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 in the closing minutes, much to the delight of Luciano Spalletti, who revealed some behind-the-scenes details in his post-match comments.

“He has great speed and power, and that depth in his runs really highlights his qualities in these wide-open spaces. He took a couple of hits from behind, and even tonight, in these intense, physical duels, he still needs 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 the blow 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 foresight I’d expect. That means anticipating the play before it becomes a physical action. He sometimes takes two touches—which may even be close together—and maybe he gets to his destination first. But if he hesitates after the first touch… he needs to get rid of that. He has this ability to sense what’s happening and get out of the play before others even notice.”