Spalletti: ‘Juventus didn’t do everything we wanted, Milan have clear ideas’ | OneFootball

Luciano Spalletti gives injury updates as Juventus face a Milan side with ‘clear ideas,’ but admits though Nick Woltemade is welcome, they didn’t ‘do everything we wanted’ on the market.

It kicks off at the Allianz Juventus Stadium on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).

Both these teams won their opening two Serie A games, albeit not with the strongest performances.

Spalletti evaluates new Juventus and Milan

FROSINONE, ITALY – AUGUST 23: Luciano Spalletti head coach of FC Juventus looks dejected during the Serie A match between Frosinone Calcio and Juventus FC at Stadio Benito Stirpe on August 23, 2026 in Frosinone, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)

“Milan have a coach with clear ideas who has been able to build a strong squad,” said Spalletti in his press conference.

“Ruben Amorim has very recognisable set of tactical principles, which we could already appreciate when he was at Sporting. Milan are an immediate team, they go for the vertical passes and quick transitions.

“It forces you to match their engine, because otherwise you risk turning up late to the ball. If you can read the movement ahead of time, that can be useful, as their aggression must be used against them and not become a source of fear.

“It is going to be a fascinating game because it is Juventus-Milan. Naturally, we’ll try to take the initiative and express our desire for victory.”

The Bianconeri squeezed past Frosinone 1-0 and then beat Parma 2-0, but will be without injured Kenan Yildiz, Khephren Thuram and Juan Cabal for a while.

This weekend, Andrea Cambiaso, Weston McKennie, Jeff Ekhator and new arrival Pape Matar Sarr are also unavailable.

FROSINONE, ITALY – AUGUST 23: Luciano Spalletti head coach of FC Juventus gestures during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and AC Monza at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on August 23, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)

“There are difficulties, we have seven players out injured and all their problems are different,” explained Spalletti.

“Nonetheless, we feel that we are in a position to play like Juventus. We started on the right foot this season, but must do better at shaking off their marking, as Milan are very aggressive in the press. Every metre we earn going forward is worth more than any possession statistic.

“I think Milan have built a very strong team, don’t forget they haven’t played Pulisic, Saelemaekers, Rabiot, Modric, Hutchinson or Moreira in their recent matches, so they have a variety of options to choose from.

“Now we’ll have to see if we manage to do better than Inter, Napoli, Roma, Como or Milan. All teams are strong, you’ve got to play the games on the field.”

Inter coach Cristian Chivu said in his press conference yesterday that Juventus and Milan finished a long way behind them in the Serie A table last season, despite the head-to-head results.

“I think Chivu was honest, and I like honest people,” shrugged Spalletti.

“His words ought to be further motivation for us to do more. If this game is defined as a head-to-head, that is even more important, trying to reduce the gap with the best teams in the league.”

Nick Woltemade during a warm-up drill in his first training session with Juventus (via www.juventus.com)

The transfer window is now closed and Juventus brought in Nick Woltemade from Newcastle United on loan, with Jonathan David heading to Atletico Madrid.

“Woltemade is a player who gives us further options, both going vertically and horizontally. The reward of playing for a goal motivates players, and it seems in the few moments I’ve worked with him that he knows both how to drop deep, but also cut out his space as a striker.

“He’s good with his right and left foot, I think he was just good in the air because he’s tall, but he really goes to look for the contact too. He has characteristics that can be of great use to us, if we use them the right way,” continued the coach.

Nick Woltemade completes his loan move from Newcastle United to Juventus, sat with director Giovanni Carnevali (juventus.com)

“I don’t think he will start tomorrow, but we have faith in him, so it’s possible he’ll play off the bench. He can play as part of a pair upfront, because he likes to wander around and find those spaces, so could easily partner Randal Kolo Muani.

“I feel that we have what it takes to be a strong team. It’s true, we didn’t do everything we wanted on the transfer market, but it did allow us to improve our squad. We’ve got new faces to fit into the whole, but also different opportunities to make us stronger.”

MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 26: Luciano Spalletti, Head Coach of Juventus, looks on prior to the Serie A match between AC Milan and Juventus FC at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on April 26, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Spalletti acknowledged that the Juventus transfer strategy wasn’t entirely successful, as shown by the need to exclude some from the Europa League list.

“Leaving out a player is the worst of situations. We thought we’d do things that didn’t happen, and found ourselves in that situation,” added Spalletti.

“I spoke to them, I think they understood. When it comes to future sales, that is not my job, I have to work with the players that I have, but it is very disappointing when that needs to be done.”

TURIN, ITALY – APRIL 06: Luciano Spalletti, Head Coach of Juventus, looks on prior to the Serie A match between Juventus FC and Genoa CFC at Allianz Stadium on April 06, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Considering that comment, how does Spalletti evaluate the Juventus transfer strategy this summer?

“I have always been called a company man, I rarely say bad things about my directors, because you need to live with the difficulties and find solutions,” responded the coach.

“We do have a few problems, because we had to deal with sanctions, so we did some things and not others. There are dynamics that at times you cannot control, but we have improved our squad, so now we’ll see if we can put it into practice.

“Some players are not easy to replace due to their characteristics, like Kenan Yildiz and McKennie. I feel that we have potential, we had two very good performances so far, and tomorrow can be another match to say a lot about the consolidation of this team.”