quality with diligent recovery work, at times covering defensive gaps from deep positions.
Above all, Nico Gonzalez looked transformed. He led the game, scored, created and dropped off to play passes and switches that Juventus have often expected from Douglas Luiz. Kolo Muani, meanwhile, made a persuasive argument for more minutes with space ahead of him, particularly as a left-sided forward alongside Woltemade and, potentially, Conceiçao on the other wing.
Sunday’s picture
The NEC match mattered beyond the European standings because it halted a dangerous drift in mood around the club. Juventus had to win after Sassuolo, and they did so without allowing uncertainty to take hold. Yet Atalanta on Sunday will offer a much more honest measure of the work.
Spalletti’s side are neither the disjointed Juventus seen in the Sassuolo loss nor the irresistible version that overwhelmed NEC. The next chapter is about locating the level between those extremes: defending with greater care, moving the ball with purpose and using the renewed confidence of Gonzalez, Alajbegovic, Grabara and Kolo Muani against opposition that will demand far more.
