Francisco Conceição’s early months at Juventus have offered a familiar contradiction: the winger can change the rhythm of an afternoon with a burst past his full-back, yet the final decision still separates promise from sustained influence. At Continassa, Luciano Spalletti is working on that gap, with Mohamed Salah’s development in Rome serving as a useful, if demanding, reference point.
A comparison that has returned to Turin
- During the post-match discussion after Juventus’ meeting with Genoa last season, Giancarlo Marocchi raised a provocative comparison. He recalled that Salah, while at Roma, repeatedly reached shooting positions before learning how to convert them more effectively, and asked whether Conceição could follow a similar path.
- Spalletti did not dismiss the idea. He described the Portuguese forward as a young player with further aspects of the game to discover, particularly the confidence to move into central areas rather than always remaining wide.
- The Juventus coach also identified a concern when Conceição receives the ball with an opponent behind him. Spalletti felt that situation could create visible anxiety, despite the winger’s exceptional ability when isolated on the flank.
- Six months later, Spalletti and Conceição are together at Continassa, attempting to turn those observations into a more complete attacking contribution.
Spalletti’s assessment was generous but precise. He considered Conceição extremely difficult to mark on the outside, capable of producing danger almost every time he finds room to run at a defender. In one-versus-one situations, the Portuguese has intensity and aggression that are hard to contain.
The missing element is the finish. Spalletti argued that Salah reached the very highest level in front of goal, while Conceição must still improve the quality of his shooting. The point is not to remove the winger’s instinct, but to make his decisive moments more reliable.
Encouraging signs, and familiar limits
The start of the season has provided evidence for both sides of that argument. Conceição supplied the assist for Bremer at Frosinone, struck two efforts against the woodwork and has been used in a more central role. His goal against Atalanta was the moment that broke open that match.
His club form also carried into the Portugal camp. Conceição started the most recent Nations League match against Norway, where Jorge Jesus praised him as the creative player he had wanted in the side.
Jesus highlighted Conceição’s ability to carry the ball forward, create two-against-one situations and win fouls. In that appearance, the Juventus player delivered each of those elements, earning recognition in Lisbon as well as Turin.
Yet the first Juventus matches have also exposed the habits that Spalletti is trying to correct. Conceição can persist with an extra dribble when the centre-forward is available in the middle, and his composure in front of goal remains inconsistent. The missed open-goal opportunity at Frosinone was the clearest example.
The work at Continassa
- Spalletti has put Conceição through repeated finishing exercises in training.
- The coach is also using direct conversation to persuade him not to make unnecessary changes of direction near the touchline.
- The aim is to deliver the ball earlier and with better timing when teammates are waiting in the area.
The Salah comparison shows how long that process can take. In Salah’s first half-season under Spalletti at Roma, he scored nine goals in 21 appearances, an average of 0.43 per game. Across the following full campaign with the coach, he registered 19 in 41, raising the average to 0.46.
His definitive leap came after moving to Liverpool, where he began with an average of 0.85 goals per match. Conceição’s figures under Spalletti last season were much more modest: two goals from 34 games, an average of 0.05.
That does not make the comparison invalid. Conceição’s opening weeks have been encouraging, and there are visible signs of development in his positioning and involvement. But Juventus are dealing with a player at an earlier stage of the journey: dangerous already, valued by both club and country, and still some distance from making his talent count often enough in front of goal.
