Juventus, the inside story on Kolo Muani: “He was the only one on the entire team”

Kolo Muani made his mark in the victory over NEC, which marked Juventus’s Europa League debut. The French forward capped off the 5-0 rout of the Dutch side with an assist and a goal late in the game, much to the delight of Luciano Spalletti, who revealed some behind-the-scenes details in his post-match comments.

“He has natural speed and that power—a depth to his run that, with spaces like these, really highlights his qualities. He took two hits from behind; even tonight, in these intense, physical duels, he still needed to show more strength. Last night, he was the only player present at the optional training session. He cares deeply and struggles with not being able to make a decisive impact. The fact that he stayed on his feet after taking a hit from the goalkeeper speaks volumes about his resilience.”

The Juventus coach also spoke about Douglas Luiz: “He can improve. He has a thorough understanding of the game, but sometimes he lacks the anticipation I’d expect. That means recognizing the play before it becomes a physical action. He sometimes takes two touches—which may even be close together—and perhaps reaches his destination first. But if he hesitates after the first touch… he has to eliminate that. He has the ability to sense what’s happening and get out of the play before others even notice.”