Juventus closed their first short stretch of the season with a 2-0 home win over Maurizio Sarri’s Atalanta, a result that gave Luciano Spalletti’s side a steadier footing after a demanding few days. At the Allianz Stadium in Turin, the Bianconeri followed their Europa League display against NEC with another important response, putting the Sassuolo defeat further into the background.
A managed week ends with a result
- Juventus had played in Europe against Dutch side NEC on Thursday evening, leaving little time to prepare physically for the visit of Atalanta.
- The squad completed only recovery work on Friday morning after that match, while Spalletti cancelled Saturday’s training session to allow the players to rest.
- Despite the condensed schedule and absences affecting the group, Juventus beat Atalanta 2-0 in Turin.
- Spalletti felt his team had initially been forced into a defensive phase, before making adjustments that restored the side’s balance.
- Juventus then competed more evenly after the interval, while their coach identified room to improve in building attacks from deeper areas.
Spalletti placed the result in the context of his players’ willingness to follow the club’s needs, including those who did not take the field. He said that such commitment could not be measured, particularly after the physical effort of Thursday night.
“These wins come from the enormous availability of the group,” Spalletti said. “They are ready to help, including by doing what is asked of them when they are not playing. After Thursday, we barely trained again. Rest was the only way to help them recover.”
The Juventus coach admitted that recent setbacks, notably the loss at Sassuolo, had brought uncertainty around the team. The victory over Atalanta, however, offered a more convincing conclusion to this opening mini-cycle.
Kolo Muani earns Spalletti’s praise
Kolo Muani was among Juventus’ leading performers against Atalanta, even though he did not get on the scoresheet. Spalletti regretted one move in which the forward exchanged passes and broke through towards goal, believing his contribution warranted a finish.
“He played a very good match and deserved a goal,” Spalletti said. “At the end he was happy, we had a joke together, and everyone is pleased because we can now recover some energy and perhaps get back a few players who would be useful to us.”
Changes around Atalanta’s wide threat
Spalletti explained that Juventus began with a 3-4-1-2, with the initial plan shaped by Atalanta’s options on the flanks. His staff had considered the threat of Raoul Bellanova on one side and Sead Kolasinac on the other, while also taking account of an Atalanta full-back pushing forward on the left.
The coach used Nico as a wing-back capable of moving inside with the ball, opening space for the opposite wing-back. He described a similar possibility for Celik when he moved centrally into a more comfortable position.
That first arrangement did not always produce the intended effect. Juventus struggled when Atalanta compressed the space around them during the opening half, particularly once the game became less strictly man-for-man. Spalletti’s changes brought greater control, though he still wants cleaner work at the beginning of attacks.
Juventus found opportunities to break forward and could have caused further damage in the spaces that opened up. For now, though, the greater value was in a disciplined home win: a side carrying the strain of European football, finding its shape again and entering the next stage of the season with more certainty than it had after Sassuolo.
