Luciano Spalletti believes that players lacking sufficient personality are not suited to play for Juventus. He also strongly criticized a statement made by Torino to their fans before the Derby della Mole, calling it “absurd” that some colors should be excluded.
Juventus concluded the 2025-26 season with a 2-2 draw against city rivals Torino. The Granata managed to come back from a two-goal deficit in the match.
The Bianconeri finished the season in sixth place, securing only a Europa League spot.
The derby match at the Stadio Grande Torino experienced a significant delay, kicking off one hour later than scheduled due to clashes between Juventus and Torino ultras. A Juventus supporter was hospitalized in critical condition, and Juventus ultras had threatened to storm the pitch if the game had started as planned. When the match eventually commenced, Juventus fans reportedly left the stands.
Spalletti addressed these incidents in his post-match interview with Sky Sport Italia.
The Italian coach began by analyzing the game and the entire season, which saw Juventus finish outside the top four positions.
“I am the coach who must assess what happened. We had control of the game; it’s in these matches that you see a person’s character and their inner make-up. It’s in games like these that you search for something more. Having two more points or two fewer points is not the same thing.”
Spalletti agreed with the sentiment that Juventus aims to build a strong team during the summer transfer window, a point previously mentioned by Damien Comolli.
“This is what everyone expected, and it’s the correct approach,” Spalletti stated. “We are obligated to play, holding our heads high against everyone. The objective is to assemble a high-caliber team to address the deficiencies we’ve observed over the past six or seven months.”
“I believe character always makes the difference. Sometimes, personalities complement each other. It’s something that counts as much as physical strength and technical ability. A footballer’s mindset should not waver against certain opponents. They can win or lose, but their attitude must remain consistent,” Spalletti continued.
“Everyone experiences doubts when stepping onto the pitch. When you remain tied to these doubts, you become uncertain, so you need to let them go and make decisions. That’s the solution. Everyone has doubts, but a decision must be made. If you have too many doubts, you lack sufficient character, and you cannot play for Juventus because this is what sets you apart.”
“You cannot teach personality. You can teach tactics and technique, but character is difficult to learn. We have experienced both highs and lows.”
Consequently, Juventus will need to acquire players with more pronounced personalities in the transfer market.
“These are matters we’ve been discussing with Comolli and others. We require players who elevate the level of personality. This is why we sometimes played exceptional games and other times collapsed dramatically,” Spalletti explained.
“At times, we were also unfortunate, as we missed penalties in crucial matches. Last season, they qualified for the Champions League thanks to a penalty against Venezia. This season, we had some misplaced games, but not many. In some, we didn’t achieve the desired result, yet the team trained well, as they did this week, even with all the talk of it being a failure.”
“It was appropriate to give the players a day off because, amidst all this tension, they must also feel free. There are so many emotions, games, and pressures. To alleviate their burden, I see no other course of action than to give them a rest, and it was the correct decision.”
Finally, Spalletti conveyed his well wishes to the Juventus fan in the hospital. However, he also held Torino accountable for a message they had disseminated to ticket purchasers before the game, warning that individuals wearing Juventus merchandise would be denied entry to the stadium.
Juventus had previously issued a strong statement on Saturday in response.
“We are all awaiting updates from the hospital, hoping this fan makes a full recovery as soon as possible,” Spalletti concluded.
“However, if, on the day before the game, absurd pronouncements prohibit wearing black and white in the stands, then the issue lies with those who advocate for the exclusion of certain colors, because ultimately, we harm ourselves, despite all the efforts we are making to improve football. There were thousands of children present tonight, and telling a child they cannot wear a black-and-white scarf is absurd, and we must challenge this because it is unacceptable.”
English Translation:
Luciano Spalletti insists that those lacking sufficient personality “cannot play for Juventus” and criticizes Torino for a message sent to their fans on the eve of the Derby della Mole, stating: “The problem is those who say some colors should be excluded.”
Juventus ended the 2025-26 campaign with a 2-2 draw against city rivals Torino, with the Granata recovering from a two-goal deficit.
The Bianconeri finished sixth in the standings, securing only a Europa League place.
It was a dramatic showdown at the Stadio Grande Torino, as the match kicked off one hour behind schedule following clashes between Juventus and Torino ultras. A Juventus fan was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and Bianconeri ultras threatened to invade the pitch if the match had started. When the game began, one hour after the scheduled time, Juventus supporters left the stands.
Spalletti discussed these incidents in the latter part of his post-match interview with Sky Sport Italia.
First, the Italian tactician examined the game and the entire season, which saw Juventus finish outside the top four.
“I am the coach who has to examine what happened. We had the game in our hands; it’s in these games that you see people’s character and how we are made inside. It’s in games like these where you look for something more. It’s not the same thing to have two points more or two points less.”
Damien Comolli had stated before the match that Juventus would aim to build a strong team alongside Spalletti during the summer transfer window.
“It’s what everyone expected, and it’s the right thing to do,” Spalletti argued. “We are obliged to play, holding our heads high against everyone. The goal is to create a high-level team to fill the gaps we’ve seen over the past six or seven months.”
“I think character always makes the difference. Sometimes, personalities get together. It’s something that counts as much as physical strength and technique. A footballer’s head should not change against certain teams. They can win or lose, but always have the same attitude,” Spalletti continued.
“Everyone has doubts about their performance when taking to the pitch. When you remain tied to these doubts, you become doubtful, so you need to let go of them and make decisions. That’s the solution. Everyone has doubts, but a decision must be made. If you have too many doubts, you don’t have enough character, and you can’t play for Juventus because this is what makes the difference.”
“You don’t teach personality. You can teach tactics and technique, but character is hard to learn. We’ve had ups and downs.”
Therefore, Juventus will need to acquire players with more personality in the market.
“These are things we’ve been talking about with Comolli and the others. We need players who raise the level of personality. This is why sometimes we played some great games and other times we sank like a stone,” Spalletti argued.
“Sometimes we were unlucky, too, because we missed some penalties in crucial matches. Last season, they qualified for the Champions League thanks to a penalty kick scored against Venezia. This season, we had some games wrong, but not many. In some, we didn’t get the result, but the team trained well, like this week, even if all we heard was that it would be a failure.”
“It was right to rest the players for a day because, inside all this tension, they must feel free as well. There are so many emotions, games, and pressures. To hurt them less, I see no other action than to rest them, and it was the right choice.”
Lastly, Spalletti sent a message to the Juventus fan in the hospital but also blamed Torino for a message they had sent to ticket buyers before the game, warning that those wearing Juventus merch would not be allowed inside the stadium.
Juventus had already reacted with a strong statement on Saturday.
“We are all waiting for updates from the hospital, hoping that this fan can recover as soon as possible,” concluded Spalletti.
“If, however, the day before the game, absurd statements forbid wearing black and white in the stands, then the problem is those who say some colors should be excluded, because in the end, we hurt ourselves. With all the efforts we are making to improve football. There were thousands of kids tonight, and telling one kid that he can’t wear a black-and-white scarf is absurd, and we have to challenge this because it’s not fine.”