Luciano Spalletti Faces Pressure Amid Juventus Fans' Calls for Conte
Luciano Spalletti is already under siege. Not from the boardroom, not yet, but from the stands.
The wild finale against Sassuolo – Juventus scoring, then conceding twice in stoppage time – has lit the fuse. The jeers were loud, the message even louder: a section of the fans is already calling for Antonio Conte.
Inside the club, though, the tone is very different.
Carnevali draws a line
CEO Giovanni Carnevali moved quickly to cool the storm, stepping in on Radio Anch'io Lo Sport to back his coach without hesitation.
"Changing the manager frequently is not in my MO. I'm not considering it at all. We must plan and build. There'll be some disappointments along the way, but also some satisfactions eventually," he said, before doubling down on Spalletti’s status.
"Spalletti is an extraordinary coach, one of the absolute best for how he works on the pitch. The evaluations are constant, but you must know what you're doing. I've been here for three months, and we tried to understand the opportunities and the possibilities. We need a bit of time. We must forge ahead without dwelling on what has been done in the past."
That is not the language of a club preparing the trapdoor. It is a public commitment, and a reminder that this project has barely started.
A shared plan derailed
According to Corriere dello Sport, Spalletti and the new management built this Juventus together. No shortcuts, no imposed signings. Coach and hierarchy worked side by side on the market, agreeing on every arrival to construct a credible 4-2-3-1, with two reliable options in each role.
The Old Lady paid for that ambition. They spent heavily and didn’t cash in on anyone, betting on depth, continuity and a clear tactical identity.
Then the injuries hit. Early, serious, destabilising. The plan, so carefully assembled, suddenly looked fragile.
Not a crisis, but a warning
Spalletti has cut a subdued figure on the touchline in recent weeks, and the Sassuolo collapse only sharpened the criticism. The final minutes were abominable by any elite standard, and Juventus cannot afford many more of those.
Yet a coaching change now would be a shock move. They are not in full-blown crisis. The table does not scream emergency, even if the mood around the club does.
What they do need, urgently, is structure: clear reference points on the pitch, technical leaders willing to drag the team through the rough patches, and a tactical shape that holds despite the absences. Serie A offers no grace period. Drop your level for a month, and the season can run away from you.
Conte’s name will not disappear. He is not the type to walk into a job mid-season, but his shadow will hang over Spalletti and this Juventus all year, a constant comparison, a permanent temptation.
If the project holds, Carnevali’s words will be remembered as the start of a steady rebuild. If it cracks, those same words will be replayed as the moment the club chose patience in a league that rarely forgives it.
