Randal Kolo Muani’s goal in Cagliari ended a 231-day wait for a league strike, but his message after the match reached beyond a single afternoon in Sardinia. Juventus’ French forward has made clear that he believes a partnership with Nick Woltemade can give him the freedom and the support he needs to turn chances into a more regular supply of goals.
A request for company in the Juventus attack
Kolo Muani hit the crossbar when he might have delivered a decisive second goal, yet the match also offered evidence for the case he made afterwards. Once Woltemade entered, the Frenchman found more space and more opportunities around the penalty area.
His explanation was straightforward: Woltemade’s height forces opposing defenders to divide their attention, allowing Kolo Muani to drift, receive the ball in better positions and attack the goal with less pressure on him.
- “After Woltemade came on, I had more chances,” Kolo Muani said.
- He pointed to the German’s physical presence, saying it keeps defenders occupied.
- The forward added that he feels comfortable playing alongside Woltemade.
- Woltemade stands 198cm tall, giving Juventus a markedly different reference point in the final third.
Kolo Muani does not see himself as an orthodox penalty-box scorer in the mould of Erling Haaland or Harry Kane. His game is more mobile, and a second striker can relieve him of the responsibility of leading the line alone. Even with Woltemade on the pitch, the potential winner in Cagliari struck the bar rather than the net, but the broader picture remains encouraging for the Frenchman.
When left as Juventus’ sole central forward, Kolo Muani has taken few shots on target. Both of his goals so far have arrived with the former Newcastle player alongside him. The numbers are not a verdict, but they are signs worth considering.
David’s earlier call finds an echo
Kolo Muani is not the first Juventus attacker to raise the issue. Jonathan David had already called for a two-forward approach during his time at Continassa, before reviving his season on loan at Atletico Madrid.
The Canadian has made an immediate impact in Spain, recording three goals and two assists in five appearances. His experience has added weight to the suggestion that Juventus may be better served by combining two forwards rather than asking one of them to carry the entire attacking burden.
The possible pairing of Kolo Muani and Woltemade would not be a conventional meeting of two classic No. 9s. It would instead join two players who can operate away from the fixed centre-forward role, with Woltemade’s frame and Kolo Muani’s movement potentially complementing one another.
Spalletti’s selection problem
Luciano Spalletti has often favoured a centre-forward supported by two wide attackers, although his career has shown that he is not tied to one system. Kolo Muani’s words will give him another attacking question to consider, but the more immediate issue is the lack of alternatives available to him.
Starting Kolo Muani and Woltemade together would leave Juventus without a specialist striker to introduce later in matches. Nico and Weston McKennie would be the principal versatile options, rather than natural replacements in the role.
- Arkadiusz Milik has made four Serie A benches and two substitute appearances, totalling only 31 minutes.
- His only goal since July 2024 came in a friendly.
- After repeated physical problems and a recent muscular issue, Milik has been omitted from both the Serie A and UEFA lists.
- Jeff Ekhator, signed from Genoa at the end of June, has also been unavailable for much of the period.
- The young Italian played less than half an hour in the Basel friendly before suffering an injury.
- He then spent 90 minutes on the bench against Parma in the second league round, but sustained a more serious problem after returning from his earlier setback.
- Ekhator is unlikely to be back before the end of the month.
- Kenan Yildiz and Jeremie Boga are also injured.
Spalletti has praised Ekhator on several occasions, but he has scarcely been able to work with him since July. That leaves the Juventus coach weighing Kolo Muani’s appeal against the demands of a long campaign: a two-striker start could improve the Frenchman’s conditions, but it could also reduce the options available when the match enters its decisive phase.
For now, Kolo Muani has supplied the clearest indication of what he wants. Juventus have two forwards asking to play together; Spalletti must decide whether the squad around them can sustain that choice.
