Juventus without Dusan Vlahovic, Luciano Spalletti’s drastic choice: the explanation

Juventus at Napoli in Sunday’s big match, crucial for getting a picture of the ambitions of two teams that cross paths with coaches reversed from a glorious past for both. Against Antonio Conte’s Azzurri, however, Luciano Spalletti was forced to cope with a particularly delicate absence: that of Dusan Vlahovic. Without his starting center forward, relaunched by his arrival in the Bianconeri, however, the Tuscan coach opted for a starting lineup destined to cause discussion. And about which Giorgio Chiellini himself, i.e., the Director of Football Strategy of the Old Lady, felt to make a clarification.

Marco Enzo Venturini

.

In one of the crucial matches of the Serie A season, in fact, Spalletti opted for a Juventus side lacking a true frontrunner. In Naples, in fact, the Bianconeri’s starting offensive department sees Kenan Yildiz on the field supported by Francisco Conceição. There’s therefore to analyze the choice not to bet on either Jonathan David or Lois Openda. That is, the two players who, at least in theory, should constitute the natural alternative to Vlahovic. Not for the current HCL coach, however. The numbers, after all, give a clear explanation for this kind of decision: so far, the Canadian national has scored just one goal in 12 league games, the Belgian is even at one assist and zero markers in 10 tokens.

Chiellini, however, wanted to throw water on the fire and especially defended the two Bianconeri strikers. “Against Napoli we will play without points of reference going forward. I think it is a choice made to have control of the game. Regarding the empowerment of David and Openda, I see them more and more convinced. There will be opportunities for them. An injury like Vlahovic&#8217s is bad news for the club, but it&#8217s also an opportunity for others to come into the limelight. In the coming weeks we will find out more about them, without them feeling the pressure of Dusan” on their shoulders, explained Juventus Director of Football Strategy to ‘DAZN’Juventus.

After all, both players are bound to Juventus by long contracts, and Openda in particular arrived in Turin with a buy-back obligation worth 45 million euros. For David, on the other hand, commissions are particularly onerous. Besides the technical and tactical aspect, therefore, Juventus has every interest in relaunching them for economic reasons as well. Being starters in Naples, however, was clearly a responsibility that at the moment Spalletti did not want to take on.